Widow Of Florida Rep. Bill Young Bans Former Governor Charlie Crist From Funeral For 'Transparent Attempts To Manipulate The Political Arena'

The widow of Florida Rep. C.W. Bill Young sent an email to former Governor Charlie Crist to inform him he will not be allowed to attend her husband's memorial service, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

Beverly Young issued the notice to Crist, who switched his political affiliation from Republican to Democrat, and explained her reasoning.

"Charlie:

This e-mail is to officially advise you that your presence at my husband's memorial services will be unacceptable. I have watched over the years, as Bill had, your transparent attempts to manipulate the political arena. I don't want my husband's memorial service to be another opportunity for that and I will not tolerate anyone turning this into a platform for political gain.

Please honor my family's request.

Sincerely,

Beverly Young

Widow of Congressman Bill Young"

Crist has not commented on the ban from Young's funeral service, which was also given to Democrats Charlie Justice and Jessica Ehrlich -- both of whom campaigned against her late husband.

His funeral is scheduled for Thursday at 1:00 p.m. at the First Baptist Church of Indian Rocks in Largo.

Thursday's legislative House session was cancelled in order for members of Congress to attend his funeral. Although the church reportedly seats 3,000, they are expecting an overflow of 1,200 -- many of which will be filled by local and national lawmakers, as long as they're not prohibited.

This is not the first time Young has made headlines for her actions. In 2006, she was forced to leave the House chamber during President George W. Bush's state of the union address for wearing a t-shirt that read "Support our Troops: Defend our Freedom."

Young passed away at Walter Reed Military Medical Center in Maryland on Friday. He held his position in the House since 1970 and announced in October that he would not seek re-election. He was 82.

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