DeSantis suspends prosecutor who won't criminalize abortion

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Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday he is suspending State Attorney Andrew Warren for refusing to enforce Florida laws.

DeSantis was surrounded by law enforcement officials during a news conference at the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office when he made the announcement.

He pointed to Warren's statement that he would not enforce any current or potential state laws regarding abortion or transgender health care, as one of the reasons for the suspension.

Warren, a Democrat, was one of dozens of state attorneys around the country who signed a letter vowing not to press charges against people who seek or provide abortions. He has called Florida's 15-week ban "arbitrary" and "unconstitutional."

"It is not for him to put himself above that and say that he's not going to enforce the laws," DeSantis said. "We don't elect people in one part of the state to have veto power over what the entire state decides on these important issues."

According to an executive order issued by DeSantis, Warren "thinks he has the authority to defy the Florida Legislature and nullify in his jurisdiction criminal laws with which he disagrees."

“State Attorneys have a duty to prosecute crimes as defined in Florida law, not to pick and choose which laws to enforce based on his personal agenda,” DeSantis said in a news release. “It is my duty to hold Florida’s elected officials to the highest standards for the people of Florida."

The order also cites Warren proclaiming "in writing that he will not prosecute individuals who provide abortions in violation of Florida's criminal laws to protect the life of the unborn child."

Andrew Warren responded with a statement, calling the suspension a "political stunt" and "illegal overreach that continues a dangerous pattern by Ron DeSantis of using his office to further his own political ambition."

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) rejected growing concerns over monkeypox during a press conference Wednesday, arguing that the media and politicians were unnecessarily stoking fear about the illness.

“I am so sick of politicians, and we saw this with COVID, trying to sow fear into the population,” the Republican governor said. “We had people calling, mothers worried about whether their kids could catch it at schools.”

“We are not doing fear,” he added. “And we are not going to go out and try to rile people up and try to act like people can’t live their lives as they’ve been normally doing because of something.”

DeSantis, who has been a vocal critic of the Biden administration’s response to COVID-19, also slammed states imposing emergency measures in regard to monkeypox.

“You see some of these states declaring states of emergency. They’re going to abuse those emergency powers to restrict your freedom. I guarantee you that’s what will happen,” DeSantis said.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) declared a disaster in her state last weekend over the outbreak. California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, both Democrats, also declared states of emergency over the virus on Monday.

Rep. Charlie Crist (D-Fla.), who is running against DeSantis in the Florida gubernatorial race, criticized the governor’s comments on Twitter.

Our next president right there.

Yup, the man's political instincts and execution are unrivaled at the moment, the only question is whether or not Donald bows out gracefully. Unless Biden does him the immense favor of prosecuting Trump, which would be both entertaining and political suicide for the entire Democratic party.

Yup, the man's political instincts and execution are unrivaled at the moment, the only question is whether or not Donald bows out gracefully. Unless Biden does him the immense favor of prosecuting Trump, which would be both entertaining and political suicide for the entire Democratic party.

Curious how you, personally, feel about DeSantis, though.

Good thing or bad thing?

Conflicted. I don't love all of his culture warrior posturing, though I recognize the political value in it, especially when his opponents just keep leaning into the punches. I think he got COVID right, at least for his state, he effectively minimized the disruption while keeping deaths firmly in the middle of the pack vs other states that went maximalist on the restrictions, though I'm not sure if that was more luck or skill (given his elderly population, I'll give him some credit). I think some of the laws he's passed have been overreaching or set bad precedents, such as his clearly political punishment of Disney over their corporate speech, but I'm willing to overlook some of that in service to tamping down the woke activism that has taken over much of the professional world, which I view as akin to a religious cult gaining an intolerable position of power over secular life. I don't claim to be an expert on the man, but I think he's the best the GOP has at the moment, and generally view him as being an improvement over Trump or Biden, or any likely Biden successors the Democrats have floated (Kamala, lol).

Sadly I feel like I'm waiting for a unicorn to appear ...

I got over that.

My pragmatic side knows I'll be picking between unfortunate options, but my hopeful side persists anyway. I don't want to fall down a dejected rabbit hole like so many others in my life. I take heart in the little victories, the little things that indicate most people are actually sane still.

Obviously DeSantis isn't my candidate (given my political position preferences), but I'm not sure how worried I am about his potential yet. Appreciate your input.

BTW I was in Seattle in April, not sure if I had mentioned that. I was surprised, I guess (although I really should not have been), by how many tall, duplicative buildings have sprung up everywhere. The outlying towns especially. Seeing sections I had once considered slums become vibrant was more or less positive, but a little creativity in the architecture would have been good. It made me sad to see so much less of the classic home architecture that had always said "Seattle" to me. Overall, though, had a great visit with family and old college friends. LOVE riding the ferry system.

The problem is those slums provided a lot of affordable housing. Now there are big shiny barely occupied towers in place of that, owned by foreign investors playing real estate games.

Yup, the man's political instincts and execution are unrivaled at the moment, the only question is whether or not Donald bows out gracefully. Unless Biden does him the immense favor of prosecuting Trump, which would be both entertaining and political suicide for the entire Democratic party.