DeSantis is a ‘wannabe dictator,’ ‘undermining’ democracy, says suspended Florida attorney
Hillsborough County state attorney Andrew Warren was suspended by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Aug. 4
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Suspended Florida state attorney Andrew Warren suggested that Gov. Ron DeSantis could be a threat to democracy while appearing on MSNBC’s "Morning Joe" on Tuesday.
Warren was previously suspended from his position by DeSantis on Thursday after he refused to prosecute cases that ran afoul of the state’s abortion and child sex change laws. While he has previously referred to the state’s abortion laws as "unconstitutional" and vowed to uphold the "right to privacy," the former state attorney insisted that this was a "war" on his free speech.
"I mean, let’s look at what he did," Warren said about DeSantis. "He’s waging a war on free speech, and it doesn’t matter if you’re a Democrat or a Republican or neither, everybody should be outraged, and everybody should be worried, too. Think about the groups that DeSantis has already attacked for speaking out against him. First it was businesses, then teachers, now public servants? Who is next? I mean, the governor likes to brag about the so-called free state of Florida, but it sure doesn't feel very free to a lot of us."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren was suspended from his position on Aug. 4. (Photo by Octavio Jones/Getty Images)
He reiterated that he plans to fight his suspension, claiming that his suspension has greater ramifications for both Republicans and Democrats.
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"Because they know that this is a fight for democracy, a fight to preserve the integrity of our elections, a fight for free speech, to make sure that we have the freedoms in Florida and are not subject to the tyrannical rule of a wannabe dictator," Warren said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Though guest host Jonathan Lemire called his claims "certainly strong words," Warren doubled down and said DeSantis is violating democracy to further his presidential ambitions.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told Fox News, "We're going to take action, decisive action, to protect the people of the state." (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
"Well, it is just a blatant abuse of power. And he is abusing his power to further his own political ambitions, because he has this obsession with running for president, to out-Trumping Trump or both, but he’s abusing his power in a way to violate the most fundamental sacred aspect of our democracy, the fact that people's vote matters, that the people get to elect their elected officials. I mean—even my 8-year-old understands that. That’s how democracy works," Warren said.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He closed, "So, what DeSantis is doing here is undermining the fabric and the framework of our democracy."
In an op-ed for the Miami Herald, Warren similarly blasted DeSantis’ decision as an abuse of power for political gain.
DeSantis has dodged questions as to whether he plans to support Donald Trump in 2024 if he were the presidential nomination. (Getty Images)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He wrote, "DeSantis suspended me for no greater cause than blind political ambition. The governor's illegal action is unwarranted and unconstitutional, it is a blatant abuse of power by a Republican governor, intent on governor intent on gaining national attention from the most extreme members of his own party as he looks to run for president in 2024. For DeSantis this is all political theater—let's look tough and kick out of office a prosecutor who is a Democrat and who has embraced effective criminal justice policies he doesn't like."