The prosecutor who was suspended by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is alleging that this removal constituted a “blatant abuse of power.”
State Attorney Andrew Warren said on Wednesday, “In our country, there are protections for freedom and limits on power. Ron DeSantis may not like them. He may not respect them. But he does have to follow them.”
“This morning, I filed a suit in federal court to challenge the blatant abuse of power by Governor DeSantis in suspending me as state attorney,” he continued. “There’s so much more at stake here than my job.”
Warren alleged that DeSantis is “hoping to get away with overturning a fair election” and “throwing out the votes of hundreds of thousands of Floridians.”
“By challenging this illegal abuse of power, we can make sure that no governor can toss out the results of an election because he doesn’t like the outcome,” he added.
Watch the video below:
State Attorney @AndrewWarrenFL announces he has filed a lawsuit against Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), claiming it was a “blatant abuse of power” when DeSantis fired him for not prosecuting doctors who provided gender-affirming care to trans youth. pic.twitter.com/SHsCl2AekS
— The Recount (@therecount) August 17, 2022
Warren noted that he was “forced” out of his office “by an armed deputy” and said he was “replaced with a Ron DeSantis accomplice.”
“The governor’s authority is not unlimited. He can disagree with my political views. He can disagree with my criminal justice philosophy. He can even disagree with my unwavering commitment to public safety, fairness, and justice. And he can do all those things because he’s protected by the First Amendment. But the First Amendment doesn’t just protect him. It protects everyone, even those of us he disagrees with,” he added.
When asked by a reporter how he can call DeSantis “undemocratic” since he was elected to be the governor of Florida, Warren said, “The governor was elected in a fair and free election once, just like I was twice.”
Warren also pointed out that he won 370,000 votes in his last election, while DeSantis won 230,000 votes in the same county.
Reporter: “How are you calling [DeSantis] undemocratic if he was elected? I mean, he’s not a tyrant.”
— The Recount (@therecount) August 17, 2022
State Attorney @AndrewWarrenFL: “The governor was elected in a fair and free election once, just like I was twice.” pic.twitter.com/oTmSl7rFJG
Earlier this month, DeSantis signed an executive order that suspended Warren and accused him of “neglect of duty” as well as “incompetence.”
The state’s constitution gives the governor the power to suspend an official due to “malfeasance, misfeasance, neglect of duty, drunkenness, incompetence, permanent inability to perform official duties or commission of a felony.”
“State attorney for this Judicial Circuit, Andrew Warren, has put himself publicly above the law,” DeSantis said during an Aug. 4 press conference. “Our government is a government of laws, not a government of men.”
Warren had previously announced that he would not enforce abortion bans or bans on gender-transition surgeries for minors.
The governor said he decided to suspend Warren after his office heard complaints from law enforcement that crimes were “not being prosecuted.”
