Ron DeSantis SUSPENDS ‘Soros-funded’ Democratic Florida prosecutor for ‘ignoring the law’

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Thursday suspended a progressive state attorney who he accused of ‘ignoring the law’ for refusing to enforce several recent conservative reforms. 

‘State attorney for this Judicial Circuit, Andrew Warren, has put himself publicly above the law,’ DeSantis said during a press conference on the prosecutor’s home turf.

‘In June of 2021, He signed a letter saying that he would not enforce any prohibitions on sex change operations for minors.’

DeSantis, who accused Warren of being funded by billionaire George Soros, also said that after the Supreme Court overturned abortion rights, Warren ‘signed a letter saying he would not enforce any laws relating to protecting the right to life in the state of Florida.’

DeSantis’ press secretary Christina Pushaw teased ‘a major announcement’ on Wednesday night and said it will cause the ‘liberal media meltdown of the year.’

‘MAJOR announcement tomorrow morning from @GovRonDeSantis. Prepare for the liberal media meltdown of the year,’ Pushaw wrote on Twitter. ‘Everyone get some rest tonight’.

It sparked furious speculation that he might reveal he is running for president in 2024.

But DeSantis’ spokeswoman seemed to knocked down those rumors, specifying on Twitter that the announcement is related to the Florida Governor’s Office rather than campaign business.

She also restated DeSantis’ intent to run for a second term in Tallahassee this November.

‘He already announced he’s running for re-election as governor,’ Pushaw wrote. ‘All I can say about the surprise announcement tomorrow is that it’s not about anything campaign related. It’s official business.’

Pushaw on Thursday morning then teased: ‘Nobody has guessed today’s announcement yet, though some of you have guessed the governor’s priorities for the next legislative session.’ 

The announcement could have something to do with DeSantis’ ongoing crackdown on gender-affirming treatments like hormone therapy and surgery for minors.

The Florida Board of Medicine is expected to consider a total ban on doctors giving hormone therapy and puberty blockers to transgender youth on Friday, according to WLRN. 

In a press conference in Tallahassee on Wednesday, DeSantis called for doctors who perform gender-affirming care on minors to be sued.

It’s the latest shot in the popular Republican figure’s months-long culture war with the LGBTQ community, which has sent his national profile skyrocketing with moments like his public spat with the Walt Disney Company over Florida’s new ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law.

DeSantis comments came while discussing his state’s substance abuse recovery model – and were met with fierce applause in response.

‘One of the things that they are trying to do, is they talk about these very young kids getting gender-affirming care,’ the governor said.

‘But they don’t tell you what that is, is they’re actually giving very young girls miss double mastectomies. They want to castrate these young boys. That’s wrong.’

When asked by DailyMail.com who ‘they’ refers to, Pushaw replied it was ‘the powerful institutions and people who push the false narrative that so-called “gender affirming care” (experimental medical and surgical interventions) is the best way to deal with gender dysphoria or confusion in children and youth.’

‘Moreover, “they” – the politicians, doctors, and activists who promote “gender affirming care” – falsely claim that puberty blockers are safe and should be given to children who are confused about their gender.’ 

DeSantis’ spokeswoman Christina Pushaw teased a ‘major’ announcement on Twitter Wednesday night

DeSantis continued during his press conference, ‘We’ve stood up and said, both from the health and children wellbeing perspective, you know, you don’t disfigure 1012 13 year old kids, based on gender dysphoria.’ 

He highlighted a 2011 study frequently referenced by opponents of gender-affirming care for children and teens, which suggests that a majority of transgender youth grow out of it by the time they are adults.

Critics of the study have insisted that it presents an incomplete picture. 

‘Eighty percent of it resolves, anyways, by the time they get older,’ DeSantis said. ‘I think these doctors need to get sued for what’s happening.’

He has closed the gap to Trump in Republican polls and has been touted to enter the race following his COVID response.

DeSantis has answered those calls by insisting his focus currently remains on the Florida, though he has not ruled out challenging the ex-president in a future Republican primary.

In his home state, a poll taken on July 15 projects DeSantis soundly walloping Trump at the ballot box. 

Just 33 percent of Republican Sunshine State voters said they’d back Trump, while 51 percent support DeSantis, according to the Victory Insights survey released Monday. The rest were undecided. 

A straw poll in Wisconsin taken in May also shows DeSantis with a 38 percent share of a wider pool of GOP candidates. Trump followed closely behind with 32 percent, and Nikki Haley came in at a distant third.

In New Hampshire, where the first presidential primary is traditionally held, DeSantis bests Trump by a modest two points to secure 39 percent support among voters there. The poll was conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center in June.