Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the suspension of liberal State Attorney Andrew Warren on Thursday.
During a press conference in the county sheriff’s office, DeSantis said Warren has refused to enforce laws on child sex change surgeries and abortion restrictions.
“We are suspending Soros-backed 13th circuit state attorney Andrew Warren for neglecting his duties as he pledges not to uphold the laws of the state,” his office said in a statement.
“The constitution of Florida has vested the veto power in the governor, not in state attorneys,” DeSantis stated. “We are not going to allow this pathogen of ignoring the law get a foothold in the state of Florida”.
“When you flagrantly violate your oath of office, when you make yourself above the law, you have violated your duty, you have neglected your duty and you are displaying a lack of competence to be able to perform those duties,” the governor said at the conference.
DeSantis continued to say that Warren cannot “put himself above that” and refuse to enforce laws, acting as if he had “veto power”.
The governor’s press secretary, Christina Pushaw tweeted Wednesday that a “MAJOR” announcement would come Thursday morning. “Prepare for the liberal media meltdown of the year,” she added.
DeSantis announced that he would replace Warren with former Judge Susan Lopez.
In her own statement, Lopez said “I have the utmost respect for our state laws and I understand the important role that the State Attorney plays in ensuring the safety of our community and the enforcement of our laws”.
“I want to thank the Governor for placing his trust in me, and I promise that I will faithfully execute the duties of this office,” she said.