Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren promised to fight his suspension from his post by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, in a message shared to Facebook over the weekend.
Warren was suspended by the governor for refusing to prosecute people who receive abortions outside of the confines of the state’s recently passed 15-week ban. In the message, Warren called DeSantis’ move a “political circus” and noted that the law “has already been found to violate Florida’s Constitution.”
“I was elected because the people of this county share my vision for criminal justice, trust my judgment, and have seen our success,” he said in the video. “I swore to uphold the Constitution, and that’s exactly what I’ve done. DeSantis is trying to take away my job for doing my job.”
Warren accused DeSantis of trying to “overthrow democracy in Florida” by suspending him. State Attorneys are elected and not appointed in Florida. Warren said that Hillsborough County citizens have shown they trust his reading of the state’s Constitution by electing him twice.
“Ron DeSantis is trying to overthrow democracy in Florida. His plot to suspend me blatantly violates the most fundamental basis of our democracy—your vote,” Warren said. “He is trying to overturn the results of a fair and free election and abusing his power to serve his own political ambition.”
Warren announced in a press release that he’s putting together a legal team to fight the suspension.