THE STATE ATTORNEY SUSPENDED BY FLORIDA GOVERNOR RON DeSANTIS OVER
ABORTION PLANS -- OVER ABORTION PLANS TO FILE A MOTION
CHALLENGING THAT SUSPENSION. DeSANTIS REMOVED ANDREW WARREN
EARLIER THIS MONTH FOR PLEDGING NOT TO PROSECUTE CRIMES RELATED
TO ABORTION AND GENDER TRANSITION TREATMENTS FOR
CHILDREN. DeSANTIS WHO SEEMS TO BE
WEIGHING A 2024 PRESIDENTIAL RUN ACCUSED WARREN OF NEGLECT OF
DUTY AND INCOMPETENCE. WARREN A TWICE ELECTED DEMOCRAT
CALLS HIS OUSTER AN ABUSE OF POWER TO OVERTURN A FREE AND
FAIR ELECTION. JOINING ME NOW IS THE
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY STATE ATTORNEY SUSPENDED BY DeSANTIS,
ANDREW WARREN. SIR, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING
WITH US. WHAT ACTION ARE YOU TAKING THIS
MORNING? >> WELL, THE GOVERNOR HAS
VIOLATED TWO LAWS, ONE, HE'S RETALIATED AGAINST ME FOR
SPEAKING OUT AGAINST HIM IN VIOLATION OF MY FIRST AMENDMENT
RIGHTS, AND HE'S ABUSED THE POWER THAT HE HAS UNDER THE
FLORIDA CONSTITUTION TO SUSPEND AN ELECTED OFFICIAL.
SO WE'RE FIGHTING BACK TO MAKE SURE THAT EVEN THOUGH RON
DeSANTIS IS GOVERNOR, THE FIRST AMENDMENT STILL HAS MEANING.
THE FLORIDA CONSTITUTION STILL HAS MEANING AND ELECTIONS STILL
HAVE MEANING. >> YOU'RE FILING A MOTION IN
COURT, FEDERAL COURT, ON WHAT GROUNDS EXACTLY?
>> WELL, THERE ARE TWO GROUNDS, ONE IS A FIRST AMENDMENT CLAIM
BECAUSE HE'S VIOLATING MY FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS, AND THE FIRST
AMENDMENT APPLIES TO EVERYBODY, THAT'S THE BEAUTY OF T THAT'S
WHY THEY PUT IT UP FRONT IN THE CONSTITUTION, TOO.
THE SECOND CLAIM IS BASICALLY JUST TO HAVE THE COURT ADMIT AND
SHOW THAT WHAT HE'S DONE ABUSES HIS AUTHORITY UNDER THE FLORIDA
CONSTITUTION. HE CAN'T JUST SUSPEND AN
ELECTION, HE CAN'T JUST THROW OUT PEOPLE'S VOTES BECAUSE HE
DISAGREES WITH SOMETHING THAT I'VE SAID.
>> ON THE FIRST POINT YOU SAY FREE SPEECH.
WHAT THIS IS OVER IS A PLEDGE THAT YOU SIGNED AND HE WOULD
ARGUE A PROMISE THAT YOU MADE NOT TO PROSECUTE PEOPLE WHO
VIOLATE ABORTION LAWS IN FLORIDA.
YOU SIGNED A PLEDGE WITH OTHER PROSECUTORS THAT SAYS, QUOTE, WE
DECLINE TO USE OUR OFFICE'S RESOURCES TO CRIMINALIZE
REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH DECISIONS AND COMMIT TO EXERCISE OUR WELL
SETTLED DISCRETION AND REFRAIN FROM PROSECUTING THOSE WHO SEEK.
SO YOU'RE SAYING THAT SPEECH, BUT HE'S SAYING YOU'RE TELLING
PEOPLE YOU ARE NOT GOING TO DO YOUR JOB.
>> WELL, LET'S BE CLEAR, FIRST OF ALL, THAT'S A VALUE STATEMENT
THAT I SIGNED ON TO TALKING ABOUT THAT I BELIEVE THAT
CRIMINALIZING HEALTH CARE DECISIONS BETWEEN WOMEN AND
THEIR DOCTORS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD BE CRIMINALIZING.
SECOND, THAT LAW, THE 15-WEEK ABORTION BAN THAT WAS PASSED BY
THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE HAS BEEN HELD UNCONSTITUTIONAL.
SO WHEN I BECAME STATE ATTORNEY I PUT MY HAND ON THE BIBLE AND I
SWORE TO UPHOLD BOTH THE U.S. AND THE STATE CONSTITUTIONS AND
THAT'S WHAT I'M DOING. SO I CAN'T ENFORCE AN
UNCONSTITUTIONAL LAW AND NO CASE HAS COME BEFORE ME YET.
THIS ISN'T ABOUT ANYTHING THAT I'VE DONE, THIS IS ABOUT WHAT
I'VE SAID. >> IF A CASE COMES BEFORE YOU
THAT VIOLATES A LAW THAT IS DEEMED CONSTITUTIONAL ON
ABORTION, WILL YOU PROSECUTE IT? >> WELL, WE WOULD LOOK AT IT THE
SAME WAY WE WOULD LOOK AT EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THE 50,000 TO
60,000 CASE THAT IS COME TO MY OFFICE EVERY YEAR.
WE LOOK AT THE LAW AND WE LOOK AT THE FACTS AND THEN WE MAKE A
DECISION ON THAT CASE BASED ON CASE-SPECIFIC INFORMATION.
>> IF THE 15-WEEK BAN ULTIMATELY IS DEEMED CONSTITUTIONAL BASED
ON THE FLORIDA STATE CONSTITUTION, AGAIN, IF SOMEONE
VIOLATES THAT, WOULD YOU PROSECUTE?
>> I MEAN, AGAIN, YOU'RE ASKING QUESTIONS IN A HYPOTHETICAL.
I SAID WE HAVE TO EVALUATE THE MERITS OF EACH CASE.
I WILL TELL YOU EVEN UNDER CURRENT LAW, RIGHT, THE 15-WEEK
BAN IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL, BUT GOING BACK TO THE ROE STANDARD
IN FLORIDA OF 24 WEEKS, THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SOMEONE WHO
HAS AN ABORTION AT 24 WEEKS AND THERE'S A QUESTION AS TO WHETHER
IT WAS 23 WEEKS AND 6 DAYS OR 24 WEEKS AND ONE DAY VERSUS SOMEONE
WHO HAS A WHACK ALLEY ABORTION AT 35 WEEKS.
THAT'S WHY WE SAY WE HAVE TO LOOK AT THE FACTS OF EVERY
SPECIFIC CASE. YOU CAN'T SAY I'M ALWAYS GOING
TO OR NEVER GOING TO IN SITUATIONS.
THAT'S NOT HOW PROSECUTING WORKS.
>> IT'S INTERESTING, ARE YOU SAYING THAT HE THE RIGHT TO
SUSPEND YOU OR REMOVE YOU FROM YOUR OFFICE IF ULTIMATELY YOU
DID MAKE THAT DECISION NOT TO PROSECUTE?
>> NO, NOT AT ALL. I MEAN, THE FLORIDA CONSTITUTION
SETS VERY LIMITED PARAMETERS UNDER WHICH A GOVERNOR CAN
SUSPEND AN ELECTED OFFICIAL. WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE IS HE'S
TRYING TO OVERTURN A FREE AND FAIR ELECTION.
HE'S TRYING TO THROW OUT THE VOTES OF HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS
OF FLORIDIANS AND TRYING TO SUBSTITUTE HIS JUDGMENT FOR THAT
OF THE VOTERS WHO ELECTED ME. EVEN MY 8-YEAR-OLD UNDERSTANDS
THIS. THIS IS HOW DEMOCRACY WORKS.
THE PEOPLE GET TO ELECT THE -- THEIR ELECTED LEADERS AND THE
PEOPLE ELECTED ME BECAUSE THEY TRUST MY JUDGMENT, THEY SHARE MY
VISION AND THEY'VE SEEN THE SUCCESS WE HAVE HAD IN KEEPING
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY ONE OF THE SAFEST COUNTIES IN THE STATE OF
FLORIDA. >> TO BE CLEAR YOU WERE ELECTED
TWICE IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, THE VOTERS TWICE ELECTED YOU.
NOW WHATEVER HAPPENS IN COURT, THIS CAN ALSO GO TO THE FLORIDA
STATE SENATE. DO YOU THINK THAT THE FLORIDA
STATE SENATE WOULD UPHOLD YOUR APPEAL TO THEM?
>> WELL, THE FLORIDA STATE SENATE HAS A ROLE TO PLAY, BUT
ONLY IN A SITUATION WHERE THE GOVERNOR'S SUSPENSION IS WITHIN
THE LAW. HERE THE GOVERNOR'S SUSPENSION
IS CLEARLY OUTSIDE THE LAW SO WE DON'T EXPECT IT EVER TO GET TO
THE SENATE. >> ANDREW WARREN, THANK YOU SO
MUCH FOR JOINING US THIS MORNING.
APPRECIATE IT. >> THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR
HAVING ME.