Category: US

TALLAHASSEE—Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday suspended Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren for not prosecuting certain crimes.

At a news conference flanked by police from around Tampa Bay, DeSantis said Warren has “put himself publicly above the law” by signing letters saying he would not enforce laws prohibiting gender-affirming care for minors or laws limiting abortion.

“Our government is a government of laws, not a government of men,” DeSantis said.

READ THE GOVERNOR’S ORDER HERE

Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said police have had long-running frustrations with Warren for not prosecuting particular cases.

“I continue to work with my law enforcement counterparts who are privately frustrated with the state attorney, who seems intently focused on empathy for criminals and less interested in pursuing justice for crime victims,” Chronister said Thursday.

Thursday’s press conference included neighboring other police chiefs, including Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco and Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, and Attorney General Ashley Moody.

“Andrew Warren is a fraud,” former Tampa police Chief Brian Dugan said. “This is a terrible day, that the governor had to come and clean up our mess.”

Warren, a Democrat, has been a frequent critic of DeSantis, including calling the governor’s 2021 “anti-riot” legislation a misguided “solution in search of a problem.”

On Thursday morning, Warren was escorted out of his office. He was set to host a news conference about a “major development” related to the case of Robert DuBoise, who was exonerated in 2020 after serving 37 years in prison for a murder he did not commit. After DeSantis’ suspension, Warren’s office canceled the event.

Warren can appeal DeSantis’ decision.

Under the state constitution, a governor can suspend state officials for misfeasance, malfeasance, neglect of duty, drunkenness, incompetence, permanent inability to perform official duties or commission of a felony.

DeSantis’ order cites neglect of duty and incompetence as the reason for Warren’s suspension, citing, in part, 1937 case law in which a Tampa prosecutor was accused of not charging people for gambling offenses.

Warren, the order states, “demonstrated his incompetence and willful defiance of his duties,” citing:

• Warren signing on to a June 2021 “joint statement” with prosecutors around the country “to use our discretion and not promote the criminalization of gender-affirming healthcare or transgender people.” Although the state has not enacted such criminal laws, “these statements prove that Warren thinks he has authority to defy the Florida Legislature,” DeSantis wrote.
• Warren enacting a policy not to prosecute “certain criminal violations, including trespassing at a business location, disorderly conduct, disorderly intoxication, and prostitution.”
• Warren enacting a policy “against prosecuting crimes where the initial encounter between law enforcement and the defendant results from a non-criminal violation in connection with riding a bicycle or a pedestrian violation.”

“Warren has effectively nullified these Florida criminal laws in the 13th Judicial Circuit, thereby eroding the rule of law, encouraging lawlessness, and usurping the exclusive role of the Florida Legislature to define criminal conduct,” the order states.

As Warren’s replacement, DeSantis appointed Hillsborough County Judge Susan Lopez, a former county prosecutor whom DeSantis named to the bench last year.

DeSantis said he did not speak with Warren about his concerns before suspending him.

The governor’s decision was a stunning override of the the 369,129 Hillsborough County voters who cast their ballot for Warren in 2020, which made up 53.4 percent of turnout.

It also had echoes of a 2016 clash between former Gov. Rick Scott and Aramis Ayala, the state’s first Black state attorney, representing Orange and Osceola counties.

Ayala stunned many supporters and made national news when, just two months into office, she announced she would not be seeking the death penalty in any cases, including in the case of Markeith Loyd, who was charged with killing police Lt. Debra Clayton and Loyd’s pregnant ex-girlfriend.

Scott reassigned that case and 28 others to a neighboring state attorney’s office, but did not suspend her. Ayala is now running for attorney general.

Before Thursday’s bombshell, DeSantis’ most high-profile suspension of an elected official was Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel, after his department’s failures during the Parkland mass shooting.

After problems in Broward and Palm Beach during the 2018 elections such as failure to meet ballot counting deadlines, DeSantis also suspended Palm Beach Supervisor of Elections Susan Bucher. Technically, it was Gov. Rick Scott who suspended Broward County Supervisor of Elections Brenda Snipes, though DeSantis only rescinded that she so he could accept her letter of resignation from her.

In 2019, DeSantis also suspended the Superintendent of Okaloosa County Schools, citing grand jury reports that teachers were abusing special needs children at two schools in her district, and has suspended other local officials, including Port Richey Mayor Dale Massad, after they were charged with crimes.

Thursday’s news conference brought a jovial crowd, who laughed at Judd’s comments and stood to applaud DeSantis when he announced Warren’s suspension.

On Wednesday, DeSantis’ spokesperson, Christina Pushaw, warned on Twitter that there would be a “MAJOR announcement” by the governor Thursday morning.

“Prepare for the liberal media meltdown of the year,” she wrote.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Times/Herald staff writer Romy Ellenbogen contributed to this report.

Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended liberal State Attorney Andrew Warren on Thursday.

DeSantis made the announcement during a Thursday press conference broadcast on social media. DeSantis argued that Warren has repeatedly refused to enforce laws passed by the legislature cracking down 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,” DeSantis’ office said in a statement. The 13th circuit falls over Florida’s Hillsborough County.

“The constitution of Florida has vested the veto power in the governor, not in state attorneys,” DeSantis said. “We are not going to allow this pathogen of ignoring the law to get a foothold in the state of Florida.”

DESANTIS LAUNCHES FIRST TV AD OF HIS FLORIDA GOVERNMENTAL RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN

‘THE VIEW’: HERE’S HOW RON DESANTIS’ POLITICAL TEAM RESPONDED TO INVITE FROM ABC TALK SHOW

Officials said Warren has repeatedly tried to install himself as an adjudicator of what laws will and will not be enforced.

DeSantis’ office had teased the Thursday move on Wednesday, saying the announcement would not be political or related to endorsements.

“This isn’t about abortion or any one thing, it’s about having accountability to our system of law and order to prosecute crime. There has been a pattern developing in Hillsborough County where one person picks and chooses which laws he wishes to enforce,” his office stated.

This is a developing story. Check back soon for updates.

A ride-share home for Paul Pelosi from his friends’ cocktail party in Oakville, California, to his sprawling vineyard estate 15 minutes away could have cost less than a bottle of Stag’s Leap cabernet and avoided both the crash that injured another driver and DUI charges .

Pelosi, the wealthy investor husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, pleaded not guilty to a pair of misdemeanor charges Wednesday stemming from the wreck, which happened after 10 pm on May 28 near the intersection of California Route 29 and Oakville Cross Road.

Accessed Wednesday, Uber, a leading ride-sharing app, showed a range of prices between $18 and $61 for the 15-minute trip between Oakville, where police say Pelosi had a few drinks with his friends, and his own multimillion-dollar vineyard home . An online search shows local black car service begins at $70 an hour.

Either would have cost far less than his listed $5,000 bond and ensuing legal fees — in addition to saving the other driver from neck, arm and back injuries and preserving both vehicles, which police said sustained “major collision damage.”

CALIFORNIA PROSECUTORS FAULT ‘AUTO GENERATED,’ ‘BOILERPLATE’ LANGUAGE FOR PAUL PELOSI DRUG ALLEGATION

A spokesman for Pelosi did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

According to investigators and Pelosi’s defense attorney, Amanda Bevins, he was “cite released” from Napa County Department of Corrections custody — meaning he did not actually have to pay bail to go home. He is currently free on his own recognizance and due back in court on Aug. 23.

PAUL PELOSI PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO DUI CHARGES MONTHS AFTER CRASHING PORSCHE IN CALIFORNIA

Pelosi, the head of Financial Leasing Services in San Francisco, is worth more than $100 million.

When police arrived at the scene, they allegedly found him sitting in his damaged 2021 Porsche. According to the criminal complaint, he allegedly handed officers his driver’s license and an “11-99 Foundation” card when they asked him for his ID. The 11-99 Foundation is a California Highway Patrol charity that supports officers and provides scholarships for their children.

Officers observed “signs of impairment,” including “red/watery eyes,” according to the complaint, and said he failed field sobriety tests.

“He was unsteady on his feet, his speech was slurred, and he had a strong odor of an alcohol beverage emanating from his breath,” the complaint alleges.

The other driver, identified only as John Doe, was standing outside an SUV, according to the documents.

NAPA COUNTY AUTHORITIES RELEASE PAUL PELOSI MUGSHOT WEEKS AFTER DUI ARREST

Both of them declined medical treatment at the scene, but Doe on June 2 told Napa County prosecutors that he had begun suffering pain in his upper right arm, right shoulder and neck the day after the crash. He also complained of headaches and said it was difficult to lift things with his right arm, according to the documents.

Speaker Pelosi’s office declined to comment on the charges, after previously describing the crash on a public roadway as a “private matter.”

Bobby Shamuilian, a California-based defense attorney who specializes in DUI defense, told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that Pelosi’s charges can result in probation, jail time, rehabilitative classes and fines — costing the driver time and money.

“A lot of people drive when they shouldn’t, however, it’s much safer making other arrangements,” he said. “With Uber, Lyft, taxis and limos, there is no excuse to drive under the influence. Reckless behavior is very costly, and even more so when it involves a public figure or someone closely related.”

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Furthermore, Shamulian warned, DUI crashes have increased in severity, in terms of injuries and fatalities, in the post-COVID-19 period, possibly due to decreased availability of ride-shares and increased cost as well as increased stress causing riskier behavior.

“Mr. Pelosi could have prevented having a potential criminal conviction and saved many thousands of dollars by using any readily available ride service,” he said. “Let’s hope that the lesson he will learn will inspire others to do the right thing and even potentially save lives.”

Republicans touting former President Trump’s unfounded claims that the 2020 election was stolen saw victories across the map in Tuesday’s primaries, raising questions — and, for many, concerns — about what will happen in November’s general elections.

Despite top GOP figures such as former Vice President Mike Pence urging Republicans to look forward rather than focus on what happened two years ago, GOP primary voters overwhelmingly chose candidates who made the 2020 election a central part of their campaign message.

Democrats, and some Republicans, argue these candidates won’t stand a chance when they face independent voters in November. But others warn not to count them out given President Biden’s low approval ratings and the dismal national mood.

“You look on paper and you immediately want to say none of them are eligible,” said GOP strategist Doug Heye. “But if we have a wave, some of these candidates will be successful.”

In Michigan, Tudor Dixon, who was considered the establishment candidate in the race, won the Republican gubernatorial primary days after she declined to say in a “Fox News Sunday” interview whether the 2020 election was stolen. In May, she — along with almost every other candidate at a debate — raised her hand from her when asked who among them believed Trump was the rightful 2020 winner in Michigan.

At the same time, Rep. Peter Meijer (R-Mich.), who voted to impeach Trump last year over the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the US Capitol, was ousted by Trump-backed candidate John Gibbs, who has questioned the 2020 election results.

In Arizona, former television news anchor Kari Lake, who has been one of the most vocal critics of the 2020 election results, appears to be on track to win the gubernatorial primary, while Abe Hamadeh, who has also questioned the election results, is projected to win the state’s GOP primary for attorney general.

The potential elevation of election deniers into roles such as governor and attorney general, which could directly impact an election, has alarmed some observers.

But perhaps no state-level position has more say over elections than secretary of state, and in Arizona, Mark Finchem, a prominent election denier who attended Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally that preceded the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol last year, won the Republican nomination for the role.

The Republicans who won Tuesday night weren’t the first election deniers to make it to the November general elections.

Pennsylvania Republican gubernatorial nominee Doug Mastriano centered much of his primary campaign around claims of election fraud, and he and North Carolina congressional nominee Sandy Smith were in Washington on Jan. 6.

But they expanded the ranks of candidates pushing Trump’s claims in a general election and drove home that there is still a swath of the Republican base with an apparent appetite for falsehoods about the 2020 election. According to an analysis from FiveThirtyEight released last month, there are at least 120 Republican nominees who deny the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Strategists from both sides of the aisle argue that Democrats will easily be able to swipe at such candidates, particularly Finchem, over their views on the 2020 outcome.

“That is the issue of that office. The issue is, do you support the voters of Arizona, or do you want to overturn them?” said one GOP strategist in Arizona. “Clearly Mr. Finchem has sponsored bills to eliminate early voting, to overturn the election by the legislature. He was supportive of fake voters. You can hang the whole election conspiracy theory around Finchem’s neck, and as the state’s election officer can say, ‘Do you want this guy in charge of our elections?’ That’s a very narrow cast issue in that election because of the duties of that office.”

And Democrats have already begun throwing punches.

“Yesterday confirmed what we already know: ‘The big lie’ is alive and well in the Republican Party,” Patrick Gaspard, the CEO of the Center for American Progress Action Fund, told reporters on a press call.

“Candidates up and down the ballot all around the country have peddled an extreme and dangerous agenda,” he continued. “They’re running on the snake oil lie of ‘the big lie’ and the pledge to strip away our rights, our benefits and our democracy.”

Gaspard went on to say that Republicans have “the goal of just holding power,” arguing that the election was no longer a referendum on Biden and Democrats.

Arizona Democratic gubernatorial nominee and Secretary of State Katie Hobbs has already attacked Lake for election fraud claims, calling them “disqualifying” during an MSNBC interview on Tuesday.

Republicans argue that soaring inflation and the poor national mood will still play a major role in voters’ decisions, ultimately making the race a referendum on Democratic control, not 2020 election rhetoric.

“The disdain for Joe Biden’s presidency is very palpable, especially here in Arizona, where we’ve had record high inflation and problems at the border,” said Brian Seitchik, a Republican consultant in Arizona. ”The statewide Arizona ticket is certainly going to make that a focus.”

Seitchik went on to say that it would be difficult for Hobbs to distance herself from Biden and national Democrats.

“As much she’s going to want to change the conversation to what she wants to talk about, Kari Lake is going to talk about the problems at the border, inflation, the failed Democratic approach to governing,” he said.

But others aren’t so sure it will be that easy for candidates such as Finchem.

“Will there potentially be a pivot to normalcy?” said Olivia Troye, a former Pence adviser. “I don’t expect Mark Finchem to pivot anytime soon. He’s running in a specific role that has a specific effort in terms of our democracy, in terms of undermining our democracy.”

There hasn’t been much polling to indicate how the latest crop of nominees will fare in the general. In Pennsylvania, polls have consistently shown Attorney General Josh Shapiro (D) leading Mastriano in the gubernatorial race.

At the same time that some Republicans are speaking out against candidates who espouse unfounded election fraud claims, Democrats, believing they would be easier general election targets, are seeking to elevate a number of them.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spent close to half a million dollars on ads boosting Gibbs in Meijer’s district, a move that drew widespread condemnation from within both parties.

“They’re playing with matches,” Heye said. “If one of these candidates wins, let’s say Doug Mastriano in Pennsylvania, well, then Democrats are going to have a lot to answer for that.”

“Democratic rhetoric on these candidates is that they spread hate, they’re election deniers, conspiracy theorists, anti-gay, anti-woman on down the line,” he continued. “And by elevating these candidates to help them get the nomination, you make those views more acceptable.”

Democrats have hit back, arguing Republicans have no one to blame but themselves for the candidates.

“If they want to blame anyone, they need to take a deep look in the mirror,” said Democratic National Committee adviser and former Biden administration official Cedric Richmond. “They still have President Trump out here relitigating 2020.”

Other Democrats have pointed to the substance of the ads that have run highlighting the election denying candidates.

“Those ads didn’t lift them up in a positive light. It revealed them for who they are,” Gaspard said. “The substance of those ads did nothing more than clarify exactly what those candidates and the vast majority of Republican leaders stand for.”

For now the question is whether candidates who questioned the 2020 election can win in November. But some are already looking ahead to a different question: If they do, will they use their offices to contest future elections?

“That’s certainly not just a possibility but more and more a probability,” Heye said. “The reality is for those Republican election deniers, they only deny the elections they want to deny.”

Brett Samuels contributed.

The TAKE with Rick Klein

Former President Donald Trump most definitely lost Arizona in November 2020.

Then he won it in August 2022 — for his chosen candidates, at least through the GOP primaries. Much like Trump’s political movement, that means complicated and potentially competing things for the Republican Party’s highest-profile midterm election efforts.

Partially obscured by the result of the Kansas referendum on abortion was the fact that Tuesday largely brought a MAGA romp: Trump-endorsed election-denying candidates clinched GOP nominations up and down the ballot in Arizona. Trump’s choices for governor cruised in Michigan and leads in votes counted so far in Arizona — while also offering unproven claims of “fraud” and “irregularities.”

Term-limited Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers, who was seeking a state Senate seat, lost his primary after testifying before the House Jan. 6 committee. Also losing was Michigan Rep. Peter Meijer, who became the sixth (out of only 10) House Republicans who supported Trump’s second impeachment to be assured of leaving Congress after this year — four via retirements, and now two with primary losses.

For all that, Trump’s impact could be greatest on the Senate landscape. Arizona’s Blake Masters joins Trump picks in Georgia, Ohio and Pennsylvania as untested and controversial figures running in critically important states for Republicans’ prospects of flipping the upper chamber.

It’s one big reason that Democrats’ outlook for holding the Senate is considerably brighter than it is in the House. FiveThirtyEight’s election forecast now puts Democrats as slight favorites to keep the Senate, though only a one-in-five shot for keeping the House.

This week’s primaries all but finish the lineup of candidates in competitive Senate races. Republicans were able to breathe a bit easier with the primary win of less-scandal-plagued of the two men named “Eric” — state Attorney General Eric Schmitt over former Gov. Eric Greitens — both of whom Trump endorsed in Missouri.

Trump’s track record has been better in congressional races than gubernatorial contests, and his influence has been greater in open seats than in taking down incumbents. But judging a track record in primaries will matter little if the GOP leaves seats on the table in November.

The RUNDOWN with Find Harper

On the heels of a proposed amendment’s failure to strip the Kansas state constitution of the right to an abortion, President Joe Biden signed an executive order that his administration says will make it easier for people crossing state lines to get abortion care.

The order allows states where abortion is legal to apply for Medicaid waivers that would assist in covering the cost of treating patients from out of state.

Biden mentioned Kansas voters in remarks on the order from the White House on Wednesday, during his COVID-19 isolation at the first meeting of the administration’s interagency reproductive health task force.

“The voters of Kansas sent a powerful signal that this fails the American people will vote to preserve and protect the right and refuse to let it be ripped away from politicians,” Biden said.

Abortion is undoubtedly mobilizing voters: In Kansas, the turnout was nearly double the amount of voters who cast ballots in 2018 — but one can’t assume that the energy will be only on the pro-abortion access side of the issue.

In addition to voters satisfied with the result in Kansas — and hoping to see more states reject similar conservative efforts — there are also anti-abortion voters hoping to build on the momentum of the overturning of Roe v. Wade to create even more abortion restrictions or bans across the country.

Still, most Americans won’t have the opportunity to vote singularly for or against abortion and most Americans aren’t single-issue voters. As a result, the effect of the abortion debate on the November midterms won’t be so easy to see.

The TIP with alisa wiersema

The Conservative Political Action Conference returns to Dallas on Thursday with a high-profile lineup of Republican speakers — including President Trump, whose closing remarks on Saturday will be his first public comments following this week’s primary election results.

The three-day event has already been the subject of criticism from US lawmakers and advocacy groups over the conference inviting far-right Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to deliver remarks on Thursday, despite Orban’s position as a Vladimir Putin ally and his recent comments against so -called race mixing.

During a speech in Romania last week, Orban also appeared to joke about the Holocaust while making a reference to reducing European demand for natural gas. Ahead of CPAC, Orban visited with Trump, who praised the Hungarian leader in a statement.

“Few people know as much about what is going on in the world today,” Trump said.

The gathering of conservatives in Dallas is slated to include other notable pro-Trump political figures who will take to the stage amid the aftermath of the House Jan. 6 committee’s public hearings investigating the Capitol insurrection. Although the hearings cast Trump as the catalyst for the attack – citing extensive testimony and evidence from those in his inner circle of him and White House – many Republicans have dismissed the committee’s findings and insist the hearings wo n’t influence voters.

Steve Bannon, Trump’s former chief strategist who was found guilty of criminal contempt of Congress last month for defying a subpoena from the committee, will keynote a speech on Friday. At the time of the verdict, ABC News’ Mike Levine reported that Bannon’s attorney said his defense of him will appeal his case and “this is round one.”

NUMBER OF THE DAY, powered by FiveThirtyEight

58. That’s the percentage of independents who think abortion should be legal in all or most cases, per polling data from Civiqs, and as FiveThirtyEight contributor Michael Tesler writes, there is evidence of a shift in attitudes on abortion toward Democrats post the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Even more Republicans are saying abortion should be legal in more circumstances. Read more from Michael on why abortion might be a potent wedge issue for Democrats in the 2022 midterms and beyond.

THE PLAYLIST

ABC News’ “Start Here” Podcast. “Start Here” begins Thursday morning with ABC’s Rick Klein explaining how the win for abortion-access advocates in Kansas could be a learning moment for Democrats. And Dawn Etcheverry, president of the Nevada State Education Association, describes the teacher shortage crisis. Then ABC’s Trevor Ault reports on an Equifax miscalculation that affected millions of credit scores. http://apple.co/2HPocUL

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY

• President Joe Biden holds a virtual roundtable with business and labor leaders at 1:45 pm ET.
• White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre holds a press briefing at 2:45 pm ET.
• The Conservative Political Action Conference begins in Dallas.
• Tennessee votes in its Republican gubernatorial primary.

Download the ABC News app and select “The Note” as an item of interest to receive the day’s sharpest political analysis.

The Note is a daily ABC News feature that highlights the day’s top stories in politics. Please check back Friday for the latest.