Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) vowed Sunday to end the United States’s weaponization of its various federal agencies, with DeSantis stating that the current government is “out of control.”
The Florida governor made the campaign promise while discussing legal trouble that former President Donald Trump is facing, as the two are competing against each other in the 2024 Republican Party’s presidential primary. DeSantis wondered if Trump is running for his own “personal issues” and not “the American people’s issues” — as voters have criticized various government agencies, including the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service.
DESANTIS WARNS HOUSE GOP AGAINST USING BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY AS ‘TROJAN HORSE’
“We have seen weaponization of agencies, like the DOJ and the FBI and the IRS, and I’m going to be ending that weaponization,” DeSantis told Meet the Press. “But that’s not because I’m doing it for me; it’s because I’m doing it for the people that have been under the thumb of these agencies, and I’m going to restore the rule of law.
DESANTIS on a major difference between him and Donald Trump:
“Are you running for your personal issues or are you running for the American people’s issues? I’m running for the American people’s issues.” pic.twitter.com/lNFUkWXSdI
— DeSantis War Room 🐊 (@DeSantisWarRoom) December 3, 2023
DeSantis went on to say that his goal is to bring about a single standard of justice to all the agencies of the U.S.
The Florida governor’s statement follows the FBI and the Justice Department creating national attention last year after it raided the home of anti-abortion activist Mark Houck for allegedly violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances, or FACE Act. Houck is now suing the Justice Department for $3.25 million in damages for “substantial emotional distress” caused by the raid on him and his family.
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Beyond questioning Trump’s motive to end the weaponization of U.S. agencies, DeSantis also criticized the former president for failing to end Obamacare during his first term as president. The former president has made repealing Obamacare a campaign promise again for 2024, stating last month that he was “seriously looking at alternatives” to the policy.
Trump is still the lead candidate in the Republican Party’s 2024 primary race at 60% as of Thursday, with DeSantis at 12.6%. Other candidates in the primary follow behind with former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley at 9.5%, business entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy at 5.1%, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie at 2.9%, according to data from FiveThirtyEight.
