TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Former Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren’s chief of staff told Warren not to sign a pledge that he wouldn’t prosecute abortions, according to testimony Thursday, the third day of trial in Warren’s lawsuit challenging Gov. Ron DeSantis’ decision to remove him from office.
During testimony, chief of staff Gary Weisman said that Warren consulted him often on public statements, including the June 24 letter from the left-leaning advocacy group Fair and Just Prosecution in which signees pledge not to prosecute abortion crimes.
“I thought it was bad for Mr. Warren ... and bad for the agency,” said Weisman, whom Warren hired in 2017. Weisman, who was portrayed as Warren’s closest adviser in the office, took the letter to be official office policy, with the belief that the office would not prosecute any abortions.
