Prosecutor suspended by DeSantis says he’s a ‘weak dictator’ seeking attention

Ron DeSantis in Rye, New Hampshire on 30 July 2023. Photograph: Reba Saldanha/Reuters

Ron DeSantis, the Republican governor of Florida, suspended the top prosecutor in Orlando on Wednesday, claiming “dereliction of duty” on crime. In return, the prosecutor said DeSantis, a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, was a “weak dictator” acting undemocratically and for political reasons.

Monique Worrell, the ninth judicial circuit state attorney, is the second Democratic prosecutor DeSantis has removed.