Gabrielle Russon
The ex-Department of Health (DOH) lawyer who sent cease and desist letters threatening TV stations for playing abortion rights ads says he didn’t write the letters — Gov. Ron DeSantis’ legal counsel did.
“I did not draft the letters or participate in any discussions about the letters prior to Oct. 3, 2024,” wrote John Wilson, who said he resigned on Oct. 10 from his position as DOH General Counsel because he refused to send more letters to the media. “I received drafts of the letter directly from Sam Elliot, Assistant General Counsel for the Executive Office of the Governor, earlier that day.”
Wilson said he was directed to sign his name on the letters on behalf of DOH.
Before Wilson resigned, Wilson said DeSantis’ attorneys directed him to “execute contracts for outside counsel to be retained by the Department to assist with enforcement proceedings pursuant to the Oct. 3, 2024 letters.”
DeSantis’ Office did not immediately comment on Wilson’s allegations Monday.
Floridians Protecting Freedom (FPF), the political committee supporting Amendment 4, sued Wilson and Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, who is also the head of DOH.
FPF voluntarily dismissed Wilson from the lawsuit Monday as Wilson submitted an affidavit describing the DeSantis administration’s involvement in drafting the cease and desist letters.
Last week, a federal Judge granted a temporary restraining order to keep the state from threatening TV stations with criminal prosecution for playing the Amendment 4 abortion rights ads.
“To keep it simple for the State of Florida: it’s the First Amendment, stupid,” U.S. District Judge Mark Walker wrote in his 17-page order.
On Monday, DeSantis continued to attack the abortion rights initiative on the podium as he spoke at a Florida Physicians Against Amendment 4 rally in Miami.
“I’ve never seen anything like this where you have massive amounts of money coming from out of state,” DeSantis said during the rally.
“Yet, they don’t say anything about what’s actually in their amendment. They spend their entire millions and millions of dollars telling verifiable lies about the policies and laws of the state of Florida. Why wouldn’t they be talking about all the different things that are going to happen if this were to be amended into Florida’s Constitution?”
DeSantis and other Amendment 4 opponents argue the initiative is written vaguely to deregulate abortion care without oversight. DeSantis said Amendment 4 would open the door to publicly funded abortions and eliminate the rules requiring parent consent for abortions.
But the ballot question explicitly states, “This amendment does not change the Legislature’s constitutional authority to require notification to a parent or guardian before a minor has an abortion.”
DeSantis also slammed the Amendment 4 ads in the wake of FPF’s lawsuit.
“The advertising is 100% going on the deceptive track to just try to tell lie after lie after lie,” DeSantis said.
Others appealed to Christian values to vote down Amendment 4.
“We cannot go to church and pray like Christians then turn around and vote like atheists,” Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez said at the rally.
Meanwhile, FPF said in the lawsuit that the state is escalating its attack on Amendment 4 using public resources to advance the state’s anti-abortion position and slam pro-abortion right advocates as liars.
The commercial at the heart of the legal battle was about a Tampa woman who had an abortion because she needed life-extending chemotherapy for terminal brain cancer.
Florida’s six-week abortion ban does allow for some exceptions — if the victims of rape, incest or sexual trafficking get document to prove it — or to save a woman’s life. But the six-week ban also adds complexities and requirements to get the medical procedure. Abortion to save a mother’s life is permitted, although FPF says the woman with terminal cancer would not have been allowed to get an abortion under Florida’s ban because it wouldn’t have technically saved her life.
15 comments
Josh Green
October 21, 2024 at 11:55 am
Ron DeSantis hates the First Amendment. He is an UnAmerican and unfit for office.
Michael K
October 21, 2024 at 12:08 pm
The current governor has authoritarian leanings and zero tolerance for diversity of expression or dissent. He’s trying too hard to assume the MAGA mantle for his personal gain, alienating more Floridians in the process while doing nothing to bring people together. He’s trying to make Florida the new Mississippi. It’s good to see there are still some guardrails in place, though an enormous amount of damage has been inflicted that will take years to repair.
Ocean Joe
October 21, 2024 at 12:32 pm
“We cannot go to church and pray like Christians then turn around and vote like atheists,” Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez said at the rally.
How about honoring your oath to the constitution of the state and of the US: There shall be no established religion. That’s what they did in Iran. This amendment will pass in part because the 6 week ban, signed in the dark, was a restriction of freedom too much for even Republicans to take.
If you want to pray, thank God that we have a Judge Walker on the federal bench to prevent this MAGA nonsense.
Jojo
October 21, 2024 at 1:22 pm
Jeannette who?
Skeptic
October 21, 2024 at 4:24 pm
Amen brother
Jojo
October 21, 2024 at 1:21 pm
Sam Elliot, Ryan Newman and Jed Doty, all General Councils for the governor, as well as DeSantes himself, should be brought up on charges of violating the First Amendment.
The laws they so easily flout would make them scream treason if a democrat attempted it
Skeptic
October 21, 2024 at 4:27 pm
I guess Harvard Law just ain’t what it used to be. I understand that they n longer grade the students, admission is the ticket for their students, regardless of whether they actually learn any law.
Michael K
October 21, 2024 at 6:13 pm
As a book reviewer wrote of DeSeantis: “he went to Harvard and Yale, but did not inhale.” In other words, he learned nothing.
Dont Say FLA
October 22, 2024 at 8:51 am
He was pretty good at handling balls, but at the same time was never a good leader and his team usually lost despite his proficiency with balls.
Henry Lerner
October 21, 2024 at 2:15 pm
Imagine supporting DeSantis and still believing you’re some kind of Patriot. SMH. This is the kind of thing you’d expect from somebody like Putin or someplace in the Middle East.
Dont Say FLA
October 22, 2024 at 8:15 am
Whole lot of folks have confused “patriot” with “grand wizard”
Most confusingly, these folks are not 100% white folks.
Joshua Borem
October 21, 2024 at 6:51 pm
The pro abortions rights people are lying. No doubt about it. Good job DeSantis.
Dont Say FLA
October 22, 2024 at 8:07 am
As Ronald Reagan would say, “There they go again”
GOPs actively interfere with our elections, trying to prevent our votes when the GOP does not approve, all the while claiming it’s rigged and the Republican state governors stole the 2020 election … and gave it to the Democrats?
Trumps favorite song is YMCA. His fans sing might along but they clearly don’t know the meaning of Y.
“WHY” in the world would Republicans in Georgia or Arizona or anywhere else have stolen the 2020 election and give it to the Democrats?
Obviously this year, yeah, everybody in the USA should be trying to give the election to the Democrats. But in 2020, why would Republicans have done that? Nobody knew the true depths of Turnip J Truck’s depravity until that one Jan 6th. Never Forget.
woke to the yolk
October 22, 2024 at 8:41 am
It’s unprecedented in Florida history for the executive branch to use State resources to campaign against a citizen initiative petition to amend the Florida Constitution. Good for former General Counsel Wilson for quitting in disgust. Shame on the Governor and his staff for being stupid and anti-democratic. They belong in prison and not State offices.
Dont Say FLA
October 22, 2024 at 8:54 am
Lock them up! And if she’s not technically on Rhonda’s staff (which she must not be on Rhonda’s staff, since she would obviously squish the poor little feller if she climbed up on it), take Assley with them!