Moody Defends Monique Worrell Suspension, 'Democracy in Action'

Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) recently suspended State Attorney Monique Worrell for "dereliction of duty." Attorney General (AG) Ashley Moody spoke at the press conference announcing the suspension and commented on Fox and Friends First, calling the dismissal "democracy in action."

AG Moody began by asking how many people in other states, such as New York and California, "woke up and said, 'Wow, this is what a governor should do when crime gets out of control, or an elected official does not do their duty or hold the oath that they swore to do?" 

The Florida Constitution requires the Governor to remove officials not upholding their jobs, which Gov. DeSantis did in the case of Worrell. "What I love about this Governor is he never walks past a problem," said Moody.

"We face the same pressures many areas in our country face in terms of non-enforcement by prosecutors, prosecutors that are letting people out of jail over and over before they ever get to trial so they can continuously victimize other people. And Gov. DeSantis said, "Look, I have a duty here under the Constitution to protect the citizens of Florida. This is a law and order state, and I am going to do that." In fact, this is democracy in action," Moody continued.

When asked if suspending Worrell was the appropriate thing to do, Moody answered that Worrell dismissed nearly half of the criminal cases brought before her, while "we are seeing her do these press conferences after murders or armed robberies or when two police officers are shot trying to explain why it is not her fault," referring to the recent shooting of two Orlando police officers by a career criminal.

"You cannot have that in a circuit top prosecutor. It is not fair to the citizens and certainly, it will result in further victimization of folks in that area," Moody concluded.