One of Gov. Ron DeSantis' top attorneys has quit, claiming he was just following orders and had nothing to do with the administration's efforts to prevent a pro-abortion ad from airing on TV.
Florida's Department of Health came under intense backlash earlier this month after various television stations across the state received cease-and-desist letters telling them to stop airing an ad in support of a pro-abortion ballot initiative, as reported by ABC Action News.
John Wilson, the former general counsel for Florida's health department, shared that he resigned earlier this month "in lieu of complying with directive" from Florida officials "to send out further correspondence to the media outlets," according to an affidavit obtained by CNN.
In the affidavit, Wilson stated that Ryan Newman and Jed Doty, both general counsel for the DeSantis administration, told him to send pre-written letters under his own name to the TV stations.
"I did not draft the letters or participate in any discussions about the letters prior to October 3," Wilson said in the affidavit, according to CNN.
Deputy Press Secretary for the Governor Julia Friedland did not address Wilson's affidavit in a statement shared with ABC Action News, "These current stories all look past the core issue–the ads are unequivocally false and put the lives and health of pregnant women at risk–Florida's heartbeat protection law always protects the life of a mother and includes exceptions for victims of rape, incest, and human trafficking."
A federal judge previously approved a restraining order to Floridians Protecting Freedom after the group alleged that Florida's health department was censoring political speech. The ad in question belonged to FPF, who supports Amendment 4, a measure that would codify the right to an abortion into Florida law and overturn the state's current six-week abortion ban.
© 2024 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
