Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) promised this week to end what he described as the “weaponization” of federal law enforcement agencies. The governor’s comments come as a number of Republicans in Washington are calling for reforms at the FBI and Department of Justice.
The presidential candidate said that a number of government agencies had undergone “weaponization” and that he would end it should he be elected.
“But that’s not because I’m doing it for me; it’s because I’m doing it for the people that have been under the thumb of these agencies, and I’m going to restore the rule of law,” he said.
DESANTIS on a major difference between him and Donald Trump:
“Are you running for your personal issues or are you running for the American people’s issues? I’m running for the American people’s issues.” pic.twitter.com/lNFUkWXSdI
— DeSantis War Room 🐊 (@DeSantisWarRoom) December 3, 2023
He also took a swipe at his primary opponent, former President Donald Trump. He asked whether Trump was running due to his own “personal questions” or “for the American people’s issues.”
“I’m running for the American people’s issues,” DeSantis said.
Separately, Republicans in Congress created a subcommittee related to the perceived weaponization of parts of the federal government.
The subcommittee has heard a number of topics since convening earlier this year. Last week, the panel heard testimony regarding the alleged bias at X, formerly known as Twitter, prior to the social media platform’s acquisition by businessman Elon Musk.
Journalist Matt Taibbi reported to the panel that there was a “regular stream, organized stream, of communication between the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and the largest tech companies in the country.”
The panel’s chairman, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) said that the Biden administration pressured YouTube’s owner Google regarding information related to COVID-19 vaccinations.
Taibbi published a number of internal communications by the former administrative team at Twitter, which he stated showed collusion between the company and a number of prominent Democrats.
A number of conservatives accused the agencies of being used against Republicans. In particular, many Republicans in Congress argue that the Department of Justice protected President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, including in a prospective plea deal earlier this year that would have likely seen him not serve prison time on tax and firearms charges.
