| | | |  | | By Kimberly Leonard | | Presented by |  | | | | 
States have been exploring charges against Fauci after Biden preemptively pardoned him despite the fact that he wasn’t under criminal investigation or facing charges or convictions. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images | Good morning and welcome to Monday. Gov. RON DESANTIS made it clear over the weekend that Florida’s fight with ANTHONY FAUCI isn’t over just yet. Speaking before the Yale Federalist Society, DeSantis said it was “very possible” that soon-to-be Florida Attorney General JAMES UTHMEIER would be exploring possible charges against Fauci, who has now left government after leading Covid pandemic messaging under Presidents DONALD TRUMP and JOE BIDEN. “I think he’s of the mindset to look at this, to see what the jurisdictional hooks are, to see what if any statutes would have been violated,” DeSantis said of Uthmeier, calling his outgoing chief of staff “great.” States have been exploring charges against Fauci after Biden preemptively pardoned him despite the fact that he wasn’t under criminal investigation or facing charges or convictions. DeSantis didn’t specify what legal avenues might be considered but said “at best” Fauci had “totally botched” the pandemic and referred to “gain-of-function research” as “treachery.” (“Gain-of-function” sometimes references researchers changing viruses to make them more transmissible or dangerous.) Last week a group of state attorneys general that included Florida acting Attorney General JOHN GUARD wrote a letter to congressional leadership saying it was seeking to investigate Fauci — singling out areas such as Covid’s origins, oversight of federal research grants and silencing dissent about vaccines. They asked congressional leadership to keep them in the loop if they should find evidence that Fauci may have violated state law. DeSantis plans to soon appoint Uthmeier to the role of state attorney general, which became vacant when he tapped ASHLEY MOODY to the Senate to replace MARCO RUBIO. Uthmeier declined to comment in a text with POLITICO’s Gary Fineout. He has been DeSantis' chief of staff since October 2021 and also managed his unsuccessful presidential campaign, as well as successful 2024 campaigns to defeat state amendments on pot and abortion. If the state does take action, it would further highlight DeSantis’ wish for Florida to lead on numerous issues Trump voters care about. The president has promised to reinstate and give back pay to roughly 8,000 members of the military who’d been dismissed for refusing a Covid shot, and ended Fauci’s security detail. Fauci did not respond to an inquiry from Playbook. In a statement to POLITICO’s Sophie Gardner and Carmen Paun after his pardon, he stressed that he had “committed no crime and there are no possible grounds for any allegation or threat of criminal investigation or prosecution of me.” He has also said threats of prosecution “create immeasurable and intolerable distress for me and my family.” Over the weekend, DeSantis predicted the outcome for Fauci may be worse than if Biden had not preemptively pardoned him at the federal level. He predicted that had the Trump administration been able to pursue charges, then Fauci would have faced a friendly jury in Washington. Juries in other states might not be so amenable, he warned. “So it may end up boomeranging against Fauci,” DeSantis said. “Biden intended to shield him from accountability, and it may have actually sparked state-based efforts to ensure his accountability. “ — Gary Fineout contributed. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget that Playbook should look at? Get in touch at: kleonard@politico.com
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THIS WEEK — Lawmakers are in Tallahassee for committee meetings.
MORE NEWS FROM THE GOV — DeSantis’ comments about Fauci weren’t the only news he made while delivering a pair of Federalist Society speeches over the weekend. Specifically:
- DeSantis said Saturday that his standoff with the Legislature on immigration enforcement may be coming to an end, suggesting that legislators may "generate something this week," according to POLITICO’s Gary Fineout. DeSantis contended that legislators are now "looking to do good policy" after their proposed legislation — which he called a "stinker bill" — “blew up in their face” by sparking a backlash from the Republican rank-and-file.
- He also said he’d be fine with a FEMA overhaul. While DeSantis said he would find a way to deal with disaster funding either way, given the state’s surplus, he also asserted he would prefer a system where states remove the “ridiculous bureaucracy” and receive block grants to use the funding the way they see fit, even if they wound up getting less federal funding overall.
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DeSantis announced Friday that Florida will enter an agreement with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to train and deputize Florida Highway Patrol officers to collaborate with and perform the functions of ICE officers. | Rebecca Blackwell/AP | ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN — “DeSantis announced Friday that Florida will enter an agreement with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to train and deputize Florida Highway Patrol officers to collaborate with and perform the functions of ICE officers,” reports POLITICO’s Isa Domínguez. “If enacted, this initiative has the power to expand Florida Highway Patrol’s authority to stop, interrogate, arrest and detain any suspected undocumented immigrant. Once detained, state law enforcement agencies can begin creating records and collecting evidence to speed up the deportation process. This can include fingerprinting and preparing affidavits for ICE to review.”
| | | | We’ve re-imagined and expanded our Inside Congress newsletter to give you unmatched reporting on Capitol Hill politics and policy -- and we'll get it to your inbox even earlier. Subscribe today. | | | | | CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE — “Florida’s dreamers in crosshairs as lawmakers look to raise their tuition,” reports Jeffrey Schweers and Natalia Jaramillo of the Orlando Sentinel. “Once, [Dreamers’] circumstances drew so much sympathy that politicians of both parties agreed [they] should be provided a path to citizenship. But now many say these students — some but not all of whom have special legal status under a federal program known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or DACA — should be expelled from the country.” CURRENT STATUS — “Three weeks away from their annual 60-day regular legislative session and only a fraction of the number of bills usually debated are ready for consideration,” reports James Call of USA Today Network — Florida. “Just one bill has actually cleared a committee in the pre-session committee weeks that lead up to session.” LEGISLATION ROUNDUP — A group of Democrats in the Legislature are proposing heat protections for workers, reports Hannah Critchfield of the Tampa Bay Times. … State Sen. DANNY BURGESS (R-Zephyrhills) and state Rep. TIFFANY ESPOSITO (R-Ft. Myers) are proposing sunsetting state rules after eight years unless they get readopted — a move inspired by DOGE’s work, reports Gabrielle Russon of Florida Politics. … A bill from Rep. JOE CASELLO (D-Boynton Beach) would offer Floridians the option to end their lives with medication when they have a terminal illness, reports Andrew Powell of Florida Politics. HURRICANES AND HIGH COSTS — The number of people moving to Florida is roughly equal to the number of people who are leaving, reports David Lyons of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. It’s an expected slowdown after Covid but also seems linked to higher costs of living and new residents who weren’t accustomed to dealing with intense weather. — “Florida Venezuelan residents worry about what comes next after Trump's TPS repeal,” by Ana Goñi-Lessan of USA Today Network — Florida. A key data point, via Antonio Fins of the Palm Beach Post: “Florida has the largest population of people living in the country under TPS protection. As of August 2024, there were 295,720 TPS holders in the Sunshine State. In large measure, this is because some of the largest numbers of TPS-covered people are from Venezuela, Nicaragua and Haiti — places which have established, decades-long immigrant and exile communities in the state.” — "How the new Trump era has upended Florida Politics," by Patricia Mazzei of The New York Times.
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| | | | | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | FLORIDA SHAKEUP — “Florida International University trustees selected Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez to serve as interim president Friday, capping off a whirlwind week during which reports of DeSantis’ No. 2 leaving for the Miami school swirled around the state,” reports POLITICO’s Andrew Atterbury. “Nuñez, an FIU graduate and Miami native, gives the university a powerful voice in Tallahassee as the school pushes to boost fundraising and score more clout among the state Legislature. Yet the move was opposed by some students and faculty who criticized the choice due to her lack of higher education experience.” ANOTHER UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT DECISION — “Former state Rep. Adam Hasner faced student protests and a grilling from faculty as he made his case to be Florida Atlantic University’s next president,” reports Ian Hodgson of the Tampa Bay Times. “The former Republican House speaker from Boca Raton toured three of the public university’s six campuses Friday. Hasner made his case as a moderate candidate, leaning away from his reputation as a deeply partisan politician and emphasizing his commitment to ‘setting the right tone and the right culture as a Hispanic institution (with) a majority-minority student body,’ he said during the day’s first forum on the university’s Davie campus.” The university is expected to pick a new president today. — “Miami-Dade schools on edge amid rumors of immigration raids, teacher deportation,” reports Clara-Sophia Daly of the Miami Herald. — “Hurricane survivors say they still struggle four months after Milton,” reports Divya Kumar of the Tampa Bay Times. — “UN: Critical humanitarian air service in Haiti faces ‘imminent’ shutdown without [$4 million in] funds,” reports Jacqueline Charles of the Miami Herald. — “Brother of Parkland mass shooter arrested in Virginia, charged with trespassing at three schools,” reports Shira Moolten of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. — “‘Subpar conditions and equipment’: Florida air traffic control facility due for upgrade,” reports Skyler Swisher of the Orlando Sentinel.
| | | | A new era in Washington calls for sharper insights. Get faster policy scoops, more congressional coverage, and a re-imagined newsletter under the leadership of Jack Blanchard. Subscribe to our Playbook Newsletter today. | | | | | | | DATELINE D.C. | | BALANCING ACT — “In his first overseas stop as the top US diplomat, Marco Rubio went to Panama and secured an agreement for the US Navy to travel freely through the Panama Canal. It was a win sure to please Trump, whose threats to take back the waterway had dominated the first weeks of his second term,” reports Bloomberg’s Eric Martin. “Then came a State Department social media post, boasting that all US government vessels — not just Navy ships — would travel the waterway free of charge. That contradicted the message Panamanian President Raul Mulino had been conveying — of maintaining his obligation of neutrality regarding the canal and keeping talk of payments quiet. Blindsided, he denounced the post as ‘lies and falsehoods.’” BACKSTORY — “A Florida magnate with close ties to the Republican Party helped set up the recent meeting between Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro and Trump’s special envoy, laying the groundwork for a major deal that would allow the Caracas regime to boost its oil sales to the United States in exchange for accepting hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan deportees,” reports the Miami Herald’s Antonio Maria Delgado and Jay Weaver. — “Congressman Vern Buchanan introduces bill to deport illegal immigrants with gang ties,” reports Jesse Mendoza of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. — “Court blocks Trump admin from sending Venezuelan immigrants to Guantánamo,” reports Rebecca Falconer of Axios.
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Learn how Florida businesses are achieving global success with Alibaba. | | | | | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | | — The Orlando Sentinel has the breakdown of what to expect when Epic Universe opens at Universal Orlando Resort in a few months. — “Even Disney is worried about the high cost of a Disney vacation,” reports Robbie Wheelan of The Wall Street Journal. BIRTHDAYS: Franco Ripple, vice president Direct Impact at BCW Global … Jamie Wilson, VP government relations at Moffitt Cancer Center. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | |
