TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The American Federation of Government Employees, the nation's largest federal employee union, has denounced Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis after he publicly vowed to "slit throats on day 1" if elected to the presidency.
During a barbecue event in New Hampshire Sunday, hosted by former Sen. Scott Brown, DeSantis said: "On bureaucracy, you know, we’re going to have all these deep state people, you know, we’re going to start slitting throats on Day One and be ready to go. You’re going to see a huge, huge outcry because Washington wants to protect its own.”
The video was aired on MSNBC and began gaining traction in the press Thursday, prompting a response from the AFGE.
A statement by AFGE National President Everett Kelly (which can be read in full here), calls the statement "dangerous, disgusting, disgraceful, and disqualifying."
"Federal employees – over a third of whom are veterans now wearing their second uniform in service to their country – have dedicated their lives to serving their fellow Americans," Kelly said.
He called on DeSantis to retract his statement: No federal employee should face death threats from anyone, least of all from someone seeking to lead the U.S. government. Governor DeSantis must retract his irresponsible statement."
