Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Jan. 16 announced that Ashley Moody, Florida’s attorney general, will replace Sen. Marco Rubio in the U.S. Senate, praising her for her work as a staunch fighter against illegal immigration, the drug epidemic, and federal government overreach.
“I’m happy to say we’ve had an attorney general who has been somebody that has acted time and time again to support the values that we all share,” DeSantis said. “Whether that’s illegal immigration, opioid and fentanyl crisis, human trafficking, she has stood strong time and time again, most recently in this past year, filing lawsuits and joining lawsuits to take on the weaponization of law enforcement that targeted then-candidate Donald Trump.”
He also praised the attorney general for her fight against anti-Semitism, the threats posed by communist China, the politicization of the state’s university system, and her fight for election integrity.
“In every major battle we have had since I have been governor, she has been with us every step of the way,” he said. “It’s not just talk, it’s results, and these results are very, very important. And she understands the gravity of the moment.”
He said that it will be this Congress that will “determine whether we do usher in that revival of the American experiment, or is it just going to be status quo, passing the buck and nothing ever changes.”
Moody accepted the appointment, saying, “I will bring the same persistence and passion and tenacity as a United States senator that I have brought as Florida’s attorney general.”
“You better believe, as a United States Senator, I will work for you, those that stand on that thin line between chaos and order, between safety and crime,” she said. “I have got your back … and we will all work to protect the American people and make all of our cities and states stronger and safer together.
“And so I have one message right now to President Trump and to my new colleagues on the United States Senate: America first, let’s get it done.”
Moody will replace Rubio pending his resignation upon receiving the Senate’s approval to become Secretary of State.
Rubio has not yet submitted his resignation, although DeSantis said that Moody will take office around Jan. 20.
“I want to thank Senator Rubio for his service in the United States Senate,” DeSantis said. “I think he will serve the country ably as Secretary of State, and we need it, because the last four years has been a total disaster.”
