Gov. Ron DeSantis continued Tuesday to weigh in on the Afghanistan conflict, with a message from his political committee.
“Friends of Ron DeSantis” sent a measured email absent fundraising solicitations, focusing on the fallen troops and avoiding personal attacks on President Joe Biden.
“Those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service are heroes. Their brave actions were responsible for bringing thousands of Americans, Afghans, and our allies to safety. It was through a love of country that these heroes showed dedication and determination to carry out their mission in the face of incredible danger,” the email asserts.
“I join my wife Casey in expressing our condolences to the families of those who were tragically lost in Afghanistan. We thank them for their sacrifice and their incredible bravery to help keep our nation safe. These men and women showed tremendous courage and deserved better, and their names should be honored and remembered.”
Even as the political committee continues messaging, so too does the official side.
On Monday, the Governor’s Office sent an email to U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Department of Homeland Security Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas, lamenting a “lack of information sharing.”
DeSantis demanded answers to questions, such as which Afghan refugees are coming to Florida and the fates of Floridians still in Afghanistan.
“The crisis in Afghanistan is of President Biden’s own making, yet the consequences extend beyond the borders of Afghanistan & into the U.S.,” DeSantis chides, in a letter first reported by Jerry Dunleavy of the conservative Washington Examiner.
“I have the responsibility to protect the safety of every Floridian and stress the imperative of an immediate response,” the Governor asserted in closing the one-page missive.
The muted language is a departure from zingers earlier in August, where DeSantis dragged Biden as being incompetent to such a degree that America’s enemies would exploit it.
“You know who’s looking at this? China, Russia, North Korea, all of our adversaries are taking the measure of Joe Biden. And they see that this is not somebody who is capable of leading with conviction on the world stage,” DeSantis asserted during a mid-August appearance on Hannity. “So they are going to do everything they can, as long as he is President, to take advantage of that. And I think we’re in for a rocky three and a half years, as long as he is President.”
DeSantis has also road-tested Afghanistan messaging with the Florida media, with extemporaneous remarks at monoclonal antibody site openings.
“It’s frustrating, not just as a Governor, but just as an American, to see some of the stuff that’s going on in this country and throughout this world,” DeSantis said in Panama City, decrying the “humiliating” Afghanistan exit.
