New members of Congress find it tough to draw attention to themselves. But freshman Florida Congressman Ron DeSantis, Republican from Ponte Vedre Beach, is starting to raise his profile by going after U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.
DeSantis, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, is ripping into Holder for targeting the press for investigation -- and at least misleading, and possibly lying to, the committee about it. On Thursday, DeSantis appeared on Greta Van Sustrens show on Fox News to weigh in on Holder.
Not only was he involved with it, he actually approved the search warrant in the case, DeSantis said on air Thursday about Holders involvement in going after James Rosen from Fox News. Holder signed off on search warrants and examining his private email since the Fox News reporter was a possible co-conspirator in violation of the Espionage Act.
Theres a tension between what he told the committee and his actions in that case and, to me, theyre irreconcilable, DeSantis said of Holder.
Calling his performance as attorney general dismal, DeSantis urged the attorney general to resign.
Its time for Mr. Holder to step aside, DeSantis said. We need a new attorney general especially with all these matters that need investigation.
DeSantis sent out Twitter messages on Friday, urging his followers to retweet if they thought Holder should go. Fellow Florida Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio quickly did. Rubio has been a longstanding critic of Holder and urged the attorney general to quit last summer.
Only 34, DeSantis could be -- like Rubio -- a star for the Republicans. The Jacksonville native studied at Yale before joining the U.S. Navy JAG Corps. Returning to the First Coast to teach law -- and marry local Emmy winning TV personality Cassie Black -- DeSantis assembled an impressive campaign operation to win an open seat created by redistricting. Despite taking on several top-tier Republican politicians in the primary, DeSantis bested them and defeated Heather Beaven, a Navy veteran and well-regarded Democrat, in the general election.
Representing parts of the Atlantic Coast between Jacksonville and Daytona Beach, DeSantis is in a reliable Republican district and he is starting to make his mark in Washington. Last month, DeSantis joined U.S. Rep. Michele Bachman in calling for more attention to POW/MIA issues.
If DeSantis wants to move up the ladder, there could be opportunities coming up. Rubio could run for another term in 2016 but he is also considering running for president -- and its easy to see DeSantis taking a stab at the Senate. Even if Rubio wants a second term in the Senate, Democrat Bill Nelson will be 76 come 2018 and might not run for another term. Regardless, DeSantis is showing at this early start in his political career that he could be a conservative with a promising future.
Tallahassee political writer Jeff Henderson wrote this story exclusively for Sunshine State News.
