CAIR says it will sue Ron Desantis after Florida guv calls them a terrorist group

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Florida’s governor, the man who can’t pass a mirror without seeing a president staring back, has decided he can do what the U.S. government won’t: designate one of the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights organizations as a “foreign terrorist organization.”

Sí, en serio.

On Monday, Ron DeSantis dropped an executive order on X — because that’s the official state government platform, now — slapping the “terrorist” label on the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), as well as the Muslim Brotherhood. Never mind that neither group is actually designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the United States, which is still, last time Ladra checked, the federal government we’re all supposed to be living under.

But why follow federal law when you can perform for the ever-growing anti-Muslim fringe on social media?

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CAIR, which has been around for 30 years and has 25 chapters nationwide, didn’t wait for the cafecito to cool before firing back. Both the Florida and national chapters announced they’re filing a lawsuit against DeSantis for what they call a “defamatory and unconstitutional” stunt.

And yes, they said stunt. Porque this is Ron DeSantis we’re talking about. The ‘Israel-first politician,’ not the Florida-first governor.

CAIR didn’t mince words. In fact, they practically filleted the guv.

They accused DeSantis of spending his entire tenure “serving the Israeli government over serving the people of Florida,” noting — correctly — that his first official Cabinet meeting wasn’t even in the state he governs, but in Israel.

Remember that? Ladra does. Florida politicians flew halfway around the world to hold a meeting that was subject to Florida’s Sunshine Law, but not, apparently, Florida’s sunshine. And how much did that cost the state? According to published accounts, it cost $442,500 — $311,000 of which was covered by registration fees from delegates (lobbyists, business people, academics, etc.) and corporate sponsorships and $131,000 of which was covered by Florida taxpayers.

CAIR points out that DeSantis has diverted “millions in Florida taxpayer dollars” into Israeli government bonds and tried to shut down Students for Justice in Palestine chapters on Florida campuses, until CAIR — which represents more than 500,000 American Muslims in the state — sued him in federal court and he backed off.

Was the terrorist label revenge?

“Ron DeSantis is an Israel First politician who wants to smear and silence Americans, especially American Muslims, critical of U.S. support for Israel’s war crimes,” CAIR said, adding that the governor knows “full well” that CAIR is an American civil rights group.

According to them, that’s exactly why he’s targeting them: because they speak out.

And because, let’s be real, picking fights with Muslims plays well with the same base that thinks Ron’s Disney smackdown was a victory.

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If all this sounds familiar, it’s because DeSantis — who is nothing if not unoriginal — is basically copying Greg Abbott’s homework. Last month, the Texas governor issued his own “proclamation” declaring CAIR-Texas a terrorist organization and threatening penalties. CAIR and the Muslim Legal Fund of America sued immediately.

CAIR is also digging into Abbott with public-records requests seeking communications between the governor, anti-Muslim extremists, anti-Palestinian lobbyists, and Israeli officials. You know, in case this whole thing was orchestrated — because, frankly, it looks about as spontaneous as a campaign ad.

But let’s talk facts — something missing from Ron’s executive order: CAIR’s been condemning terrorism for three decades. They have receipts. Literally:

• A national statement on their website since 2009 condemning all acts of terrorism by groups from al-Qaida to Hamas.
• A memo documenting their long history fighting anti-Semitism and violence.
• Multiple board statements reiterating condemnation of attacks on civilians.
• Public records showing that less than one percent of CAIR’s donations come from outside the U.S., mostly Canadians. Not Qatar. Not Egypt. Not Saudi Arabia or another shadowy Middle East boogeymen. Canada. Less than one percent.

Meanwhile, their mission hasn’t changed in 30 years: protect civil rights, promote justice, and be the voice of American Muslims.

But Ron’s order tells state agencies to treat them like foreign terrorists anyway — barring them from contracts, employment, funding, you name it.

It’s part blacklist, part loyalty test, and entirely unconstitutional. The courts are going to have a field day with this man. Again.

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For good measure, DeSantis also slapped the “foreign terrorist” label on the Muslim Brotherhood — a global organization founded a century ago that renounced violence decades ago and participates in elections across the Middle East.

Are they controversial? Sure. What political group isn’t? Are they classified as terrorists under U.S. law? Nope.

But if Egypt’s dictatorship hates them — because it views the Brotherhood as its primary opposition and an existential threat to its power — Ron DeSantis apparently hates them too. Very independent thinking from Florida’s “freedom governor.”

Because let’s not kid ourselves: This isn’t about terrorism. It’s about theater. This is 100% political performance.

DeSantis is trying to stay relevant in the post-primary shadow world where Donald Trump eats up all the oxygen and Ron is left waving his tiny executive orders like a drowning man signaling for rescue.

Labeling CAIR a terrorist organization isn’t about safety. It’s about silence. It’s about anti-Muslim fearmongering. It’s about showing loyalty to foreign interests instead of Floridians. And it’s about punching down on a minority group because it plays well in certain corners of his base.

But CAIR is fighting back — in court.

“We look forward to defeating Governor DeSantis’ latest Israel First stunt in a court of law, where facts matter and conspiracy theories have no weight,” CAIR said in a statement. “In the meantime, we encourage all Floridians and all Americans to speak up against this latest attempt to shred the Constitution for the benefit of a foreign government.”

This latest DeSantis stunt may end the same way so many of his culture-war crusades have ended: With a federal judge reminding him that the U.S. Constitution still applies in Florida. Even if Ron doesn’t like what it says.

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