Ron DeSantis vows grand jury investigation of 'any and all wrongdoing with respect to COVID-19 vaccines'


Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced plans to impanel a statewide grand jury tasked with investigating "any and all wrongdoing in Florida with respect to COVID-19 vaccines" during a round table event with the state's Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo on Tuesday.
Comparing the action to his state's settlement with drug manufacturers behind the opioid crisis, DeSantis' announcement comes just days after he'd promised to "hold these manufacturers accountable for this mRNA [vaccine]."
"They said there was no side effects," DeSantis explained at a private event over the weekend. "We know that there have been, and there have been a lot." While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has acknowledged that inflammation of the heart tissue occurred "rarely" following mRNA COVID vaccinations, DeSantis claimed during the same event that "We did a study in Florida, and you saw an 86 percent increase in cardiac-related activity from people 18 to 39 from mRNA shots."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
During his event on Tuesday, DeSantis insinuated that the grand jury push was, in part, an effort to make public various reports regarding vaccine efficacy and side effects which manufacturers like Moderna and Pfizer had previously kept private. "We'll be able to get the data whether they want to give it or not," DeSantis vowed.
As The Bulwark's Amanda Carpenter notes, these latest anti-vaccine comments from DeSantis may be part of a broader ramp-up to a potential 2024 presidential run, positioning the governor to the right of former President Donald Trump on COVID-related issues in a play for the GOP base.
Earlier this year, DeSantis made a similar request to impanel a grand jury to focus on another of his tentpole political issues: undocumented immigration and "the effects of those international networks on Florida and how they have violated Florida law." According to Miami Herald reporter Ana Ceballos, the use of statewide grand juries was previously a rarity in Florida politics, occurring just 20 times over the past forty years.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.
-
October 4 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include the Einstein files, defunding the police, and an odd tribute to Jane Goodall
-
Mustardy beans and hazelnuts recipe
The Week Recommends Nod to French classic offers zingy, fresh taste
-
Under siege: Argentina’s president drops his chainsaw
Talking Point The self-proclaimed ‘first anarcho-capitalist president in world history’ faces mounting troubles
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denial
Speed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartels
speed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feud
Speed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her
-
Miami Freedom Tower’s MAGA library squeeze
THE EXPLAINER Plans to place Donald Trump’s presidential library next to an iconic symbol of Florida’s Cuban immigrant community has South Florida divided
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protesters
Speed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’
Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US
-
US government shuts down amid health care standoff
Speed Read Democrats said they won’t vote for a deal that doesn’t renew Affordable Care Act health care subsidies
-
YouTube to pay Trump $22M over Jan. 6 expulsion
Speed Read The president accused the company of censorship following the suspension of accounts post-Capitol riot