Florida Republican's Biden Criticism Has a Glaring Problem

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody has faced criticism online after targeting President Joe Biden for his reaction as a then-White House candidate to Black Lives Matters protest that occurred during Donald Trump's presidency.

On Thursday, Moody, a Republican, took a jab at Biden's lack of action toward the pro-Palestinian protests that have erupted in recent weeks on college campuses amid Israel's war in Gaza.

"Where in the world is @JoeBiden? As people question his astounding silence in the face of universities under siege, a pattern is emerging," Moody posted on X, formerly Twitter. "In the summer of 2020, it took months for Biden to call cities and towns being burned, stores being looted and cops being attacked 'riots.' A real leader would step up and stop this anarchy."

Moody was referring to the Black Lives Matter protests, some of which turned violent, after the death of George Floyd, a Black man who was killed in Minneapolis by police officer Derek Chauvin in May 2020.

Trump was still president in the summer of 2020 when the protests occurred. Biden was the presumptive Democratic nominee at the time and did not take office in the White House until January 2021 after winning the November 2020 presidential election.

Moody's post was fact-checked by a community note on X that clarified "Donald Trump was president in 2020," and a number of social media users also called the attorney general out for her timeline.

Brett Meiselas, co-founder of liberal news network MeidasTouch, replied to Moody's post: "Are you not embarrassed?"

Ron Filipkowski, editor-in-chief of MediasTouch, posted: "Thank you to Florida's MAGA AG for absolutely destroying Donald Trump."

Allison Gill, a liberal political and legal commentator who hosts the Mueller, She Wrote podcast, wrote: "Does AG stand for attorney general? Yikes."

"Oh my. You should probably just stay inside for a few days," posted John Sipher, a former CIA official.

Whitney Ray, deputy chief of staff for Moody's communication team told Newsweek via email on Friday: "The intentional misrepresentation of the Attorney General's post on X is incredible. I have spoken to several Florida and former journalists, and they are as amused as I am at the willful ignorance of some of the comments (acting like the leader of the Democratic Party would not be expected to condemn nationwide riots).

"The only shocking thing about this charade is that Newsweek actually wrote an article about it and is refusing to make any meaningful changes to their completely false story. #FakeNewsFriday."

Pro-Palestinian Protests

Protesters on college campuses across the country have recently made headlines in mainstream media. A major demand from protesters has been universities' divestment from Israel amid the current conflict in the Middle East.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas led the deadliest Palestinian militant attack on Israel in history. Israel subsequently launched its heaviest-ever airstrikes on Gaza. Roughly 1,200 people in Israel were killed and about 250 hostages were taken by Hamas. Some hostages were released during a temporary cease-fire late last year.

Israel's military operation has killed over 34,500 people, mostly women and children, according to Gazan health authorities. Health officials in the region do not distinguish between civilians and combatants in their death tolls.

Police have arrested protesters at several colleges, including Columbia University, New York University, Yale University, the University of Texas at Austin, and the University of Southern California.

Biden did address the protests on Thursday, urging that "order must prevail."

"Dissent is essential for democracy," Biden said at the White House. "But dissent must never lead to disorder."

Correction 5/3/2024, 2:50 p.m. ET: This article was updated to clarify Moody's comments.

Update 5/3/24, 3:51 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from Moody's office.