Former Rep. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., who is campaigning for Florida's gubernatorial seat, decried the recent public attacks on Republican lawmakers, such as Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and his wife who were heckled in a Washington, D.C., restaurant, saying civility has been "tossed out the window."
"The bottom line is if I walked into a bar or restaurant and I started throwing punches, I would be tossed out," DeSantis told Fox News' "Fox & Friends." "These people walking in and screaming and now the senator and his wife have to leave, why is this allowed?"
A group of hecklers opposing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh hounded Cruz and wife, Heidi, Monday night, saying they believe the women who accuse him of sexual assault incidents.
They eventually went back in and finished their meal, but DeSantis said the protests were part of a "far-left fringe," adding his Democratic opponent in Florida, Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, is part of the fringe element.
"I think the left is totally unhinged, and it's not just what they did to Sen. Cruz," DeSantis said. "You saw the Kavanaugh hearings, which are a total disgrace. This stuff can be really dangerous. If you remember, last year, our Republican baseball practice was shot up by one of these left-wing activists. So, this is really, really a bad road to go down."
DeSantis also talked about the House Freedom Caucus' call for Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to either testify in front of them or resign over reports he offered to wear a wire and record President Donald Trump and he had talked about invoking the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office. Rosenstein has denied both accusations.
"I mean, if that is true, clearly, that's disqualifying," DeSantis said. "I think the president has been absolutely right to be cautious about this."