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Ron DeSantis Offers To Cover Legal Fees For Veteran Who Decapitated Satan Statue

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Samuel Spencer Contributor
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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis had some words to say concerning the infamous beheading of the satanic statue in the Iowa State Capitol.

Military veteran and Christian, Michael Cassidy, turned himself in to the Iowa State Police after he decapitated a satanic statue erected in the state capitol building in opposition to the nativity scene also on display. DeSantis took to Twitter to share his thoughts and support of the former Navy pilot.

“Satan has no place in our society and should not be recognized as a ‘religion’ by the federal government,” the Republican presidential candidate tweeted on Friday morning.

The Iowa State Police confirmed to the Daily Caller that Cassidy was arrested and charged with fourth-degree criminal mischief. (RELATED: Veteran Who Decapitated Satan Statue Previously Ran Unorthodox Congressional Campaign)

“The world may tell Christians to submissively accept the legitimization of Satan, but none of the founders would have considered government sanction of Satanic altars inside Capitol buildings as protected by the First Amendment,” Cassidy told The Sentinel in a statement. “Anti-Christian values have steadily been mainstreamed more and more in recent decades, and Christians have largely acted like the proverbial frog in the boiling pot of water.”

The Satanic Temple Iowa posted on Facebook that their statue was damaged “beyond repair” but that they would continue their holiday celebrations.

“We ask that for safety, visitors travel together and use the seven tenants as a reminder for empathy, in the knowledge that justice is being pursued the correct way, through legal means. Solve et Coagula! Happy Holidays! Hail Satan!” they wrote.

Cassidy ran unsuccessfully for a Mississippi House of Representatives seat in 2022 and for a state legislature seat in 2023. (RELATED: FACT CHECK: Ron DeSantis Makes Claims On Nikki Haley’s Position On Retirement Age And Life Expectancy In The U.S.)

TST’s Iowa chapter is reportedly planning on pressing charges, according to a copy of a complaint and an affidavit obtained by The Sentinel. Cassidy is being represented by Davis Younts, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel who formerly served in the JAG Corps.

“He believes that the blasphemous statue was an affront to God and that it should not be displayed in a government building,” Younts told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “The civil authorities failed to act and so he engaged in a peaceful protest.”

“I’ll chip in to contribute to this veteran’s legal defense fund,” DeSantis added. “Good prevails over evil — that’s the American spirit.”

DeSantis also suggested during a CNN town hall on Tuesday that former president Donald Trump was to blame because under his administration, the IRS granted TST tax-exempt status, according to Fox News.