Bill O'Reilly wants DeSantis to respond after 'Killing' books pulled from Florida shelves

Conservative commentator and author Bill O'Reilly is calling on Gov. Ron DeSantis to change Florida laws that have led to a surge of book removals and restrictions.

"Things are getting crazy with book banning in #Florida," O'Reilly wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Friday.

O'Reilly, long a right-leaning firebrand who spent over two decades on air at Fox News, spoke out after two of his books were removed from school shelves in Escambia County, on Florida’s westernmost end.

"Killing Jesus: A History" and "Killing Reagan: The Violent Assault That Changed a Presidency" both were pulled pending a review to see whether they ran afoul of a new state law passed by the state's Republican-led Legislature and signed by DeSantis.

"Preposterous! We are investigating and are seeking comment from (DeSantis)," he wrote in another post. "This will not stand."

O'Reilly told Newsweek that when DeSantis signed the law, he supported its "theme."

"The state has an obligation to protect children," he said. "But the wording of the law was far too nebulous in Tallahassee."

His books are among roughly 1,500 titles that have been pulled pending review in the Escambia County school district, a long list that also includes "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank.

Escambia County is not the only one to pull numerous books for review. In Central Florida's Orange County, more than 600 books have been removed from classroom libraries for the same reason.

And O'Reilly is not the only conservative now angry over the reviews.

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“They’ve got bloated administrative budgets, they’ve got people doing all kinds of things,” said Tiffany Justice, co-founder of Moms for Liberty, which has become a leading voice against “inappropriate” books in schools.

“If they don’t have the time to vet the books that are in the libraries then they have no business being in their jobs,” she previously told the USA TODAY Network-Florida in an interview.

A spokesperson for Escambia County Public Schools Superintendent, Cody Strother, told the Pensacola News Journal: "The 1,000+ books ... have not been banned or removed from the school district; rather, they have simply been pulled for further review to ensure compliance with the new legislation."

In a Thursday statement to the USA TODAY Network-Florida, its superintendent, Keith Leonard, bashed news outlets that he said "sensationalize(d) this situation." He dismissed the idea that the books were "banned."

"Our school district, and especially our dedicated media specialists, remain committed to adhering to all statutes and regulations, while also providing valuable and varied literacy opportunities for every student."

This reporting content is supported by a partnership with Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. USA Today Network-Florida First Amendment reporter Douglas Soule is based in Tallahassee, Fla. He can be reached at DSoule@gannett.com. On X: @DouglasSoule.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Bill O'Reilly decries removal of two of his books in Florida