Attorney General Merrick Garland confirmed on Tuesday that the Department of Justice will cooperate with an independent Florida investigation into an alleged assassination attempt on former President Trump.
At a news conference, Garland called the assassination attempt a “heinous act” and said he was “grateful” that the former president was safe.
“As we said shortly after this happened, the Department of Justice will stop at nothing to ensure accountability in this case. Since then, our prosecutors and investigators have been working around the clock to uncover the evidence we need to ensure accountability,” Garland said.
Trump survived an attempt on his life on September 15 when Secret Service agents reportedly opened fire on a suspect hiding in bushes near a golf course in West Palm Beach where the Republican presidential candidate was playing.
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Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks during a press conference at the Department of Justice in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
The suspect, identified as Ryan Routh, 58, fled the scene but was quickly arrested during a traffic stop near Palm City, Fla. He remains in federal custody.
It's been just over two months since a 20-year-old gunman climbed onto the roof of a building near President Trump's rally and shot the former president, grazing him just minutes after he began his speech.
A panoramic view of the fenced-in area near the sixth hole at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on September 18. This is the area where Ryan Routh is said to have been hiding and waiting for former President Trump. (Peter Burke/Fox News Digital/Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office)
The second assassination attempt, on September 15, has reignited criticism of the Secret Service's handling of Trump's security.
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Florida's Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, has said he will conduct his own state investigation, arguing that the Florida Attorney General's office may have stronger evidence than the federal government.
“In my judgment, when the most serious and simplest crimes are violations of state law, not federal law, it's not in the best interest of the state or the nation that this investigation is being led by the same federal agency that is seeking to prosecute Donald Trump,” DeSantis told reporters last week, referring to the string of federal lawsuits against Trump.
Republican presidential nominee and former president Donald Trump speaks about tax law and manufacturing at the Johnnie Mercer Theater Civic Center, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in Savannah, Georgia. (AP/Evan Vucci)
Fox News' David Spunt asked Garland on Tuesday whether the Justice Department would cooperate with the independent Florida investigation.
“Our job is to ensure full accountability here,” Garland responded, “and we always seek to cooperate with and obtain assistance from state and local law enforcement, to the extent appropriate and consistent with the law, on our investigations.”
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Fox News Digital has reached out to Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody's office for response.
