West Palm Beach, Florida Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (Republican) officially announced on Tuesday that law enforcement agencies across the state will conduct their own investigation into the second assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, because the most serious crime related to the case – attempted murder – is Florida's jurisdiction.
“The suspect, Ryan Routh, appears to have violated state law in multiple jurisdictions across this state, including the Palm Beach Judicial District, the Judicial District that includes Martin County, and likely the Judicial District that represents Broward County. I have directed state officials to act swiftly and provide full transparency to the public,” DeSantis explained.
DeSantis said he didn't believe it was in the country's best interest for the Justice Department to lead the investigation, given that the FBI and the Justice Department, which are seeking to prosecute Trump in Florida, are the same agency. DeSantis noted there are still questions unanswered by the FBI about the 2017 Las Vegas shooting and the first assassination attempt on Trump in July.
“In addition to holding the suspects accountable, the public deserves to know the truth about how this assassination happened. [attempt] was born,” he added.
The FBI said Monday that it received a complaint in 2019 that Routh was in possession of a firearm.
The state investigation is being conducted by the Florida Highway Patrol and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The case is being handled by state prosecutors and will be overseen by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody.
When asked by The Blaze News if he agreed with Interim Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe, who said Monday that the plan to keep President Trump safe is working, Gov. DeSantis said he looks forward to seeing what the state's investigation uncovers.
“We're going to find out how this guy was able to hide in the brush for 12 hours and how that happened. I don't have the answer to that. Our investigation will probably tell us,” DeSantis continued.
DeSantis said he knew where Trump was and even where the shooter was because he has played on the golf course at Trump International Golf Club and that area poses the highest security risks.
DeSantis said he was concerned there could be another assassination attempt on Trump before the November election because “we're in a situation that's not healthy for our country right now.”
The FBI said Monday that it received a complaint in 2019 that Routh possessed a firearm but was unable to verify it.
“In responding to and investigating the tip, the alleged accuser was interviewed but did not verify — I repeat, did not verify — the initial tip. The FBI passed the information on to local police in Honolulu,” said Jeffrey Veltri, FBI Special Agent in Charge of the Miami Field Office.
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