DeSantis announces Florida investigation into apparent assassination attempt on Trump
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Tuesday he is signing an executive order authorizing a state investigation into the apparent attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump on Sunday in West Palm Beach. During a news conference in West Palm Beach, DeSantis said the state — and not the Justice Department — has the jurisdiction to potentially file an attempted-murder charge against the suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh. The governor also sought to cast doubt on the objectivity of federal investigators when it comes to Trump. “In my judgment, it's not in the best interest of our state or our nation to have the same federal agencies that are seeking to prosecute Donald Trump leading this investigation, especially when the most serious, straightforward offense constitutes a violation of state law, but not federal law,” DeSantis said.
DeSantis said federal law prevents the Justice Department from prosecuting an attempted-murder case when the target is not a current federal official or president-elect. The FBI is conducting its own investigation.