Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday announced he will sign an executive order initiating a state-level investigation into the recent apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
DeSantis alleged that the suspect, Ryan Routh, violated several state laws across multiple jurisdictions, including Palm Beach and Martin counties, but he did not offer specifics.
"And I’ve directed all state agencies to work expeditiously to be able to uncover the truth in addition to holding this suspect accountable," he said in a press conference in West Palm Beach.
Routh faces two federal gun-related charges, and additional charges are expected as the FBI-led investigation continues.
Routh, 58, reportedly was spotted by a U.S. Secret Service agent hiding with a rifle in shrubbery alongside Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, ahead of where the former president and current Republican presidential nominee was playing.
A Secret Service agent fired at Routh, who fled and was captured after driving away. DeSantis questioned why additional charges haven’t been filed if the FBI called the incident an attempted assassination.
“I think it's really important for people of Florida, but also for our country, that we pursue the most serious charges that are on the books, to hold this guy accountable,” DeSantis said. “And to say you're gonna do a couple of gun charges, that is not going to be sufficient to do it.”
A state prosecutor will lead the investigation and prosecution under the supervision of Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody. Moody said any state's charges against Routh, including attempted murder, will likely differ slightly from federal charges.
"And that doesn't mean it's a turf war. Somebody asked me about that before," Moody said. "It is very common for state investigators, state prosecutors to work with our federal prosecutors and federal agents on dual tracks with different purposes."
The Office of Statewide Prosecution, which is under Moody, will be joined in the investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, which includes the Florida Highway Patrol.
“We're happy to make sure that the American people and Floridians feel confident that we're protecting one of our own, that we're investigating this to leave no stone unturned,” Moody said.
Trump has had a stepped-up security footprint since an assassination attempt on him during a Pennsylvania rally in July. When he is at Trump Tower in New York, parked dump trucks have formed a wall outside the building. At outdoor rallies, he now speaks from behind bulletproof glass.
The golf course, located in Palm Beach about five miles west of Mar-a-Lago, was partially shut down for Trump as he played, but there are several areas around the perimeter of the property where golfers are visible from the fence line.
Secret Service agents and officers in golf carts and on ATVs generally secure the area several holes ahead and behind Trump. Agents also usually bring an armored vehicle onto the course to shelter Trump quickly should a threat arise.
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said the entire golf course would have been lined with law enforcement if Trump were the president, but because he is not, “security is limited to the areas that the Secret Service deems possible.”
Information from the Associated Press and News Service of Florida was used in this report.
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