Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he is skeptical the federal government will appropriately handle the investigation into the apparent assassination attempt against former president Donald Trump, so he has assigned state officers to “take the lead” and do their own work on the case.
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He also has directed the statewide prosecutor — who usually takes cases involving drugs, cyber fraud, human trafficking and other organized crimes that cross multiple counties — to bring charges against the man suspected of pointing a gun through a fence at Trump’s West Palm Beach golf club on Sunday.
Some legal experts and political analysts say the unusual step by a governor to try to run a parallel investigation into a matter of national security amounts to nothing more than political grandstanding that could cause confusion rather than help.
“At the minimum, it can be seen as an attempt to influence the investigation, thereby breaching the firewall that should separate the law and politics in a democracy,” said Anthony V. Alfieri, a professor at the University of Miami and director of the law school’s Center for Ethics and Public Service.
The move by DeSantis to assign the statewide prosecutor fits a pattern that has emerged in recent years, in which critics say the governor employs certain law enforcement agencies to carry out his political agenda. The statewide prosecutor is the same office that was tasked with prosecuting those charged by DeSantis’s election police unit. Many of those charges were initially dismissed, before DeSantis pushed lawmakers to grant the statewide prosecutor jurisdiction over the cases.
Lawyers including Palm Beach State Attorney Dave Aronberg are also questioning the practicality of moving a state probe forward.
“How will the investigators get the evidence in this case?” Aronberg asked in an interview with The Washington Post. “They’re going to have to get it from the same federal investigators and federal prosecutors that they distrust, because the federal investigators are the ones collecting the evidence.”
DeSantis said Tuesday that he was launching a state probe because he wants to ensure a fair and transparent investigation, which he said Florida agencies were in a better position to accomplish because the FBI and Justice Department are separately pursuing unrelated criminal cases against Trump. The governor also asserted that the state can pursue harsher crimes than federal authorities, saying that under Florida law, Ryan Wesley Routh could be charged with attempted murder and be put away for life.
“In my judgment, it’s not in the best interest of our state or nation to have the same federal agencies that are seeking to prosecute Donald Trump leading this investigation,” DeSantis said during a news conference.
The Justice Department declined to comment on DeSantis’s probe, but Attorney General Merrick Garland said at a public event Tuesday that the Justice Department is working with state and local law enforcement to investigate the incident. FBI Director Christopher A. Wray said Wednesday that “the full force of the FBI” is dedicated to the investigation.
“Together, we’re working around-the-clock to investigate this,” he said.
It’s unclear what additional work state investigators can do while the FBI and the U.S. Secret Service continue their probe. Agents spent days examining the towering hedge and fence line that surrounds the Trump International Golf Club, concentrating on collecting evidence from the area where they say Routh apparently lay in wait for Trump. That evidence includes Routh’s phone, a loaded SKS-style rifle with a scope, two bags and food, according to a federal complaint.
Authorities said at least one of Routh’s bags also contained ceramic plates, which are often used as body armor.
The criminal complaint filed by the FBI against Routh at his first appearance Monday charged him with two crimes: possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
Those charges carry a maximum of five and 15 years in prison, but Routh could face more serious charges later in the investigation, depending on what evidence authorities gather about his motive, actions or intent. A federal judge ruled that Routh will remain in custody on those charges pending a formal indictment.
Cut through the 2024 election noise. Get The Campaign Moment newsletter.
He also has directed the statewide prosecutor — who usually takes cases involving drugs, cyber fraud, human trafficking and other organized crimes that cross multiple counties — to bring charges against the man suspected of pointing a gun through a fence at Trump’s West Palm Beach golf club on Sunday.
Some legal experts and political analysts say the unusual step by a governor to try to run a parallel investigation into a matter of national security amounts to nothing more than political grandstanding that could cause confusion rather than help.
“At the minimum, it can be seen as an attempt to influence the investigation, thereby breaching the firewall that should separate the law and politics in a democracy,” said Anthony V. Alfieri, a professor at the University of Miami and director of the law school’s Center for Ethics and Public Service.
The move by DeSantis to assign the statewide prosecutor fits a pattern that has emerged in recent years, in which critics say the governor employs certain law enforcement agencies to carry out his political agenda. The statewide prosecutor is the same office that was tasked with prosecuting those charged by DeSantis’s election police unit. Many of those charges were initially dismissed, before DeSantis pushed lawmakers to grant the statewide prosecutor jurisdiction over the cases.
Lawyers including Palm Beach State Attorney Dave Aronberg are also questioning the practicality of moving a state probe forward.
“How will the investigators get the evidence in this case?” Aronberg asked in an interview with The Washington Post. “They’re going to have to get it from the same federal investigators and federal prosecutors that they distrust, because the federal investigators are the ones collecting the evidence.”
DeSantis said Tuesday that he was launching a state probe because he wants to ensure a fair and transparent investigation, which he said Florida agencies were in a better position to accomplish because the FBI and Justice Department are separately pursuing unrelated criminal cases against Trump. The governor also asserted that the state can pursue harsher crimes than federal authorities, saying that under Florida law, Ryan Wesley Routh could be charged with attempted murder and be put away for life.
“In my judgment, it’s not in the best interest of our state or nation to have the same federal agencies that are seeking to prosecute Donald Trump leading this investigation,” DeSantis said during a news conference.
The Justice Department declined to comment on DeSantis’s probe, but Attorney General Merrick Garland said at a public event Tuesday that the Justice Department is working with state and local law enforcement to investigate the incident. FBI Director Christopher A. Wray said Wednesday that “the full force of the FBI” is dedicated to the investigation.
“Together, we’re working around-the-clock to investigate this,” he said.
It’s unclear what additional work state investigators can do while the FBI and the U.S. Secret Service continue their probe. Agents spent days examining the towering hedge and fence line that surrounds the Trump International Golf Club, concentrating on collecting evidence from the area where they say Routh apparently lay in wait for Trump. That evidence includes Routh’s phone, a loaded SKS-style rifle with a scope, two bags and food, according to a federal complaint.
Authorities said at least one of Routh’s bags also contained ceramic plates, which are often used as body armor.
The criminal complaint filed by the FBI against Routh at his first appearance Monday charged him with two crimes: possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
Those charges carry a maximum of five and 15 years in prison, but Routh could face more serious charges later in the investigation, depending on what evidence authorities gather about his motive, actions or intent. A federal judge ruled that Routh will remain in custody on those charges pending a formal indictment.