Gov. DeSantis promises Florida will independently investigate Donald Trump assassination attempt

Gov. Ron DeSantis said his administration will oversee its own investigation into the attempted assignation of Donald Trump in Florida.

“The State of Florida will be conducting its own investigation regarding the attempted assassination at Trump International Golf Club,” DeSantis posted on X.

“The people deserve the truth about the would-be assassin and how he was able to get within 500 yards of the former president and current GOP nominee.”

Trump was unhurt after an apparent attempt on his life. Authorities said a man pointed an AK-style rifle at Trump at the West Palm Beach golf club. Trump was safe and unharmed. He told news media after the incident that he heard shots and the Secret Service rushed him to the ground and piled on top of him.

DeSantis at a Monday press conference said he has not spoken to Trump since the incident, but said it was important for the state to do an investigation independent of the federal government. He noted that this attempt took place in a jurisdiction where a Special Prosecutor is still seeking charges against Trump over allegations that he wrongly kept classified documents at his Palm Beach County estate.

“I understand that the feds are involved, but we do believe there were multiple violations of state law. We also believe that there’s a need to make sure that the truth about all this comes out in a way that’s credible,” DeSantis said.

“The federal government, with all due respect to them, those same agencies that are prosecuting Trump in that jurisdiction are now going to be investigating this. I just think that may not be the best thing for this country. Nevertheless, they have their prerogative, but we have our prerogative, and so we’ll be making an announcement further along those lines in the ensuing days.”

Martin County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Ryan Wesley Routh shortly after shots were fired at a golf course, where Trump was playing a hole. Routh was found driving away in a neighboring county.

The incident will be investigated by law enforcement. Additionally, a special U.S. House Committee already empaneled to investigate an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania earlier this year has said it will investigate. That panel includes three Florida lawmakers: U.S. Reps. Laurel Lee, Jared Moskowitz and Michael Waltz.

After that committee was appointed, U.S. Rep. Cory Mills, a New Smyrna Beach Republican, organized his own group of House Representatives that has independently scrutinized security lapses around the Pennsylvania shooting, where a bullet hurt Trump’s ear and an event attendee was killed.

At the federal level, the Justice Department also said Attorney General Merrick Garland will closely follow developments on the investigation.

Details of what a Florida investigation will entail were not immediately announced, but DeSantis will likely discuss the matter more on Monday.

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Material from The Associated Press was used in this report.