Florida will investigate the apparent attempted assassination of Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach golf course, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis says.
"The state of Florida has jurisdiction over the most serious, straightforward offence, which is attempted murder," DeSantis said on Tuesday at a news conference, casting doubt on federal investigations given separate US criminal probes against probe.
DeSantis cast doubt on the federal government's ability to conduct a transparent, thorough and impartial investigation, citing the federal prosecutions against Trump in Florida and elsewhere.
"I do think that there's a lot of concern about how these agencies have operated," DeSantis said.
"We're not involved in any of those of those other things that the Justice Department is involved in."
The State of Florida is conducting its own investigation into the second attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. It is not in the best interests of our state and nation to have the same federal agencies seeking to prosecute Trump leading this investigation. — Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) As… pic.twitter.com/l61XCoe0lsSeptember 17, 2024
DeSantis is a Republican who was among those who ran against Trump for the party's 2024 presidential nomination.
Ryan Wesley Routh - suspected of hiding for nearly 12 hours in an apparent attempt to assassinate Trump at his West Palm Beach, Florida, golf course - was charged in federal court with two gun-related crimes on Monday, a day after authorities said he was spotted in the bushes with a rifle as the former US president played nearby.
The suspect never had the Republican presidential candidate for the November 5 election in his line of sight and did not fire any shots, authorities said.
DeSantis said he would appoint a statewide prosecutor, under the supervision of the state attorney general, to handle the case because it crossed several Florida jurisdictions.