Gov. Ron DeSantis has taken the lead on a Florida state-led investigation into the recent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, a move that has reignited discussions about federal-state tensions.
Now, DeSantis said that federal agents are getting in the way of the Florida investigation — and he’s not happy.
On Tuesday, DeSantis signed an executive order directing a statewide prosecutor to “ensure that charges are brought for all violations of state law” in connection with the attempted murder of Trump on his West Palm Beach golf course. The governor’s decision to launch a parallel investigation alongside the ongoing federal probe drawn both praise from conservatives.
“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,” DeSantis stated during a press conference, echoing growing skepticism towards federal law enforcement.
He also warned that federal agents weren’t cooperating with the Florida-run investigation.
“The answer is ‘no,’ they’re not being cooperative,” DeSantis said. “I am concerned. For example, we were rebuffed, our investigators were rebuffed just going to the fence line outside of Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach.”
He said that the Biden administration doesn’t want Florida authorities involved in the criminal probe.
“But here’s the thing, there were multiple violations of Florida law across multiple jurisdictions,” DeSantis said. “We think at least three judicial circuits, this guy … committed potential violations of Florida law. So we have a duty to investigate this. We have a duty to bring the appropriate charges and we also have a duty to inform the public about how this happened.”
The move comes as federal prosecutors have filed gun charges against Ryan Wesley Routh, the 58-year-old suspect accused of waiting for nearly 12 hours at Trump’s golf club with an SKS-style rifle before being spotted by Secret Service agents.
Jon Sale, a former federal prosecutor, claimed that the case has been “politicized” by DeSantis, himself a former Navy prosecutor.
“When the investigation turned into an attempt on the life of a former president, it became clear there was a compelling federal interest,” Sale argued.
However, DeSantis’s intervention has been well-received by many in the Republican base.
Ford O’Connell, a Florida-based Republican strategist, noted, “It is part of his job, but it also endears him to the Republican base because this is the party of Donald John Trump.”
“Gov. DeSantis has been quietly inching closer and closer to Trump’s orbit since dropping out of the primary,” observed Dan Eberhart, a former DeSantis supporter.
This latest development adds another layer to the complex relationship between DeSantis and Trump.
Once close allies, they became rivals during the GOP primary, only to reconcile as DeSantis pledged support for Trump’s general election campaign.
The political implications of the assassination attempt and subsequent investigations remain unclear. Some Republicans argue that the incidents could potentially sway undecided voters towards Trump. A recent Gallup poll showed Trump’s favorability increasing from 41% to 46% over the past month, though most responses were collected before the second assassination attempt.
As the investigations unfold, questions linger about the long-term consequences for political security and the already polarized political landscape. “No matter how the election goes, more and more people are going to need protection for longer periods of time,” one GOP strategist warned.
As both the federal and state investigations proceed, all eyes will be on how this latest chapter in the Trump saga unfolds and its potential impact on the race for the White House.