In a press conference on Tuesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) appeared in a press conference to detail why his state would take the lead on the investigation into the second assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
To recap, on Sunday, United States Secret Service discovered that an armed man was hiding in the bushes at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. An agent noticed the muzzle of a rifle in the shrubs, the Associated Press noted, and fired at the gunman. The suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh, fled the scene but was later tracked down and arrested. The FBI confirmed that Trump was the target.
This is the second attempt on Trump’s life in two months. In July, Trump was shot at a rally in Pennsylvania. The assassin’s bullet clipped his ear.
In a press conference on Tuesday, DeSantis doubled-down on his decision to let the state of Florida handle the investigation into the second assassination attempt against Trump.
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) September 17, 2024
As… pic.twitter.com/l61XCoe0ls
“This guy was doing a lot of stuff. He’s got a rap sheet,” DeSantis said of Routh. “We need answers on this.”
“We have the ability to pursue potentially life in prison under state law,” DeSantis explained. “That’s a huge reason why we should move forward at the state level.”
In the press conference, DeSantis noted that he’s spoken to Trump and that he is in “good spirits.”
“He was in good spirits…but he was complimentary of the state of Florida taking the lead [in the investigation]. He thought that was totally appropriate. And, he encouraged us to continue doing what we’re doing,” DeSantis said.
“It was great that he sees the need for what we are going and that we are going to move forward [with an investigation],” DeSantis added.
“Don’t you want a clean slate? Don’t you want to have investigative agencies that are just going to pursue this without any other agenda creeping in?” DeSantis explained. “This is the right thing to do for justice…justice also means getting the unvarnished truth. We haven’t gotten the unvarnished truth about Butler, Pennsylvania.”