WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Florida will investigate the apparent attempted assassination of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach golf course, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said on Tuesday, saying he does not have confidence in the federal government to conduct a transparent probe.
“The state of Florida has jurisdiction over the most serious, straightforward offense, which is attempted murder,” DeSantis said at a news conference, casting doubt on federal investigations given separate U.S. 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.”
DeSantis is a Republican who was among those who ran against Trump for the party’s 2024 presidential nomination.
A man 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 say he was spotted in the bushes with a rifle as the former U.S. president played nearby.
The suspect never had the Republican presidential candidate for the Nov. 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.
(Reporting by Doina Chiacu and Susan Heavey in Washington; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Jonathan Oatis)
