WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order assigning the case of Trump's apparent attempted assassin to the statewide prosecutor's office.
That office will handle the investigation because the incident happened across two judicial circuits spanning Palm Beach County and Martin County. The suspect was spotted at Trump's golf course near West Palm Beach but later apprehended in Martin County. DeSantis also said that this case could've also involved Broward County.
The Florida governor said state prosecutors will pursue the case over attempted murder charges, which is the "most serious straightforward offense."
The governor said he is concerned about the federal government's investigation since they are also prosecuting the former president. DeSantis pointed out that the Southern District of Florida federal court is trying to prosecute Trump as well as the District of Columbia.
“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 without any other cause for concern or impartiality?” DeSantis said at the conference.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Florida Highway Patrol will investigate the apparent assassination attempt and refer violations of law to the statewide prosecutor's office. Florida's law enforcement agencies will also "surge resources to President Trump's security detail needs in coordination with the former president and the Secret Service," according to the executive order.
Attorney General Ashley Moody, who is in charge of the statewide prosecution's office, echoed the governor at the news conference.
“It’s awkward, to say the least, to have a prosecutorial agency and investigatory agency that is bringing charges and seeking to put the victim away for life being the same agency and prosectors that are going after the would-be assassin," she said.
The conference comes two days after U.S. Secret Service agents opened fire after seeing a person with a firearm near Trump's West Palm Beach golf club while he was golfing. Officials said the person fled in an SUV but was later arrested by law enforcement.
Authorities arrested 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh about 45 minutes after he fled the golf course. Body camera footage from the Martin County Sheriff's Office showed his arrest on Sunday where he was handcuffed on the side of a road before being taken away by deputies.
About two months ago, Trump was shot during an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania with the bullet grazing his ear.
DeSantis posted on X Sunday that he would launch this investigation, which he echoed at a news conference on Monday.
"We also believe that there's a need to make sure that the truth about all of this comes out in a way that's credible. I mean, I look at the federal government, with all due respect to them, you know, those same agencies that are prosecuting Trump in that jurisdiction are now going to be investigating this. I just think that that may not be the best thing for this country," he said on Monday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.