On September 17, 2024, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced that he would be, via executive order, launching an independent investigation into the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump that occurred while the former president was playing golf over the weekend. DeSantis characterized the independent investigation as delivering transparency in a way the federal government’s investigation might not.
Gov. DeSantis announced the move both in a press conference and in a release through his office. In the release, his office said, “Today, Governor Ron DeSantis issued Executive Order 24-197 directing Florida’s law enforcement agencies—the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP)—to investigate the assassination attempt against Donald Trump, refer violations of state law to the statewide prosecutor’s office for prosecution, and to surge resources to President Trump’s security detail needs in coordination with the former president and the Secret Service.”
Gov. DeSantis was quoted as noting the importance of transparency, saying, “I am assigning this case regarding the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump to the Office of the Statewide Prosecutor.” He added, “I have directed state agencies to move expeditiously and to provide full transparency to the public.”
Similarly, Florida AG Ashley Moody said, “This deranged, would-be assassin broke Florida law, and we will not wait on the federal government to act.” AG Moody added, “Florida is launching its own investigation, and I have directed my statewide prosecutors to assist FDLE and FHP, as we work quickly to uncover the facts behind this latest attempt on President Trump’s life and provide trust and transparency to the American people.”
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Executive Director Dave Kerner spoke as well, saying, “Florida Highway Patrol and our Bureau of Criminal Investigations and Intelligence are committed to finding answers and taking action to ensure those responsible for the attempted assassination of President Trump are held accountable.”
Continuing, Kerner said that the law enforcement teams investigating the matter will be transparent, saying, “We accept this mission with humility and know that with our law enforcement partners, Florida will get to the bottom of this. We will be transparent with the public and hold the suspect accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
When speaking to the press about the matter, Gov. DeSantis said, “In my judgment, it is not in the best interest of our state or of our nation to have the same federal agencies that are seeking to prosecute Donald Trump leading this investigation, especially when the most serious, straightforward offense constitutes a violation of state law, not federal law.”
Watch Gov. DeSantis announce the state investigation here:
Gov. DeSantis also spoke about Trump, saying that he communicated with the former president and had his blessing to launch the state-level investigation. He said, “He was in good spirits. He was complimentary of the state of Florida taking the lead. He thought that was totally appropriate, and he encouraged us to continue doing what we’re doing.”
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video
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