TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida filed a lawsuit Wednesday to stop the U.S. Department of Justice from blocking a state investigation into the second assassination attempt on Donald Trump.
Just two days after the assassination attempt in Palm Beach County, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order on Sept. 17 to launch a state-level investigation.
"Almost immediately, however, federal officials began taking steps to halt the State's investigation," the lawsuit against U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland says.
Florida officials were told to not interview witnesses and that they could only cooperate with the federal investigation, the lawsuit says. Justice Department officials cited the federal law, which says an attempted assassination of a political candidate shall be investigated by the FBI and that state jurisdiction is suspended if the federal government steps in, according to the complaint.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said federal officials told state investigators they must suspend their criminal investigation into the assassination attempt because of a statute in the law being used to prosecute the suspect, Ryan Routh.
Read the full lawsuit below:
Moody said under the provision, Florida can't do its own investigation until the federal prosecution is over.
The Florida attorney general claims that the directive violates the 10th Amendment, which protects state governments from federal overreach.
"The State of Florida has been clear that a dual-track investigation would be in the best interest of all parties involved," Moody said in a statement. "It is not lost on us that the American people have concerns about federal agencies exclusively handling this matter while simultaneously investigating and attempting to prosecute President Trump. Given that the Department of Justice is preventing our independent investigation from proceeding, we filed suit to ensure that Florida can take appropriate action to enforce its laws."
Florida says it's suing to "vindicate its sovereign interest to investigate violations of state law, as delay may impact the outcome of any prosecution."
Routh, who was arrested shortly after the incident by Martin County deputies along Interstate 95, faces federal charges including attempted assassination of a presidential candidate.
He has not been charged in state court and has pleaded not guilty.
The Department of Justice declined to comment on Florida's lawsuit.
Prosecutors have said that Routh outlined his plans to kill Trump in a handwritten note months before his arrest. Routh's note referred to his actions as a failed "assassination attempt on Donald Trump" and offered $150,000 for anyone who could "finish the job." That note was in a box that Routh had apparently dropped off at the home of an unidentified witness months before his arrest.
Routh is scheduled to go on trial in Fort Pierce in February.
The incident came two months after Trump was shot and wounded in the ear in an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. The Secret Service has acknowledged failings leading up to that shooting but has said that security worked as it should have to thwart the attempted attack in Florida.
