Florida has filed its first state charges against the man accused of trying to kill President-elect Donald Trump, as state leaders criticize the federal investigation into the incident at his West Palm Beach golf course in September.
The charges against the defendant, Ryan Routh, do not relate to the actions at the edge of Trump’s golf course, where Routh allegedly stood with his gun and a Secret Service agent fired several shots in his direction before fleeing . Instead, state police allege he is responsible for a traffic accident caused by him fleeing the scene, which they say seriously injured a six-year-old girl. He was charged with attempted murder.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody announced the charges Wednesday at a news conference in Stuart, Florida, near where Ryan Routh is being held.
“We felt compelled to seek justice on her and her family’s behalf,” Moody said.
Routh already faces numerous federal charges, including attempted murder of a presidential candidate, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer. He is in federal custody and his lawyers recently said they were considering an insanity defense.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis launched a state investigation into the matter in September with Trump’s blessing. DeSantis was scheduled to appear with Moody at a news conference announcing the charges, along with Dave Kerner, the director of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, but both were placed on house arrest in Tallahassee due to the foggy weather.
DeSantis has said it was common for federal and state law enforcement agencies to work together in such cases, but he also made clear that elected officials in Florida were skeptical that the FBI could be neutral in its investigation against Routh as it investigated Trump in two cases that led to charges against the former and future president.
The pile-on against federal law enforcement continued Wednesday, with Moody blasting federal agents as uncooperative and unwilling to provide state investigators with evidence.
“We offered to be a partner not only to vindicate the crimes that occurred here in our state under our own state laws, but also to provide the assurance and accountability that a trusted, independent partner was part of the process,” she said.
Representatives from the Justice Department and FBI did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Moody sued Attorney General Merrick Garland in October, asking a federal judge to block the agency from blocking the state’s investigation into Routh.
Moody alleged that the Justice Department indicated in a letter that Florida should suspend its investigation, citing a federal law governing the prosecution of crimes against major public figures, which includes a section on federal officials deputizing for local or state investigations until the federal action has ended. The law also states that federal officials can ask government officials for help.
“It was announced that they intended to shut down our investigation and invoke federal jurisdiction,” Moody said Wednesday. “We didn’t think it should be interpreted in the way they suggested.”
Kerner previewed the state’s actions in a recent interview with POLITICO, saying the findings would “go beyond what is apparent to us as regular, everyday citizens in the news.” The six-year-old girl’s injury had not previously been publicly reported.
