Experts suspicious of DeSantis opening 'parallel' probe of possible Trump shooting attempt

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has assigned state officials to "take the lead" in the investigation into an apparent assassination attempt against Donald Trump, and legal experts are suspicious of his motivations.

The Republican governor expressed skepticism that the federal government will handle the probe appropriately because the FBI and Justice Department are investigating Trump in separate criminal cases, but legal experts were puzzled by DeSantis directing the statewide prosecutor to conduct a parallel investigation, reported the Washington Post.

“There are many examples of state and federal authorities working together on a case, but not many where there is a parallel investigation because the state proclaims that the federal government is compromised,” said Palm Beach state attorney Dave Aronberg. “It is a sad sign of our times that the governor of the third-largest state in the country does not trust the federal prosecutors or federal law enforcement to do the right thing in this case.”

Aronberg questioned the logistics of running a state probe at the same time the feds are investigating the same case.

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“How will the investigators get the evidence in this case?” Aronberg said. “They’re going to have to get it from the same federal investigators and federal prosecutors that they distrust, because the federal investigators are the ones collecting the evidence.”

The FBI's criminal complaint charged 58-year-old Ryan Routh with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, although he might eventually face more serious charges, but DeSantis argued that Florida can pursue harsher crimes, such attempted murder.

“In my judgment, it’s not in the best interest of our state or nation to have the same federal agencies that are seeking to prosecute Donald Trump leading this investigation,” DeSantis said.

Attorney general Ashley Moody, who oversees the statewide prosecutor’s office, insisted the state was not engaged in a "turf war" with the feds but operating on a "dual track," and she agreed with DeSantis that an investigation separate from the FBI and Secret Service was necessary for “trust and transparency.”

“It is awkward, to say the least, to have a prosecutorial agency and an investigatory agency that is bringing charges and seeking to put the victim away for life, being the same agency and prosecutors that are going after the would-be assassin,” Moody said.

But experts questioned how the Routh case met the jurisdictional requirements for the statewide prosecutor, whose office typically investigates cases involving organized crimes that take place across multiple counties.

“This authority enables the statewide prosecutor to pursue criminal enterprises that operate across the geographical borders of multiple judicial circuits and counties, for example, Palm Beach and Broward counties,” said Anthony V. Alfieri, a professor at the University of Miami and director of the law school’s Center for Ethics and Public Service.. “However, it does not give the statewide prosecutor exclusive jurisdiction to prosecute crimes that span multiple counties.”

“At the minimum, it can be seen as an attempt to influence the investigation, thereby breaching the firewall that should separate the law and politics in a democracy,” Alfieri added.

Florida political analyst Aubrey Jewett agreed that DeSantis had politicized the investigation to strengthen his chances for higher office.

“He has had national aspirations. He ran for president and lost to Trump,” said Jewett, a political science professor at the University of Central Florida. “Perhaps this is a way to score some political points with the Republican base.”