“The State of Florida will be conducting its own investigation regarding the attempted assassination at Trump International Golf Club,” the former Trump rival wrote on X. “The people deserve the truth about the would be assassin and how he was able to get within 500 yards of the former president and current GOP nominee.” Gov. DeSantis did not specify which authorities he had directed, though it will most likely involve the state police and local police in West Palm Beach, the site of the Trump International Golf Course.
Former President Donald Trump was on the putting green of the fifth hole when Secret Service agents opened fire on Routh after an agent spotted a long gun poking out from a chainlink fence lining the perimeter of the course. Authorities say Routh fled to a black Nissan, leaving behind a GoPro camera and two backpacks. He was apprehended a short time later during a tense standoff with police.
Republicans have responded to the second attempt on Trump’s life with fury. U.S. House Republicans are still in the middle of an investigation into the Secret Service and a July 13th shooting against Trump where he was struck by a rifle round. Twenty-year-old gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks was killed in the ensuing chaos. A bipartisan select committee is being chaired by Reps. Mike Kelly (R-PA) and Jason Crow (D-CO), according to Fox News. Robert Rowe, the Secret Service’s acting director, has previously testified before Congress and provided shocking revelations about the poor morale and lack of advanced technology within the agency. “We are thankful that the former President was not harmed but remain deeply concerned about political violence and condemn it in all of its forms,” the two wrote in a statement following the shooting.
Florida authorities will welcome Rowe to the site of the assassination attempt on Monday as he tours the property. The Secret Service has been candid about the difficulty in protecting President Trump during his trips to the golf course, which is expansive and offers a 360-degree view of the Republican in an open setting. President Joe Biden responded to questions Monday about the poor track record of the clandestine agency. “One thing I want to make clear is: The Service needs more help,” President Biden told reporters this morning, according to the New York Times. “And I think Congress should respond to their need.” Before departing, Biden expressed his thanks that Trump was not harmed. “Thank God the president is OK.” He added that both he and Vice President Kamala Harris would be receiving regular updates during a probe into the shooting.