In the wake of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that Florida would conduct its own investigation.
The State of Florida will be conducting its own investigation regarding the attempted assassination at Trump International Golf Club.
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…
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) September 16, 2024
For a second time in two months, a would-be assassin was able to get within shooting range of Trump. The first time, Trump sustained a wound to his ear in Butler, Pa., after Thomas Michael Crooks climbed atop a building in the firing line of the former president and managed to get off several shots before he was shot and killed by Secret Service. One rallygoer was killed, and another was severely wounded in the attack.
Despite the fact that the head of the Secret Service at the time, Kimberly Cheatle, testified before Congress and later resigned, many unanswered questions remain. There’s no indication that anyone within the agency was disciplined or even reprimanded for failing to secure the rally venue and protect Trump.
Related: We Now Know How the Gunman Targeted Trump at His Golf Course
DeSantis is not taking any chances with a second attempt on Trump’s life in Florida.
“The State of Florida will be conducting its own investigation regarding the attempted assassination at Trump International Golf Club,” he posted on Twitter. “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.”
Indeed, the 5th hole of the golf course, where Trump was reportedly putting, is mere feet away from the road, where there was apparently no security posted, enabling the shooter, Ryan Routh, to hide in the bushes.
Here’s the 5th hole at Trump International Golf Club. Look how close those roads are. That’s an easy shot for an assassin with an AK-47 and a scope. pic.twitter.com/vjYW7JhUUh
— Paula Bolyard (@pbolyard) September 15, 2024
Retired Secret Service agent Ken Valentine told Fox News host Trey Gowdy, “An AK-47 is a very special weapon” with a history of being the favorite of Russia and China. “It can wreak a lot of havoc. It is good without a scope with a range of about 400 feet.”
“It’s a big round. If you get hit by an AK, you’re not likely to survive,” he added. Thanks to quick actions by the Secret Service, the shooter “did not get a chance to put specific rounds down range.”
Nevertheless, he concluded, “The Secret Service has been dying on the vine at DHS and moved back to Treasury. ”
In DeSantis’s X post comments, podcaster James David Dickson noted, “Florida was the worst place to attempt this. Florida has regime-independent investigators who will conduct an honest search for truth.”
DeSantis should demand that state investigators be allowed to interview the suspect and examine his social media footprint (which was quickly scrubbed after the shooting) as well as discuss the case with the Secret Service officials.
