Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody has filed a lawsuit alleging that the U.S. Department of Justice is unlawfully preventing the state from investigating a suspected assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
The lawsuit, submitted Wednesday in federal court in Fort Pierce against U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, contends that the FBI, a branch of the Department of Justice, has restricted state authorities from determining if the alleged gunman, Ryan Routh, broke state laws.
Routh, 58, was reportedly observed by a U.S. Secret Service agent hiding with a rifle in the bushes near Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, where the former president—currently the Republican presidential nominee—was playing golf.
A Secret Service agent fired at Routh, who fled and was apprehended after a brief car chase. Federal charges have already been filed against him, but Moody’s office argues that a state investigation could result in additional charges, including attempted murder.
“Every day that Florida is prevented from investigating, the state’s case becomes harder to prove at trial,” the lawsuit said. “By contrast, the federal government suffers no injury from Florida investigating state law crimes, as the state has no intention of interfering with or obstructing the federal investigation.”
