DeSantis Gives Update on Trump Assassination Attempt

… Senate by Broward County. Also, the state of Florida has jurisdiction over the most serious, straightforward offense, which is attempted murder. I’ve directed state agencies to move expeditiously and to provide full transparency to the public. In my judgment, it’s not in the best interest of our state or our nation to have the same federal agencies that are seeking to prosecute Donald Trump leading this investigation, especially when the most serious straightforward offense constitutes a violation of state law but not federal law. In addition to holding the suspect accountable, the public deserves to know the truth about how this assassination came to be, and I have directed all state agencies to work expeditiously to be able to uncover the truth in addition to holding this suspect accountable. We are going to hear from some folks that will be involved in this, starting with our Attorney General, Ashley Moody.

Thank you, Governor. Thank you. For all who are joining us today, I’m Ashley Moody. I’m the Attorney General of the great state of Florida. Really proud, as always, to stand with a leader like Governor DeSantis, who always appears to meet the moment, whatever that may be, whatever challenge may be upon us. And he’s certainly not one to sit on his hands, and today is another demonstration of that incredible leadership characteristic.

(01:34)
I think America right now and Florida citizens are very hungry for leadership. This is unprecedented, to have this much focus on a presidential nominee with the type of rhetoric and threats coming out of the mouths of so many people. And I’ll just say it was really disappointing to hear the President say that President Trump should be put in a bullseye just days before we saw the first assassination attempt, and then weeks later at the DNC say that that threat was still very much alive, and now again, in under 30 days, another assassination attempt.

(02:20)
And so what I think people are hungry for is leadership. They don’t want somebody to come out and say, “Secret Service needs to tell us what they need, and Congress should do something about it.” It may very well be that more resources need to be dedicated to Secret Service, but leadership is about strategy. It’s about implementing a plan. It’s about determining where your gaps are, your deficiencies, and filling those in.

(02:47)
I mean, look no further than our governor when we were hit by a major catastrophe like Ian, our hurricane, and he didn’t say, “Somebody give them money,” and he didn’t say, “You do this.” He built a bridge in three days. He got it done. I told him that’s what he should have ran on when he ran for re-election. That was it. The motto should have been, “A bridge in three days.”

(03:10)
And so what we need is the President to acknowledge that the agencies, not just Secret Service, but DHS, in which it is housed, are under his purview. That is what the people elected him to be: our commander-in-chief and the head of an executive branch, which is made up of agencies. And that means when something happens and goes wrong, you are in the details and you are formulating a plan, and it may not always be just about money. It’s about leadership. And right now, the American people need to know we’re on this.

(03:47)
Sometimes, states have the ability and the jurisdiction to bring charges and go after maximum penalties that maybe the Federal Government does not. And that doesn’t mean it’s a turf war. Somebody asked me about that before. It is very common for state investigators, state prosecutors, to work with our federal prosecutors and federal agents on dual tracks with different purposes.

(04:13)
And we may have different charges here, and that’s why with Governor DeSantis’s leadership, I am proud that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Florida Highway Patrol will be looking into and investigating what happened when something went terribly wrong, when someone was allowed to remain on the periphery of a golf course in a tree line for 12 hours and get within 500 feet of the President of the United States.

(04:42)
We also need trust and transparency, and that’s why I’m very proud of the state of Florida for stepping up, and this governor for stepping up and delivering that to Floridians and the American people. 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. And so we’re happy to make sure that the American people and Floridians feel confident that we’re protecting one of our own, that we’re investigating this to leave no stone unturned, and that is to protect the life of the once and potentially future President of the United States, Donald Trump. So thank you, Governor DeSantis, for trusting us and our agencies with this important work.

Great. Okay. Mark Glass, FDLE.

Good morning. I’m Mark Glass, the Commissioner for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and first, I want to thank Governor DeSantis for his steadfast leadership of this great state. And I also want you to know that within just hours after this heinous attempt on former President Donald Trump, Governor DeSantis took action and directed state law enforcement to find the truth, to hunt for the truth, and that’s what we’re doing. We’re hunting.

(06:22)
Florida is a law-and-order state, and we will not sit idly by while anybody stonewalls information-sharing amongst our law-enforcement entities. We know that if we want answers, we got to go get them. And our proud law enforcement officers and deputies are out there doing that, and we are happy to do that for this great state. Additionally, Florida law enforcement is very fortunate to have Attorney General Moody and her prosecutors to help us with finding that truth and her office of statewide prosecution is an essential partner in our quest for justice.

(07:02)
Let me be clear on this one. Acts of domestic terrorism such as attempted assassinations are unacceptable, and we will not stand for that in Florida. The men and women of Florida law-enforcement agencies throughout our great state are working day and night tirelessly to uncover and fight for the truth. The people of Florida deserve answers, and Governor, we will deliver those answers to you. Thank you.

Thank you. Okay. Palm Beach County zone Commissioner of the Department of Highway Safety Motor Vehicles Director, Dave Kerner.

Thank you Governor, and it is good to be back in Palm Beach County. Unfortunate circumstances. My name is Dave Kerner, and in my capacity as executive director, I have operational control of the Florida Highway Patrol, and we take this assignment, Governor, with deep gratitude to be part of this important investigation. As an agency, we’re cognizant of the gravity of the now two attempts on the life of a former United States president and current nominee for President of the United States of America.

(08:19)
Regarding the direction by Governor DeSantis that state troopers participate in the state-level criminal investigation into this assassination attempt, there are fundamental questions that must be answered and acted upon. There is at least one person, and perhaps more, that needs to be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. The experience of the Florida Highway Patrol and their Bureau of Criminal Investigations and Intelligence accepts this mission with humility and a very specific promise. That promise recognizes that effective law enforcement is based upon the foundation of interagency and intergovernmental cooperation in the investigation. We go into

… to this investigation with our partners in FDLE and the Sheriff of Palm Beach County and Martin County. Candidly, with the promise of the exchange of information on both sides, we make that commitment. However, Governor, our promise is that if the higher-ups in the federal government refuse to provide the light of transparency, then we will fight in the shade. The people of Florida, the United States have a right to be served by a government of candor, honesty, and action. And I’m confident that we will bring you and the people of Florida those answers, no matter the manner in which we uncover them. We will do everything that we can. I know Commissioner Glass and his special agents and our troopers are fully prepared for this mission.

(09:47)
A law and order is not merely a concept. It is a way of life that requires constant effort and attention. And our Governor has never wavered from that commitment. To the sheriffs of Palm Beach County, Sheriff Bradshaw and Sheriff Snyder of Martin County, we look forward to working in this investigation in a cooperative manner. Thank you very much, Governor.

Okay. I will now hear from Palm Beach County Sheriff, Ric Bradshaw.

Thank you, Governor. Thank you, Governor. The Governor’s entirely correct. We need to prosecute this guy to the fullest extent. I think that’s the prosecutor’s side of you coming out, but we also need to make sure that all of the details that went into planning this were sufficient. And if they weren’t, adjust. That’s how you get better at what you do. You have to critique and have after action reports. We work great with FDLE. I know the Commissioner. My commitment to him and the Governor is to provide all the resources and information that he needs to do his investigation and get this prosecution where it needs to be. And my commitment to the Secret Service… I met with the director yesterday and my commitment to them was, “When you decide the level of security that you need, I will provide all the resources necessary to make that happen.”

(11:20)
Right now at Mar-a-Lago, it’s the highest level that it could be. It’s the same level as what he was the president. And I can almost assure you that when he travels or if he goes to play golf again, things will probably change. But my commitment to him is, and I talked to him on the phone about this, I will make sure that my resources are dedicated to the Secret Service to keep him safe. But thank you, Governor, for doing this. I think it’s going to be great information and let’s prosecute this guy. I know General Moody will. Let’s prosecute this guy and put him away so he doesn’t get back out. Thank you.

Apparently the suspect fled in the bushes when the Secret Service was shooting at him, jumped into a car. Diligent citizen recorded the plates, they got the word out, and Martin County Sheriff’s department was able to apprehend him very quickly. And so there’s a chance that would’ve never happened. He could have gotten away. So great job from Martin County. And here is the Sheriff, Bill Snyder.

Thank you, Governor. How gracious! I’m going to be the shortest speaker up here. I just want to say this and weigh in on behalf of the men and women of law enforcement. Notwithstanding some of the political machinations that will go on, the navel-gazing, the hand wringing, and all of that, I want to tell you something. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s office is one of the best sheriff’s offices in the state of Florida. And Ric Bradshaw is one of the best sheriffs in the state of Florida. I will stake my reputation on it.

(13:14)
I will say this and then I will sit down. Cops are the best people in the world, and I would follow into hell and come back any Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputy that wishes to engage. They have my support a hundred percent. We were honored to find that suspect before he got away. But Governor, I’m here to tell you there’s not a police officer, deputy sheriff, state trooper, Secret Service agent, or FBI agent that wouldn’t have done the same exact thing we did. Cops or the best people in the world. God bless you, fellas. God bless you. Thank you, Governor.

Well, thank you, Sheriff. We have a strong interest in the state of Florida of bringing this suspect to justice to the fullest extent of the law. The state of Florida has the appropriate jurisdiction to be able to do that, to be able to bring appropriate charges that will lead to appropriate punishment. And I look forward to the investigation and I look forward to them moving very quickly to hold this suspect accountable and to provide answers to the people, the state of Florida, and to the American people. So thanks to everybody that has stepped up in these days since the attempted assassination occurred, and we will provide whatever resources are needed to be able to ensure that this investigation goes swiftly and that we’re able to bring the suspect to justice thoroughly. And with that, I’m happy to take some questions. Yep?

So yesterday the agency said that plans for President Trump’s safety are working [inaudible 00:15:04]

Well, I look forward to what this investigation in the state will entail. One thing that I will say is when Donald Trump was president, I played golf with him at Trump International in West Palm Beach, great golf course. And when I played with him there, there was a lot of security. There was dogs sweeping the holes before and after. There was a big buffer. I don’t know how many golf carts were traveling, so there was clearly a lot of security. But the one thing I noticed is that when you get into that fifth hole, jails on the left, the green is in front, and then South Congress Ave is right beyond that where the tee box for the six hole and the six hole is basically all on that fence line and then the seven tee boxes is on the fence line. And so just me as playing partner, as a Governor, just thinking about it, I was like, “That is the soft underbelly from a security perspective. You can’t not notice that when you’re on that golf course.”

(16:02)
And so I think there’ll be questions to ask. Clearly the former president has said that he’s very grateful for the Secret Service engaging this guy and preempting him from being able to take off a shot. And so we’ll see how it was that this guy was able to burrow himself in the bushes for apparently 12 hours and how that came to happen. And I don’t have the answer to that. Perhaps our investigation will be able to do, but as soon as I heard news, there was a little bit confusion. Maybe there was two different people shooting at each other that didn’t involve Trump. Then it was like, “No, Trump was the intended target.” As soon as that was clear, I was like, “I know exactly where on that golf course that would’ve been,” because that is really the obvious weak point.

Some of the nitty-gritty [inaudible 00:16:49] that you were bringing in a statewide attorney-

Statewide prosecutor, that’s correct. The Office of Statewide Prosecutor under the supervision of Attorney General Moody, that statewide prosecutor has jurisdiction when somebody commits offenses across multiple jurisdictions. And so we know there were offenses. We have probable cause for offenses in Palm Beach and Martin, and we also think maybe Broward. And so all three of those counties are part of three distinct judicial circuits. So the statewide prosecutor does have jurisdiction to do, and that’s there. And here’s the thing, you have a responsibility in law enforcement and as a prosecutor to hold people accountable to the fullest extent of the law. It would be one thing to hand off to the Feds if somehow they had more significant crimes that they could pursue. That doesn’t seem that that’s the case as of now. Clearly, if… And the FBI has admitted that this was an attempted assassination. You have that jurisdictional hook at the state level for by far the most serious offense.

I think this is an offense that should merit a life in prison. If we’re not going to go to the fullest extent of the law, you’re lowering the threshold of which someone in the future may try to do something like this. I think it’s really important for the people of Florida, but also for our country, that we pursue the most serious charges that are on the books to hold this guy accountable and to say you’re going to do a couple gun charges, that is not going to be sufficient to do it.

(18:32)
They clearly have jurisdiction in the statewide prosecutor, we have a very strong interest in holding this suspect accountable to the fullest extent of the law, and we are in a better position in the state of Florida to be able to provide answers to the public.

(18:47)
I think back about what happened in Las Vegas back six, seven years ago. We never got any answers about that. I think back about what happened in Butler, Pennsylvania, we’ve not gotten very many answers about that. I think that that really erodes public confidence, and I think the Florida agencies working from local on up have an opportunity to do a thorough investigation and then to provide the truth about what’s happening or what happened and how this came to be. People deserve the truth, so I think that there’s two really significant interests; holding him accountable and then delivering the truth about how this could have happened.

[foreign language 00:19:37].

It’s not a question of casting doubt. I’m going to answer you.

Let me ask you a question, sir. How was your doubt about the federal government any different than state or a county level prosecutor who is looking for someone, and that person became a [inaudible 00:19:54]? How is that any different?

For a couple reasons. One, the federal government does not have jurisdiction to bring an attempted murder charge. If you look at the federal statute, it applies to current federal officials and-

Sorry, sir, I’m talking about why-

Okay, I’m explaining to you why that’s happening, if you let me finish. They don’t have jurisdiction over a case that’s not a federal official or is an apparent winner of a presidential election or the formally declared president-elect. Right then and there, we have the ability to pursue potentially life in prison under state law.

(20:32)
That’s a huge reason why we should move forward at the state level than that. It is the case that you have a situation where these charges that were brought in this jurisdiction, Southern District of Florida, by the federal government, they were dismissed by a federal judge and now they’re on appeal trying to get those reinstated. They have a right to do that, but I would note to you, it was Merrick Garland who assigned a special counsel because he said there was a political issue and they wanted to appear to be above it. He was the one that did that.

(21:06)
There really was no true conflict if these were normal crimes, you could have done it, but they did a special counsel. If you did a special counsel for that, wouldn’t those same concerns animate whether you’re the appropriate jurisdiction? They cannot pursue charges to the extent we can, and yes, I do think that there’s a lot of concern about how these agencies have operated and state of Florida, for us, all we’re interested in is the truth. We’re not involved in any of those other things that the Justice Department or FBI have been involved in. It’s better for the public and it’s better for justice.

Why can’t-

Next. Yes, sir.

[inaudible 00:21:52]?

That’s what the investigation I think will show. Some people say how would he have known to be there? But I think those of you who’ve covered the former president when he is at Mar-a-Lago on the weekends, that is the number one place he goes. It isn’t like this was like a one in a million chance. On the other hand, this guy went at night and it was not on any schedule that this was going to happen, it was more of a last minute thing.

(22:23)
I don’t even know that the club is open yet. I think they opened in October. I know, in fact, I was talking with them a week or two ago, they did a lot of overseating. I think the course is going to be in really good shape and he’s like, “You got to come down and see it.” But I don’t think it’s even open for the members yet, so why would he have chosen now to burrow in to that? I don’t know the answer to that question. Our folks are going to look to see, and here’s the thing, I’m not interested in trying to blame this person or that person. It’s okay, let’s just get the facts, let’s put it out for the public, let’s figure out what…

(22:55)
This guy, you look at his rap sheet, you look at the things he’s been involved in, this guy had red flags. I know he’s been looked at by federal law enforcement. How the heck did it end up where he’s in West Palm Beach in those bushes? That’s apart from the prosecution. People deserve the truth about that, they need to know his associations, they need to know his motivations, his ideology, and our guys are doing it.

(23:23)
In fact, as soon as this happened, when I said investigate, I said save the social media because what they do, Facebook will take it down and try to hide it. FDLE saved all the social media and they’ve been doing that type of research, so I think it needs to be done. I have no preconceived notions on this. They’re going to do it, but they’re going to do a thorough job and I think produce answers that people have confidence in. Yes?

[inaudible 00:23:50] have you spoken to the former president since this incident?

I have.

[inaudible 00:23:57]?

One, he was in good spirits. He did remark that on that sixth hole, I think he was in pretty good shape for a potential birdie. If you know the former president, that matters a lot to him when you’re talking about this. I told him a couple of weeks ago, I said, “The number one thing I got from the Biden debate was people said you were very reserved, except when Biden claimed he had a six handicap, then you just wouldn’t accept that because you knew it wasn’t true,” and it isn’t true.

(24:25)
He was in good spirits, but he was complimentary of the state of Florida taking the lead. He thought that was totally appropriate and he encouraged us to continue doing what we’re doing. Clearly, we have an interest in doing this apart from anything else, but it was great that he sees the need for what we’re doing and that we’re going to move forward. Yes, sir?

[inaudible 00:24:48] justice department and the FBI?

Here’s the issue-

[inaudible 00:24:58]?

They are trying to prosecute him in the Southern District of Florida. That’s just a fact. Just think about that. You have an agency, they’re prosecuting him in two different jurisdictions right now. They’re prosecuting him in Southern Florida that’s on appeal to the 11th Circuit, they’re also prosecuting in the District of Columbia for the January 6th stuff. These are two major cases that these agencies are involved with.

(25:21)
The question is given that, and there’s a lot of people that have a lot of issues with those prosecutions, as you well know. It’s not like these are prosecutions that the American people have rallied behind, it has divided this country in big ways. The question is you have those prosecutions, do we honestly think these agencies are the best to turn around and do this investigation on a potential assassin that some of them may or may not want to be held accountable for if there was something they could have done better with security?

(25:57)
I don’t know what all went into the federal stuff, but man, don’t you want to clean slate? Don’t you want to have investigative agencies that are just going to pursue this without any other agenda creeping in, without there being any cause for concern about any impartiality? By the way, that can bring the most serious, readily provable offense under state law, not under federal law.

(26:23)
This is the right thing to do for justice, and I think justice means holding the perpetrator accountable to the full extent of the law, but justice also means making sure we get the unvarnished truth. We haven’t gotten the unvarnished truth about Butler, Pennsylvania. That’s just a fact. We never got really any truth about Las Vegas when that happened, and so I think people are used to the federal agencies taking control things and then no answers happening. We don’t want that to happen in this case. That’s not appropriate to happen in this case, especially when the state of Florida has multiple

… multiple grounds with which to pursue charges against this individual.

[inaudible 00:27:04].

What?

[inaudible 00:27:04] state investigation will reveal that the federal investigation may not?

I think what we’ll… What we’ll reveal I think is the important thing. What the state does is going to be made public. If you guys know who are from Florida, you can FOIA a lot of the stuff that’s done in these investigations under Florida Sunshine laws, and then they have a charge to be very frank and exercise candor with the public. I want the information to get out, I do not want any of the information kept under wraps. We were not a party to anything that happened in terms of the state of Florida government. We have been asked to help in the past on security, and we’re always willing to do that, but that wasn’t our primary. We were not responsible for it that day.

(27:56)
We’ve not been responsible for any of the prosecutions that have been brought against the former president. we’re in a great situation to be able to look at this with clear eyes, get answers, and then deliver those answers to the public. I don’t think anyone can honestly claim that the federal government has been forthright and transparent about its past investigations. That’s just the reality. That’s just how these guys operate. Apart from any type of political bias, that’s how it’s been really for many, many years. That’s not how it’s going to be here. And so, we’ll cooperate with all agency or all levels of government because I think that some of those gun charges may appropriate to bring, but not to the exclusion of bringing a charge for something like attempted murder.

[inaudible 00:28:38] the investigation?

How often will my… Look, I don’t know that it’s necessarily going to be my office. I think it’s going to be the statewide prosecutor. I think the Attorney General’s office, the agencies themselves will be doing it. I think as most of you know who cover Florida, the governor’s not directing investigations on a day by day basis. There are times when we’ve authorized investigations, whether it was the Epstein, whether it was the school security, whether it’s the legal immigration, whether it’s some of the COVID stuff. And we’ve convened statewide grand juries, we’ve done things. But on a day-to-day basis, that’s going to be under the purview of the folks who are in these offices. And I would imagine they would want to provide updates as much as they can when there’s good information to do that.

Talk about violation from multiple initial circuits, including Broward County possibly. Does he have a connection to [inaudible 00:29:37]?

I don’t know if he has a connection, but I think if you look there was… Was it expired tags or stolen tags? Yeah. So there may be something with the tags that involve a Broward nexus. They’re still working on that, it hasn’t been fully confirmed. But we know two counties for two different judicial orders, it may be a third as well. You don’t need three. If you have multiple, that’s enough, and you can do that for statewide prosecutor. But it very well may be three. And I think most people in Florida know Broward is a separate judicial circuit from Palm Beach. And Palm Beach is separate from Martin and some of the surrounding counties. Yes, ma’am.

You talk about the investigation, is the investigation state review different in the FBI, or is it more about transparency?

I think it’s both. I think that we have jurisdiction under state law to pursue an investigation and prosecution under the most serious, readily provable offense, which would be attempted murder. Which would carry a maximum sentence of life in prison. The federal government does not have that jurisdiction. If Donald Trump were president right now, they could. If Donald Trump were to be elected in November and something like this happened after that, then they could prior to him taking office. But now as a former president, he’s not a federal official under the statute. And for whatever reason, there’s actually law saying you can’t issue a threat against a presidential party nominee, but there’s nothing saying that you can’t assassinate under federal law.

(31:12)
And I think that why that came to be, I don’t know, but that is the law. So if they tried to bring an attempted murder charge under federal law, I don’t think it would work. I think it would get thrown out for lack of jurisdiction. So we have the jurisdiction that’s more appropriate. And yes, we will also be more transparent. You can’t do investigation in Florida and be less transparent than them just given our public record laws. And so, folks will be able to submit requests for things that are done. Some of that stuff, it gets out that maybe an investigatory perspective isn’t always the best, but that’s basically where we are.

(31:48)
It is going to be transparent. I think it’s important that people get answers. I don’t like talking to folks when they have all these questions about things that have happened in the past. And it’s one thing if someone provides an investigation and provides an explanation, but if it’s just basically a black hole… And this guy was in Ukraine, this guy was given interviews to the New York Times. This guy was doing a lot of stuff. He’s got a rap sheet. He’s recruiting people to go fight there. He is talking about Taiwan. Man, we need answers on this. Yes, sir.

[inaudible 00:32:22].

Of course I’m concerned. We have a climate right now which is not healthy for this country. And this has happened, I think it’s gotten worse over many, many different years. But we are where we are. And I think the security is, of course, paramount. But the reality is, in 330 million people, you’re always going to have people that are nut jobs. And that’s why you have security here at Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. That’s why we have it in the state capitol. But in this situation, I think it’s heightened. I don’t think that there’s anybody that’s in office or running for office that has the commensurate levels of threats that have been directed at former President Donald Trump. I think that’s just a fact. And to have two attempts within a two-month period. I know that I’m thinking that happened to Gerald Ford back in the 70s, but that’s not something that’s happened very often in the history of our country.

[inaudible 00:33:27].

Mark Glass and the rest of the team are working with them. The reality is, is we have a duty to pursue the most serious offense available. And I don’t know that you’d want to stand in the way of that happening. So we’re going to do it, they’re going to work collaboratively with the feds. But as Commissioner Kerner said, if this is not going to be something that’s going to be transparent from there, we’re going to work hard to behind the scenes to be able to get the information to the public. I feel that this is pretty straightforward violation of state law potentially. That, of course, they have to investigate and prove it up and they have to get the charges filed and agreed to, to go forward. But I think that they can do that.

(34:19)
But I just think if you get a couple gun charges, not that those are de minimis, but that is not the same. There’s people that have gun charges in this country every single day across every single federal district in this country. To have somebody that’s waiting in the bushes with a long gun trying to take out a former president of the United States and current GOP nominee, that is not something that can be taken lightly. And if we do anything but go the fullest extent of the law on this, then I think we’re sending a signal that maybe this isn’t that bad, and that’s unacceptable. So we’re going to go fullest extent of the law. I have confidence in Attorney General Moody and her team to be able to get the job done. And so, we’ll have more information as the investigation unfolds. And if it does lead, which I hope it will lead to appropriate charges, those will be pursued at the appropriate time. Thanks, everybody.

[inaudible 00:35:20].