In the aftermath of the latest near assassination effort of former president Donald Trump, false claims about Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis not handing over the suspect have been circulating on social media.
A post that was originally put on X and later shared to Instagram claimed that the Republican governor did not hand over Ryan Wesley Routh, who was caught before firing at Trump on a Florida golf course earlier this week. The original claim also suggested that DeSantis keeping the “would be assassin” from federal agencies “makes sense” because these groups “probably orchestrated” the attack and should not be spearheading the investigation.
The post was first put on X on September 16, one day after the 58-year-old Routh was caught by the Secret Service. He had been hiding in bushes at Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course, where the politician was playing a few rounds. The suspect was holding a semiautomatic rifle in Trump’s direction, although there were roughly 400 yards between the two. Routh was later charged with illegal firearm possession as a convicted felon and having a gun with an obliterated serial number.
The incident is currently under investigation by federal authorities, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The state of Florida is also conducting its own probe into the matter, which came barely two months after Trump escaped a rally shooting with an ear injury, though others were wounded and two killed, including the shooter.
While some rumors circulate about DeSantis refusing to cooperate with federal law enforcement, the FBI issued a press release on September 15 which did not make any suggestion that this was true. Other reputable reports of the state investigation also made no mention of the suggestion that the governor did not turn over the suspect—a claim far too newsworthy to be overlooked by mainstream media, had it any ground on which to stand.
Additionally, some reputable reports even said the opposite, that the claim was false and has been reported as such. Other details revealed in the FBI press release are that Routh had been outside the West Palm Beach Trump International Golf Club for 12 hours prior to being found and apprehended by a member of the Secret Service.
Routh was found with a loaded gun and a scope. It was also revealed that the suspect has a criminal history of felonies he committed in 2002 and 2010, both in North Carolina. In addition to the FBI, the Secret Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) are investigating the incident.
Although DeSantis was not keeping the suspect away from federal authorities, he did say in a September 19 interview that government agencies are “not being cooperative” as they probe into the matter at the same time that the state of Florida is launching its own investigation.
The governor noted that he is “concerned” about the federal probe, sharing that his state investigators have been “rebuffed” for simply approaching the “fence line outside” of the golf club. DeSantis believes that federal authorities “don’t want” his state to “be involved” in the investigation.
However, the governor—who endorsed Trump’s re-election campaign after suspending his own presidential bid in the GOP primary—pointed out that Routh violated “multiple” state laws, giving his team a “duty to investigate” as well. He also promised to “inform the public” as new information is uncovered about the case and the suspect.
