Florida sues DOJ for blocking investigation into Trump assassination attempt
State’s attorney general filed complaint after Justice Department told Florida to halt its investigation until the federal inquiry concluded
Florida is suing the Justice Department to stop federal authorities from blocking the state’s investigation into the second attempted assassination of former US president Donald Trump.
On Wednesday, the state’s Republican Attorney General Ashley Moody filed a complaint against Attorney General Merrick Garland after the Justice Department told Florida to temporarily halt its investigation until the federal investigation concluded.
Florida officials were told not to interview witnesses and that they could only cooperate with the federal investigation, the lawsuit says.
Justice Department officials cited the federal law, which says an attempted assassination of a political candidate shall be investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and that state jurisdiction is suspended if the federal government steps in, according to the complaint.
Florida says it is suing to “vindicate its sovereign interest to investigate violations of state law, as delay may impact the outcome of any prosecution”.
The Justice Department declined to comment.
