WUFT-TV/FM | WJUF-FM
1200 Weimer Hall | P.O. Box 118405
Gainesville, FL 32611
(352) 392-5551

A service of the College of Journalism and Communications at the University of Florida.

© 2025 WUFT / Division of Media Properties
News and Public Media for North Central Florida
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
These are the stories from election year 2024 — from local candidates in north central Florida to the state legislature, all the way to the battle for the White House.

Florida Republican politicians doubt integrity of FBI-led investigation into Trump assassination attempt

Byron Donalds, R-FL, speaks to during Florida'a kickoff breakfast during the RNC at the Baird Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin., Monday, July 15, 2024.
(Ashleigh Lucas/WUFT News)
Byron Donalds, R-FL, speaks to during Florida'a kickoff breakfast during the RNC at the Baird Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin., Monday, July 15, 2024.

Notable Florida Republican politicians have cast doubts over the Federal Bureau of Investigations’ ability to fairly investigate the Saturday shooting of former President Donald Trump.

The remarks come after Gov., Ron DeSantis vocalized his distrust on X on Sunday, calling the shooting a “bureaucratic failure.” He suggested the FBI is less trustworthy because of how it classified a 2017 politically charged shooting where six people were shot.

U.S. Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Gainesville, echoed DeSantis’ sentiment questioning calling for increased oversight into the FBI’s investigation. She said the raid of Mar-a-Lago and the mishandled investigation into his sensitive documents were examples of recent errors which lowered the FBI’s authority.

“I have tremendous doubts about their ability to lead a sincere investigation and an effective investigation,” she said.

Last year, in the wake of continuing to pursue charges against Trump, FBI Director Chris Wray defended the agency’s objectivity in front of Congress, saying the FBI has no interest in protecting any political group.

Still, Congressman Byron Donalds of Southwest Florida said there are “real concerns” with how FBI leaders have conducted investigations for over a decade.

Lee County GOP Chairman Michael Thompson said he was immensely skeptical of the FBI’s investigation. He said the Department of Justice’s prosecution of Trump proves the organization has a vendetta against the former president, and therefore Thompson said he doesn’t trust the FBI’s investigation.

“They're part of the collusion network,” Thompson said, “so we don't really give them much respect anymore. You have to earn respect.”

Republican Party of Florida Committeeman Peter Feaman agreed with DeSantis’ concerns and said the House Oversight Committee needs to oversee the FBI’s investigation of the Saturday shooting.

“This was such an egregious failure,” he said, “I think that there needs to be some close scrutiny of the leaders of the Secret Service and the FBI.”

On Monday, the Senate Homeland Security Committee announced it would begin an investigation into Saturday’s security failures. On Sunday, President Biden announced he was conducting an independent investigation into national security at Saturday's rally.

In recent months, the integrity of the FBI has become a partisan talking point. When Ron DeSantis announced his run for office in May 2023, he pledged to fire the FBI director on his first day in office, saying the agency has become “weaponized” against Americans who think like himself. His Sunday comment seemed reminiscent of his anti-FBI campaign rhetoric.

“Biden tells us to trust the bureaucracy to investigate the assassin’s motive,” DeSantis tweeted, “But the feds categorized the crazed, leftist congressional baseball shooter as ‘suicide by cop’ — even though the shooter had a well-documented left-wing political bent.”

Matthew is a reporter for WUFT News who can be reached by calling 352-392-6397 or emailing news@wuft.org.