TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — In defiance of federal prosecutors, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody announced Wednesday that the state has obtained its own arrest warrant for Ryan Routh, the man accused of trying to assassinate Donald Trump this summer on the president-elect’s golf course in West Palm Beach.

Federal prosecutors have already charged Routh, 58, with the attempted assassination of a presidential candidate — and told state officials earlier this year to suspend their parallel investigation into the matter to protect the integrity of the federal case.

But Moody said the state will move forward with its case – which hinges in part on injuries a child sustained in a crash when police shut down Interstate 95 to catch Routh — saying she and Gov. Ron DeSantis believe “it’s within our right to pursue state law charges for state law violations in the state of Florida.”

DeSantis and Moody have repeatedly cast doubt on the Department of Justice’s ability to be fully transparent and honest in their investigation under President Joe Biden, noting that the agency has been prosecuting Trump in Florida and Washington, D.C. Moody reiterated that sentiment on Wednesday, saying the state offered to partner with the federal government in order to provide “assurance” and to be a “trusted independent partner.”

“Rightly so, there were many questions surrounding the agency prosecuting the president-elect and at the same time investigating his attempted murder,” Moody said.

DeSantis was scheduled to appear at the Wednesday news conference announcing Routh’s arrest warrant but was held back by weather. But on social media, he said the federal government “stonewalled Florida’s investigation of the Trump assassination attempt at every turn” and suggested the state’s actions were necessary to achieve justice.

“The tide will turn on January 20th and we fully expect that the federal roadblocks will be removed,” DeSantis said on X, in reference to the date Trump will take the oath of office. “The would-be assassin needs to face the full force of justice and the people deserve the truth about the defendant’s history, motivations and plan.”

Trump has nominated former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi to run the Justice Department. At the press conference Wednesday, Moody said U.S. senators should support her nomination.

“I ask that you fully consider and give deference and merit to these nominations,” said Moody, who is believed to be one of the people considered by DeSantis for a U.S. Senate appointment.

According to Moody, the state’s charge against Routh — who is accused of lurking with a gun for 12 hours near Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach on Sept. 15 — leans on the injuries sustained by a six-year-old girl during a vehicle crash that took place when Routh fled the scene.

Moody said the girl was “seriously injured” when law enforcement stopped traffic in both directions on Interstate 95 in Martin County to apprehend Routh as he tried to get away. Routh’s arrest warrant states that the five-car crash took place 3 or 4 miles south of the suspect’s car. The injured girl had to be cut out of her seatbelt by paramedics and was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, according to the document.

“When you couple those terrible injuries together with his other criminal conduct, which we believe rises to the level of domestic terrorism, it turns his actions into an attempted felony murder case,” Moody said.

The 18-page arrest affidavit, which includes details on Routh’s social media posts, notes that he “intended to commit an act of terrorism by assassinating former U.S. president, and at the time, presidential candidate Donald Trump.”

It says that he had a system of beliefs and a pattern of animosity toward Trump that motivated him. The affidavit said that while he failed to perform his intended crime, he fled from the scene of an attempted act of terrorism, which resulted in harm to a young child.

“Routh’s intentional act of escaping the scene of his attempted act of terrorism could have easily resulted in the death of (redacted), but fortunately did not,” the arrest affidavit states.

Moody noted that Routh is currently held by federal officials on federal charges, but said at some point he would be moved over to face his state charges.

“I expect that there might be some arguments made to the court regarding when that happens,” Moody said.

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