Law enforcement officials collaborate at the crime scene outside the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Fla., on September 16, 2024, following the attempted assassination of then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Ryan Routh is charged in this situation and has a federal court hearing scheduled for Tuesday in Fort Pierce, Fla.
Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images
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Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images
FORT PIERCE, Fla. — The individual accused of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump during his presidential campaign last year is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.
According to prosecutors, a Secret Service agent noticed Ryan Routh with a rifle and fired at him while Trump was on the golf course at his West Palm Beach club in September.
Routh is facing five federal charges. The focus of the hearing will be on the semi-automatic SKS-style rifle that authorities allege Routh intended to use in his assassination attempt. Law enforcement discovered the rifle in what they termed a “sniper’s nest” near the perimeter of Trump’s golf club. Routh has entered a not guilty plea.
A federal agent part of Trump’s security detail reported seeing a gun barrel emerging from the treeline while Trump was golfing a few holes away. The agent discharged his weapon at the individual holding the gun. Routh fled but was apprehended shortly thereafter while driving north on Interstate 95.
Routh’s public defenders are requesting U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon to allow them access to the rifle, as they wish for a defense expert to assess and test-fire the firearm. The weapon found at the scene had a scope affixed to it using electrical tape. Routh’s legal team is seeking their own experts to testify regarding the rifle’s functionality and effectiveness should it have been fired at Trump that day.
Prosecutors assert there is no doubt regarding the rifle’s functionality. An FBI weapons expert successfully test-fired the rifle subsequent to its seizure as evidence. However, they argue that the important matter at hand is Routh’s perceived intent to kill then-Presidential candidate Donald Trump. Whether there was inadequate planning, issues with the firearm, or other factors preventing the attack cannot be used as a defense, they assert.
Routh’s legal team contends that if they are denied access to the firearm, they would request the exclusion of any expert testimony related to it during the trial. These issues will be evaluated by Judge Cannon in the Tuesday hearing.
In addition to the attempted assassination of a presidential candidate, Routh faces four additional counts, including violations of federal weapons laws. Recent filings by the prosecutors introduce new details for consideration during the trial, including messages from Routh’s phone that suggest he attempted to purchase a 50-caliber rifle and a rocket launcher. They assert this serves as additional evidence of his intent. The defense has yet to respond to this new evidence as noted in the court documents.
Routh’s trial is scheduled to commence in September. The presiding judge for this case, Aileen Cannon, also oversaw Trump’s trial regarding classified documents pursued by Special Counsel Jack Smith. Cannon, appointed to the federal bench during Trump’s first term, ultimately dismissed the case related to accusations of Trump mishandling classified documents at Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
