Trump Assassination Attempt Suspect Ryan Routh Pleads Not Guilty
by Ty Roush · ForbesTopline
Ryan Routh on Monday pleaded not guilty to charges he attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump, which carry a potential sentence of life imprisonment, multiple outlets reported, as prosecutors claim Routh wrote a letter discussing his plans to kill Trump months earlier.
Key Facts
Routh, 58, faces one count of attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate, one count of assaulting a federal officer and three federal firearms charges, though he is not accused of firing a shot at Trump.
Prosecutors claim Routh delivered a letter to an unnamed witness months before attempting to kill Trump, which read: “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I failed you,” adding, “I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster.”
The handwritten letter also offered $150,000 to “whomever can complete the job.”
Routh’s attorneys argued at a hearing last week the letter was likely an attempt by Routh to gain publicity, which he hoped to gain while promoting democracy in Ukraine and Taiwan, Reuters reported.
The case has been assigned to Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump-appointed judge who oversaw and subsequently dismissed the federal criminal classified documents case against the former president.
Key Background
Police in Palm Beach County, Florida, said a Secret Service agent fired at a man hiding in the shrubbery at Trump International Golf Club on Sept. 15. Prosecutors said a man then fled from the scene after shots were fired, leaving behind an AK-47-style rifle with a scope and other supplies. Routh, whom prosecutors claim spent nearly 12 hours in hiding at the golf course, was later arrested along a Florida highway. Investigators said they found a handwritten list of dates in August, September and October in his car, which included locations Trump appeared or was scheduled to appear. Prosecutors said Routh did not fire a shot and never had a clear line to shoot in the incident—the second assassination attempt on Trump in as many months.
Tangent
Oran Routh, Ryan’s son, was arrested last week on federal charges of possessing child pornography. Investigators with the FBI said they found “hundreds” of files containing child pornography in a search of Oran Routh’s home, which they reportedly conducted as part of an investigation into Ryan Routh. He is scheduled to appear in court for a detention hearing on Tuesday, according to court documents.