Prosecutors charged Ryan Wesley Routh on Tuesday with the attempted assassination of a prominent presidential candidate, alleging that he spent hours outside Donald Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach on September 15, armed with a rifle and aiming it through a chain-link fence toward a hole where Trump was expected to arrive.
According to prosecutors, Routh had been “stalking” Trump in Florida for over a month, with cell phone data indicating he was present at both the golf course and Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate on several occasions between August 18 and his arrest.
Initially, Routh faced two gun-related charges: one for altering a firearm’s serial number and another for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon while the investigation was ongoing.
Judge Aileen Cannon, who was appointed by Trump and previously dismissed the federal classified documents case against him, has been randomly assigned to oversee Routh’s case, as per court documents.
In addition to the initial charges, Routh is also accused of possessing a firearm in connection with a violent crime and assaulting a federal officer, which includes allegations of intimidating a Secret Service agent.
Routh’s arraignment is set for Monday.
Attorney General Merrick Garland condemned the attempted assassination as a “heinous act” during a news conference related to an antitrust lawsuit against Visa. He expressed relief that Trump is safe and assured that the Justice Department would use all available resources to ensure accountability.
Garland also mentioned that new information regarding the alleged assassination attempt had recently come to light and was included in the court records for Routh’s detention hearing.
In response to Trump’s claim that the federal government mishandled the investigation and should allow Florida to manage the case, Garland stated that the Justice Department would seek to collaborate with Florida state officials as permitted by law.
