Ryan Wesley Routh, the 58-year-old Hawaii man who was arrested for his alleged role in an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, was formally charged on Tuesday with crimes related to attempting to assassinate a major political candidate.
Court documents show that the Department of Justice is charging Routh with attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
He was previously charged with two other gun charges.
Routh was arrested on September 15 for his involvement in the assassination attempt at a golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, where Trump was playing a round of golf. Secret Service agents spotted the barrel of a rifle poking through the bushes outside the course, and fired shots toward Routh.
Trump, meanwhile, was rushed off to safety.
After Routh was arrested, officials said that he was hiding in a bush outside the Trump International Golf Course.
When agents fired his way, Routh fled. He was eventually arrested in Martin County and was found to have an AK-47-style rifle, a GoPro camera, and two backpacks that had ceramic plates inside.
Prosecutors also said this week that data from Routh’s cellphone indicated he was stalking Trump for more than a month. He was at the golf course as well as Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort starting on August 18.
The indictment says that Routh not only “intentionally” tried to “kill” the former president but also “forcibly assault[ed], oppose[d], impede[d], intimidate[d] and interfere[d] with Secret Service Special Agent #1, an officer and employee of the United States.”
The initial gun charges that were filed against Routh said he “knowingly” possessed “a firearm and ammunition” even though he was previously “convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment,” as well as possessing the firearm that had “the importer’s and manufacturer’s serial number removed, obliterated and altered.”
This week, it was also revealed that Routh’s case will be overseen by Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee who was also named to head up the criminal case against Trump regarding how he allegedly mishandled classified documents.
Cannon has been the center of controversy for her role in that case, which she dismissed.
Special counsel Jack Smith and his team have appealed that decision. They want the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to reverse her decision and also assign a different trial judge to the case, as they believe she shows bias toward Trump.
It’s very possible that Routh tries to have Cannon removed from the case against him, citing her alleged bias toward Trump. Some have suggested that his defense lawyers could use Smith’s appeal and claims against her in the classified documents case to prove that she’s not fit to oversee any case that involves Trump.
And since Trump was the target of Routh’s assassination attempt, he could at least try to claim that he wouldn’t get a fair trial because of what others have said about Cannon.
