Topline
Federal officials filed a charge of attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate against Ryan W. Routh, the suspected would-be assassin of former President Donald Trump who already faced federal gun charges over the incident, multiple outlets reported Tuesday.
Ryan Routh holds a banner and shouts slogans during a demonstration in support of Mariupol defenders … [+] on May 3, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Key Facts
Officials have said they believe Routh camped out at the Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sept. 15 and was planning to shoot Trump before his gun was spotted by Secret Service agents who opened fire at him, causing him to flee and eventually be detained.
Earlier this week, prosecutors alleged Routh left a witness a letter months before the incident that read “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I failed you.”
The case was randomly assigned to Judge Aileen Cannon, the Trump-appointed judge who oversaw—and dismissed—the federal criminal classified documents case against Trump, CNN first reported.
Officials also reportedly brought two new charges against Routh on Tuesday—possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and assaulting a federal officer—in addition to the previous gun charges of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of firearm with an obliterated serial number.
This story is breaking and will be updated.
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Key Background
Routh was arrested on Sept. 15 after allegedly fleeing the area of the golf course where he had camped out. After a Secret Service agent saw his gun and opened fire, a witness saw Routh get into a car and drive away, and the witness then told that information to law enforcement—Routh was arrested about 45 minutes later. Officials later said they did not believe Routh had Trump in his line of sight or fired his gun, but said he was able to get between 300 and 500 yards from the president with an AK-47 style rifle with a scope. The incident was the second attempt on Trump’s life since July, when a gunman opened fire at a Trump rally and hit the former president in the ear, killed one person and injured two others. Routh is a native of California who suggested that he supported Trump in 2016 but changed to support President Joe Biden in 2020 and was a staunch supporter of Ukraine.
Chief Critic
On Monday, Trump accused the FBI and Department of Justice of “mishandling and downplaying” the investigation into Routh, saying in a statement posted to Truth Social that the charges Routh faced at that point were “a slap on the wrist.”
What To Watch For
ABC News reported Routh is expected to be arraigned on the charges next week.
Further Reading
CNNMan charged with attempted assassination of Trump at Florida golf course as case is assigned to Judge Aileen Cannon | CNN PoliticsABC NewsFederal prosecutors charge Ryan Routh with attempted assassination of Donald Trump
ForbesSuspect In Trump Attempted Assassination Charged With 2 Gun Counts In Federal CourtBy Mary Whitfill RoeloffsForbesTrump Accuses DOJ Of ‘Downplaying’ Second Assassination AttemptBy Molly BohannonForbesTrump Assassination Attempt Suspect Will Remain In Custody Without Bail, Judge Says—As Feds Allege He Left A Letter About Killing TrumpBy Ty Roush
