A federal grand jury in Miami has indicted Ryan Routh on charges of attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump following a September 15 incident at Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course. The indictment, filed late Tuesday, adds three new charges, including possessing a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime and assaulting a federal officer, specifically the Secret Service agent who discovered Routh during a security sweep at the golf course.
The attempted assassination charge, the most severe, carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. Routh had already been facing charges of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and obliterating a firearm’s serial number.
According to court filings, Routh waited nearly 12 hours outside the perimeter of Trump’s West Palm Beach Golf Club. During a security sweep, a Secret Service agent spotted the barrel of a rifle pointed in the agent’s direction. The agent opened fire, and Routh fled the scene, later captured on a nearby interstate. Authorities claim Routh never fired his weapon. Further investigation revealed that Routh had spent the month before scouting the golf course and Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. Prosecutors also uncovered a letter allegedly written by Routh months earlier, stating his intent to assassinate Trump.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland condemned the attack, stating, “Violence targeting public officials endangers everything our country stands for.” He emphasized that the Department of Justice would use all available resources to hold Routh accountable. Trump’s legal team has argued that the state of Florida should prosecute the case due to alleged conflicts of interest stemming from Trump’s other federal cases. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has echoed this sentiment, calling for state-level prosecution.
The case has been assigned to Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump-appointed federal judge who is also overseeing the former president’s Mar-a-Lago classified documents case. Cannon has drawn significant attention and criticism for her rulings in that case, and the special counsel overseeing it has appealed her previous decisions.
Routh remains in custody as the case proceeds, with federal prosecutors continuing to build their case based on cell phone records, surveillance, and other evidence that allegedly ties him to the planned attack.
A California man has been charged with the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump after authorities say he opened fire near a secured area at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington, D.C., on Saturday. Cole Tomas Allen, 31, was taken into custody after authorities say he tried to... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Justice has indicted former FBI Director James Comey over a social media post that officials claim was interpreted as a threat against President Donald Trump, according to multiple reports. The indictment charges Comey with knowingly making a threat to take the life of and inflict bodily... Read More »
Rihanna was at home with her family when a woman allegedly opened fire outside her Beverly Hills residence earlier this month, according to prosecutors. The suspect, Ivanna Lisette Ortiz, has now pleaded not guilty to multiple felony charges connected to the incident. Ortiz, 35, appeared in a Los Angeles courtroom... Read More »
A Georgia judge has dismissed three additional counts in the election interference case against former President Donald Trump and his allies, though the central racketeering charge remains intact. The ruling brings the total number of charges Trump faces down to eight felony counts from the original 13. Fulton Superior Court... Read More »
He’s “really, really ashamed,” but he’s going to Federal prison for 63 months, the longest sentence yet issued for one of the January 6 Capitol rioters. Of the 700-plus rioters who attempted a coup of the 2020 election results, Robert Scott Palmer, a 54-year old Largo, Florida man was charged... Read More »
