Although 58-year-old Ryan Routh was quickly identified and arrested following the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump on September 15 in West Palm Beach, Florida, he was initially only charged with firearms violations.
NEW: Fox has identified suspect in recent Trump assassination attempt, according to law enforcement sources
Attempted Trump assassin Ryan Routh smiles and laughs at his first court appearance
The first charges against Routh were possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. However, more charges were expected to be filed, and now They were.
Federal prosecutors have officially charged Ryan Routh with attempted murder of former President Trump.
The aggravated charges reflect the Justice Department’s assessment that he systematically planned the Republican candidate’s assassination by aiming a rifle through the bushes surrounding Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach while he was playing, according to the Associated Press.
In a opinion On Tuesday afternoon, the U.S. Department of Justice announced the verdict that a grand jury in a federal court in Miami had indicted Routh for the attempted murder of the former president:
A grand jury in federal court in Miami behind schedule this afternoon indicted Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, of Hawaii, on charges of attempted murder of former President Donald J. Trump on September 15 at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida.
“Violence against public officials threatens everything our country stands for, and the Department of Justice will use every tool available to hold Ryan Routh accountable for the attempted murder of former President Trump as charged in the indictment,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Department of Justice will not tolerate violence that strikes at the heart of our democracy, and we will find and hold those who perpetrate it accountable. This must stop.”
“This alleged assassination attempt on the former president on his golf course was a direct attack on our democracy. Political violence has no place in this country – not then, not now, not ever,” said Assistant Attorney General Lisa Monaco. “Today’s charges reflect the Department’s continued determination to use every tool available to ensure the safety of public officials and to hold those who target public officials accountable to the fullest extent possible under the law.”
“Routh is charged with attempted murder of a presidential candidate, which strikes at the core of our democratic system,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “The FBI continues its investigation into this alleged plot and will use its full weight and resources to uncover and provide as much information as possible about what led to the events in West Palm Beach. In our country, we must hold people who use violence accountable.”
In an additional – and some would say ironic – twist, Routh’s case was reported by CNN assigned to Judge Aileen Cannon, the same U.S. District Court judge who is presiding over the classified documents case brought by the U.S. Department of Justice against Trump. (Cannon’s name is on the indictment, which can be viewed below – the preliminary hearing was conducted by Judge Ryon McCabe.)
The indictment includes five charges against Routh:
- Attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate (18 USC § 351(c))
- Possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence (18 USC § 924(c)(1)(A)(ii))
- Assault on a federal officer (18 USC §§ 111(a)(1) and (b))
- Felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition (18 USC § 922(g)(1))
- Possession of a firearm with an obscured serial number (18 USC § 922(k))
Routh – Indictment – 9/24/24 from Susan Moore on Scribd
