The trial over Trump’s attempted assassination when he played golf in South Florida last year is scheduled to begin Monday, where the man accused of planning a political hit is expected to defend his own lawsuit.
Defendant Ryan Rouse faces five criminal charges, including an attempted assassination of a presidential candidate. If convicted, he could face life sentence. He pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors say he pushed the muzzle of his rifle through the boundary of Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach near the sixth hole almost a year ago after 12 hours of piling. An agent from the Secret Service saw him and fired him, and he ran away without firing a shot.
The dynamics of the case shifted sharply as Routh fired his official defender and defendant provided the case with a series of unconventional resolutions.
After suing for the exchange of prisoners with North Korea or other US enemies, he suggested this week that his lawsuit should be decided by a round of golf with Trump.
“He can execute me, I can get his job,” Rous wrote in a typewriting letter that sloppyly paraded the president.
Federal prosecutors have already warned that Rous has already made a move to limit what he can say at trial, and that otherwise the court may try to mislead the ju judges to believe he is “hiding” the evidence.
At Tuesday’s hearing, US District Judge Eileen Cannon said that the country might use the podium while he spoke to the ju umpire, but warned him of moving the court to Shirley.
“If a sudden move occurs, Marshall will take swift action to take decisive and swift action,” the judge said according to the Associated Press.
Cannon will oversee the trial that will take place in court in Fort Pierce, Florida. Cannon, who was appointed to the bench by Trump in 2020, oversaw his classification document criminal prosecution and regularly won Trump’s praise. The case was dismissed after his election victory.
Before Routh fired his official defender, they asked for a denial from Cannon’s case, but she declined.
On Monday, the lawyers begin questioning the ju judge. This is a process that is expected to take three days for the parties to search for 12 ju apprentices and four alternatives to hear the case. The opening statement is scheduled to begin Thursday, and prosecutors will then jump into their case against Routh.
North Carolina native Routh was indicted last September. The incident comes just two months after Trump was bloodied in another assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Unlike the Butler Shooter, who was shot and killed by Secret Service snipers within seconds, law enforcement arrested Rouse after being found driving on Interstate 95 in the county just north of Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach.
The government has listed four dozen witnesses who may testify at trial, consisting primarily of law enforcement officers from the FBI, Secret Service and Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.
According to the FBI affidavit, after Routh escaped from the scene, the agent found two bags. When stopped by law enforcement in a nearby county, Louth asserted that he knew why he was being stopped, the affidavit said.
According to the government’s 33-page exhibit list, prosecutors can show a photo of a Routh carrying a weapon from the same model, along with a semi-automatic rifle found at a Trump golf club.
The exhibit list is also included in dozens of Routh internet searches, from how to buy guns and how long the clothing is left, to the response times for the Secret Service to assassination plots and Trump campaign schedules.
Routh’s own exhibition and witness list focuses more on his character. This is an effort to speak to his intentions and defense that he is not a dangerous man.
He proposed an exhibition showing that he became an Eagle Scout 45 years ago. Mid-2000s efforts to support my son’s lobby for a new skate park in the town of North Carolina. The local police then awarded him the “Oscar of Law Enforcement” in 1991, calling him “The Best Citizen.”
However, it also includes Routh’s “Dear World” letter, in which the prosecutor also tries to show the jury. Cannon allowed the introduction of the first three sentences, but still doesn’t control the rest.
“Dear World, this was an attempt to assassinate Donald Trump, and I am very sorry that I failed to you,” reads the suspicious letter. “I did my best and gave all the gulls I could come together. It’s up to you now to finish the job. And I’ll give $150,000 to anyone who can complete the job.”
Cannon has already confirmed the four character witnesses and testified in Lous’ case, but she said it appears to “produce suspicious value” in his defense.
The judge also allowed Routh to call the stands to push back anticipated expert testimony from the government, including an FBI employee who investigated Routh’s rifle.
Routh attempted to summon several other witnesses, including Trump himself.
The judge cut off four weeks for the trial, but prosecutors say they expect time to be shorter.
The Associated Press contributed.
