Ryan Routh: Man Accused of Attempting to Assassinate Donald Trump Pleads Not Guilty
Ryan Routh, who was accused of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump at his Florida golf course, has pleaded not guilty to the charges in a federal court.
According to prosecutors, Ryan Routh, 58, was spotted with a rifle as he hid in the bushes near Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach earlier this month.
A Secret Service officer protecting Donald Trump allegedly spotted his rifle barrel poking through a fence and opened fire. Ryan Routh fled and was later arrested on Interstate 95, a main highway through the state.
In addition to the attempted assassination of Trump, Ryan Routh has been charged with firearms offences and assaulting an officer.
On September 30, Ryan Routh appeared in court handcuffed and wearing a brownish prison jumpsuit, according to CBS News.
After each count was read to him, he shook his head in acknowledgment of the charges.
His attorneys entered a plea of not guilty and requested a trial by jury. The hearing lasted around five minutes.
If convicted, Ryan Routh faces a maximum sentence of life in prison on the assassination charge.
An earlier court filing showed that Ryan Routh had written a note months ago saying he intended to kill the former president.
In a pre-written letter addressed to “The World” and sent to an unnamed witness months earlier, Routh appears to pre-empt a failed assassination attempt on Donald Trump.
“I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster,” the letter reads, with the offer of a cash reward to anyone “who can complete the job”.
Ryan Routh has been held in prison in Florida since his arrest on September 15.
He has a long criminal record, including a felony gun conviction for owning a fully automatic machine gun, and was barred from owning firearms as a result.
He was active in recruiting volunteers to fight in Ukraine’s war against Russia, and had a range of eclectic political views, although he was registered as a Democrat and made anti-Trump posts online.
Ryan Routh’s alleged plot was the second attempt on Trump’s life after Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old armed with an AR-style rifle, opened fire on the former president during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania in July.
Thomas Matthew Crooks was shot dead by counter-snipers.
The Secret Service, the government agency tasked with protecting the president and other politicians and their family members, came under heavy criticism for allowing a gunman to get so close to the former president.
The agency is also responsible for protecting foreign leaders during US visits.