US Charges Ryan Routh with Attempted Assassination of Donald Trump

U.S. federal prosecutors announced that the man accused of stalking former President Donald Trump for a month and aiming his rifle through a fence at Trump’s private golf course on September 15 has been indicted for the attempted assassination of a political candidate.

The Justice Department stated that a federal grand jury in Miami returned an indictment late Tuesday, September 24, charging Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, with attempting to kill the GOP presidential nominee while at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida.

“Violence targeting public officials endangers everything our country stands for, and the Department of Justice will use every available tool to hold Ryan Routh accountable for the attempted assassination of former President Trump charged in the indictment,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.

“The Justice Department will not tolerate violence that strikes at the heart of our democracy, and we will find and hold accountable those who perpetrate it. This must stop,” Garland said.

The maximum penalty for the attempted assassination charge is a life sentence, and Routh is currently in pretrial detention.

The case is overseen by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who previously dismissed criminal charges against Trump related to the alleged illegal retention of classified documents after his presidency. Cannon was appointed to the federal bench by Trump.

Prosecutors revealed that Routh stalked Trump for a month, tracking events where Trump would be present, and wrote a note offering $150,000 to anyone who could “finish the job,” according to court filings.

This marks the second assassination attempt against Trump, following the first incident in Butler, Pennsylvania, where he sustained an injury to his ear. He was unharmed at his Florida golf club.

Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe confirmed that Routh did not fire his weapon; the gunshots heard were from a Secret Service agent who spotted part of Routh’s gun protruding from the chain-link fence and fired immediately.

Routh has also been charged with possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and for obliterating the serial number on a firearm, according to court records. With these charges, he faces up to 20 years in prison.