After Botched Assassination Attempt, Trump’s Would-Be Attacker Seeks Legal Counsel
Ryan Routh, the man convicted of attempting to assassinate former President Donald Trump last year, has changed course in his legal strategy. Routh, who represented himself for much of his trial, has now requested that the court appoint an attorney to represent him during his sentencing.
The sentencing hearing, originally scheduled for this week, has been postponed to early February to accommodate Routh’s request. The judge granted the request.
Last September, the courtroom was thrown into disarray when the jury found Routh guilty on all charges related to his failed attempt to kill Trump, who was then a presidential candidate. The charges also included other firearm-related offenses.
Following the guilty verdict, Routh attempted to harm himself in the courtroom.
U.S. Marshals intervened, restrained him, and removed him from the room.
In the same motion requesting legal counsel, Routh also offered to be part of a prisoner swap for another inmate held overseas and said that Trump could “take out his frustrations on my face.”
“Just a quarter of an inch further back and we all would not have to deal with all of this mess forwards, but I always fail at everything, par for the course,” Routh stated.
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon criticized Routh’s comments when she granted him an attorney. Even though the judge criticized the defendant’s request, she granted it because she prefers that defendants have lawyers.
Cannon approved Routh’s wishes following two hearings in July. Criminal defendants have the right to represent themselves in court proceedings, as long as they can show a judge they are able to waive their right to be defended by an attorney.
Prosecutors said that Routh spent months planning the assassination. He visited the area many times before positioning himself with a semi-automatic rifle hidden in the bushes along the fence line. He waited there for nearly 12 hours for Trump to come into view while golfing at his Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach on September 15, 2024.
A U.S. Secret Service agent testified that he spotted Routh and the barrel of his rifle pointed directly at him before Trump came into view. When Routh aimed the weapon at the agent, the agent fired several rounds, causing Routh to drop the rifle and run away.
