Ryan Routh, the man charged with trying to kill Donald Trump at his Florida golf club last year, was convicted on five charges, including attempted assassination, assaulting a federal officer and possession of a firearm. Routh could face life in prison when he is sentenced in December. Geoff Bennett discussed the case with David Fischer of the Associated Press.
Geoff Bennett:
Ryan Routh, the man charged with trying to kill then-presidential candidate Donald Trump at his Florida golf club last year, was convicted on all five charges by a jury this afternoon.
The counts include attempted assassination, assaulting a federal officer and possession of a firearm. Routh could face life in prison when he’s sentenced in December.
Reacting to the verdict, President Trump thanked the judge and jury and said Routh was — quote — “an evil man with an evil intention.” And Attorney General Pam Bondi said the prosecution — quote — “illustrates the Department of Justice’s commitment to punishing those who engage in political violence.”
David Fischer has been covering the trial for the Associated Press and joins us now.
David, thanks for making time for us.
So, Routh never fired at President Trump and was stopped before he could. So walk us through how this plot was disrupted and how that fact shapes not only the charges, but the jury’s verdict.
David Fischer, Associated Press:
Yes, so he was camped out along the fence line of Trump’s golf course there in West Palm Beach.
The former president, future president was making his way. He was going from the fifth hole to the sixth hole. The Secret Service was a hole ahead of him. And as they were doing their sweep of the area, one of the Secret Service agents spotted Mr. Routh in the bushes. A confrontation ensued. Mr. Routh ran away while the Secret Service agent fired three or four times at him.
Geoff Bennett:
And as we understand it, he tried to stab himself as the verdict was read. He was quickly restrained. What do we know about that incident and how that behavior could affect his sentencing?
David Fischer:
Yes, so the jurors took about two hours to deliberate before they came back with a guilty verdict on all five counts. As the jurors were being escorted out of the courtroom to leave, Mr. Routh grabbed the pen and began to make a stabbing motion at his neck.
It didn’t look like he punctured the skin. There was no blood or anything, but marshals in the courtroom rushed him almost immediately, grabbed him and took him out. And, at that point, his daughter, who was also in the courtroom, who’s been in the courtroom for the past two weeks, she began yelling first at her father to not do anything, to not hurt himself.
Then she started yelling at presumably the marshals or even the judge not to hurt him, not to do anything. She called the entire trial rigged and that it wasn’t fair and that he never hurt anyone, and then eventually he was escorted out of the courtroom as well.
Geoff Bennett:
And before that moment, I think it’s worth noting that this trial featured an unusually lopsided presentation. Prosecutors called dozens of witnesses, while the defense only called three. And Routh chose to represent himself.
How did that self-representation shape the way the trial unfolded and the evidence that the jury saw?
David Fischer:
Yes, I mean, the prosecutors called a total of 38 witnesses over seven days, I mean, hours and hours of testimony there.
Meanwhile, since Mr. Routh was representing himself, the cross-examinations were relatively short compared to what an experienced attorney might do. And then when it was time for Mr. Routh to present his case, he had three witnesses that took about three hours to get through. One witness was a firearms expert and the other two witnesses were character witnesses.
Geoff Bennett:
And, as we said, sentencing is set for December.
David Fischer with the Associated Press joining us tonight from Fort Pierce, Florida, outside that courthouse, thanks again for your time. We appreciate it.
David Fischer:
Yes, thanks for having me.
