Trump Assassination Attempt: New Charges Brought Against Ryan Routh
Facts
- Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, has been charged with the attempted assassination of former US Pres. Donald Trump, according to an indictment returned by a Florida grand jury late on Tuesday.[1][2]
- The indictment also includes possession of a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime and assault of a federal officer. It came after Routh was initially charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.[3][2]
- He was arrested after the muzzle of his rifle was allegedly spotted by a Secret Service agent as the former president was golfing at the Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach, after which the agent fired in his direction and he fled the scene.[2]
- Court documents show the case has been randomly assigned to US District Judge Aileen Cannon — the Florida judge who previously tossed Trump's classified documents case earlier in the year, though this decision is currently under appeal.[4]
- This comes days after the Justice Department, in an attempt to bolster its case, released a letter reportedly written by Routh, in which he purportedly admits to attempting to assassinate Trump and offers $150K for someone else to 'complete the job.'[5][6]
- In the meantime, records from North Carolina show that Routh's son, Oran Alexander, was on Tuesday arrested on child pornography charges. Allegedly, investigators found hundreds of illicit files on SD cards in his possession while probing his father.[7]
Sources: [1]NPR Online News, [2]New York Post, [3]Justice, [4]BBC News, [5]Guardian, [6]Verity and [7]CNN.
Narratives
- Left narrative, as provided by NPR Online News and Washington Post. Political violence, especially against presidential candidates, threatens everything the US stands for. However, for Trump — whose violent rhetoric is unmatched among his opponents — to blame Democrats over this attempt on his life is absurd. As the Justice Department acts in the best interests of the American people by prosecuting this case, the rest of the country must continue to engage in nonviolent, but robust debates over who their next president will be.
- Right narrative, as provided by FOX News and Federalist. What the Biden administration should do now is have its Justice Department, which has routinely shown bias against Trump, hand this case over to state prosecutors so as to avoid conflicts of interest. Unfortunately, this administration is so corrupt that, at the same time it's refusing to provide information regarding the first assassination attempt, it's putting itself in charge of the next investigation.