A federal judge ruled Thursday that the man charged with trying to assassinate President Donald Trump last year at a golf course in South Florida can represent himself during his trial. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon signed off on a request from the suspect, Ryan Routh, asking to represent himself during his trial. Cannon however added that court-appointed attorneys need to remain as standby counsel. The move comes after federal public defenders had asked to be taken off the case earlier this week, saying Routh had refused repeated attempts to meet with them.
Routh, 59, is scheduled to stand trial in September, a year after prosecutors say a U.S. Secret Service agent thwarted his attempt to shoot Mr. Trump as he played golf at Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach, FL. Prosecutors say that Routh methodically plotted to kill Mr. Trump for weeks before aiming a rifle through the shrubbery as Mr. Trump played golf on Sept. 15. A Secret Service agent spotted Routh before Mr. Trump came into view. Officials said Routh aimed his rifle at the agent, who opened fire, causing Routh to drop his weapon and flee without firing a shot. According to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, Routh was armed with an AK-47-style rifle and was allegedly 300-500 yards away from Mr. Trump when the Secret Service agent spotted his rifle in the tree line.
In a June 29 letter to Judge Cannon, Routh said that he and his attorneys were “a million miles apart” and that they were refusing to answer his questions. He also suggested in the same letter that he could be used in a prisoner exchange with Iran, China, North Korea or Russia: “I could die being of some use and save all this court mess, but no one acts; perhaps you have the power to trade me away,” he wrote.
The federal public defender’s office filed a motion for termination of appointment of counsel on Wednesday, saying “the attorney-client relationship is irreconcilably broken,” and that Routh refused six attempts to meet with their team, including a scheduled in-person meeting Tuesday morning at the federal detention center in Miami: “It is clear that Mr. Routh wishes to represent himself, and he is within his Constitutional rights to make such a demand,” the motion said.
Routh has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer and several firearm violations. He has also pleaded not guilty to state charges of terrorism and attempted murder.
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