Would-be presidential assassin Ryan Routh has been hit with new state charges in Florida for his September 2024 attempt on Donald Trump’s life.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said his office has finally been granted a warrant and is charging Routh with attempted first-degree murder and terrorism after the Biden administration prevented the state from going ahead with its own investigation and prosecution.
Speaking on Fox and Friends on Thursday, Uthmeier said, “We want a justice system that is willing to pursue justice, no matter what party is in charge. Joe Biden and the Democrats did everything they could to drag their feet and refuse to cooperate with the state of Florida.”
“Under Attorney General Bondi and the Trump administration and our new FBI director, it’s been a breath of fresh air—very different. They’ve been transparent and cooperative,” he added.
Uthmeier went on to say that the federal government has turned over its evidence to his office, and he also promised that more evidence about the assassination attempt would be made public very soon.
Routh is already facing federal charges for attempting to assassinate Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach golf course last September. If convicted, he faces life in prison.
On the morning of 15 September 2024, Routh took up position on the boundary of the Trump International Golf Club with an illegally obtained SKS rifle and lay in wait for the President. He was spotted by Secret Service agents, who opened fire on him. He fled the scene but was later apprehended.
Since his arrest, there has been intense focus on Routh’s activities in and related to Ukraine.
Routh travelled to Ukraine to recruit soldiers to fight the Russians, and at one point attempted to help Afghan refugees travel to Ukraine via Iran for that purpose. He also lobbied for greater US involvement in the war on Capitol Hill.
His animus towards Trump appears to stem largely from Trump’s attitude towards the war.
In a bizarre screed that he self-published on Amazon, Routh called for the assassination of Trump and also blamed him for the failure of the Obama-era nuclear deal with Iran.
It was recently revealed that Routh tried to obtain military weapons from Ukraine to assassinate Donald Trump, including a rocket-propelled grenade or stinger missile system.
According to court documents, Routh told a Ukrainian contact to “send me a or stinger, and I will see what we can do,” before adding, “[Trump] is not good for Ukraine.”
Routh’s trial is scheduled to begin on 8 September.