When wannabe assassin Ryan Wesley Routh was originally arrested a short distance from Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago golf resort, he was charged with illegal weapons violations, which sounded about right considering what he had clearly done. (Or, more appropriately, what he didn't actually do.) But the next day, the Secret Service upped the ante considerably, adding charges of attempted assassination That was a major step up in both the seriousness of the charges and the potential punishment he could receive. Today, Routh appeared in court to be arraigned and his attorney entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf. But will those charges stick? Or is this case about to take yet another bizarre twist? (NY Post)
Would-be Donald Trump assassin Ryan Wesley Routh pleaded not guilty to charges related to his alleged attempt to take the former president’s life while Trump was golfing in Florida earlier this month.
Routh, 58, appeared in federal court in Fort Pierce, Fla., Monday on fresh charges accusing him of lying in wait for 12 hours in the hedges of Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach with an assault rifle on Sept. 15.
Routh — handcuffed and wearing tan jail clothes — took his glasses on and off during the short hearing as Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart asked if he understood the charges he faced.
“Yes, your honor,” Routh said, before his lawyer entered the not guilty plea on his behalf.
To be clear, there is virtually no question that the Secret Service has the right guy in custody. He did almost everything imaginable to create an airtight case against himself. He was spotted at the scene of the potential crime and the weapons were obviously ones that he brought with him. He penned a letter declaring what he did to be "an assassination attempt on Donald Trump's life." He even wrote a letter admitting to everything an apologizing for having "failed you."
But now let's look at what Routh didn't do. He never fired at shot at Trump or anyone else. If fact, he was the one who was shot at. He never even obtained a clear line-of-sight to attempt a shot. He didn't really even resist arrest. It was a dangerous and potentially deadly situation to be sure, but he didn't get around to actually making the attempt. So how is the court supposed to make that charge stick?
In the charging documents, Routh is accused of "lying in wait for for 12 hours" looking for Trump. Yes, that speaks to intent, but plenty of Trump fans have waited longer to catch a glimpse of him in person. He was charged with possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. But - again - the crime does not appear to have been committed. He was also hit with a charge of possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Now that, at least, is an actual crime. But it's a comparatively low-level charge when compared with the attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate.
I'm not here to act as some sort of cheerleader for Routh, but this is a serious matter and the rule of law must be followed. In their rush to land some sort of serious charge against Routh, the court may wind up opening the door to him laughing his way straight out of his handcuffs and into a major book deal. And if he manages that, it will simply be one more black eye for the Secret Service, a group that is already facing serious scrutiny regarding other recent shortcomings.
