Suspect charged in apparent assassination attempt on Trump; he is said to have been lying in wait for almost 12 hours

Ryan Wesley Routh, the suspect in the apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, is said to have lain in wait along the tree line in front of Trump’s golf club for nearly 12 hours, authorities said in a criminal complaint filed Monday.

Routh, 58, was charged with possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number during his first appearance in federal court Monday morning. The investigation into the alleged assassination attempt on Trump on Sunday is ongoing and more charges may be filed, law enforcement officials familiar with the matter told CNN.

The initial charges related to the weapons possession were filed as prosecutors seek to keep Routh in custody while authorities continue to investigate the incident.

Wearing a dark prison gown and shackled at the hands and feet, Routh nodded and answered “yes” to Judge Ryon M. McCabe’s questions.

McCabe concluded that Routh could not afford his own attorney after Routh stated he had “zero money” in his own savings. Kristy Militello, the public defender assigned to Routh’s case, declined to comment after the hearing.

A detention hearing is scheduled for September 23, with arraignment scheduled for September 30. Routh will remain in custody while he awaits trial.

The incident occurred around 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Sunday after a Secret Service agent noticed the muzzle of a rifle sticking out of the fence between the 5th and 6th holes of the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, in a line of trees near a busy road.

Cellphone data suggests Routh may have spent nearly 12 hours on Sunday near the area where he was spotted in the bushes along the grounds of Trump International Golf Club, according to charging documents unsealed Monday. An FBI agent said in a court affidavit that during their initial investigation, authorities obtained phone records from T-Mobile showing Routh’s phone was “near the area” where he was first spotted by the U.S. Secret Service from about 1:59 a.m. ET on Sunday until 1:31 p.m. ET, when a Secret Service agent saw his rifle protruding from a line of trees.

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said the agent fired at the gunman, who officials said was within 500 yards of Trump. Bradshaw said the gunman did not fire any shots and later fled in a car.

Along the fence, authorities discovered a sniper’s nest that contained, among other things, a rifle with a telescopic sight, a GoPro camera and backpacks with ceramic plates.

“This whole affair points to a very high degree of pre-planning,” former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe told CNN.

Bradshaw said a witness saw a man running from the bushes. A man was later arrested in Martin County, about an hour’s drive from Trump’s golf club.

Routh was driving his daughter’s car when he was later arrested, according to a law enforcement source. A photo released by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office after his arrest shows him wearing a long-sleeved salmon-colored shirt and with his hands cuffed behind his back.

Routh remained silent during his arrest, local prosecutor David Aronberg told CNN. Trump’s golf outing was not on his public schedule and it is not yet clear how Routh allegedly knew where Trump was at the time.

Aronberg said Routh will be charged in federal court, not state court. He told MSNBC that Florida initially considered filing charges in state court but backed away from that when federal officials took over the case.

“Delusions”

On social media, Routh has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine, saying he supported Trump in 2016 but later became disillusioned with the former president. Recently, he has frequently criticized Trump.

Routh traveled to Ukraine after Russia’s invasion two years ago and attended a rally in Kyiv on May 1, 2022. Representatives of the Ukrainian Foreign Legion said Routh contacted them several times but distanced himself from Routh.

Oleksandr Shaguri, an officer in the Land Forces Command’s foreigners coordination department, told CNN by phone that “his messages are best described as delusions.”

Routh’s son, Oran Routh, called him a “good father and a great man” in a statement on Sunday.

Aronberg told MSNBC there may be grounds to charge Routh with possession of a firearm as a former felon and aggravated assault against a federal police officer for pointing the rifle at the Secret Service agent. But it may be difficult to charge Routh specifically with a crime against Trump. Aronberg said the distance between Routh and Trump, between 300 and 500 feet, may be too great for the court to be certain that Routh pointed his rifle at Trump.

Instead, Aronberg said, it would be much easier to accuse Routh of aiming at the Secret Service agent who saw the gun barrel pointed at him.

“That is the main witness here and that would perhaps be the most serious allegation,” Aronberg said.

When asked about the possibility of arguing insanity, Aronberg said it would be very difficult because Routh fled the scene, showing that he was aware that his actions were wrong.

“You can explain it by saying the guy is a bit crazy,” Aronberg said, “but that doesn’t mean he’s legally insane. That would be an even greater burden.”

Biden: Secret Service needs “more help”

President Joe Biden wants Congress to give the U.S. intelligence community “more help” following Sunday’s incident.

“Thank God the president is fine,” Biden told reporters Monday morning.

He said that “a complete report is available so far.”

“One thing I want to make clear: (the Secret Service) needs more help, and I think Congress should address their needs if they actually need more troops,” Biden said at the White House shortly before leaving for Delaware and Pennsylvania. “So that’s what we’re going to talk about.”

When asked by CNN’s Kevin Liptak what kind of help they needed, Biden replied, “I think we need more personnel.”

“I think they may need – they decide whether they need more personnel or not,” Biden said.

Personnel problems have plagued the Secret Service for years. Agents and officers report feeling burned out by long hours and long assignments, leading to high turnover.

Then-USSS Director Kim Cheatle told Congress over the summer that the agency currently had 8,000 employees, but the goal was to increase the number to 9,500.

Vice President Kamala Harris said on Sunday: “As we gather the facts, I will be clear: I condemn political violence. We must all do our part to ensure that this incident does not lead to further violence.”

“I am grateful that former President Trump is safe,” she added.

Latest escalation in the bitter election campaign

The alleged assassination attempt on the former president 51 days before the election is the latest escalation in an extremely bitter political campaign that has already included another assassination attempt on Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, in which he was injured. In addition, an Iranian attack on Trump was foiled earlier this year.

Biden and Harris were again forced to denounce political violence. Biden was informed of the assassination attempt on Trump shortly after it was foiled and released a statement saying he was “relieved” that Trump was unharmed and that “there is no place for political violence or violence of any kind in our country.”

In an interview with Fox News on Monday, Trump sought to blame Biden and Harris for the apparent assassination attempt on him, saying, “Their rhetoric is the reason I’m being shot at.”

“He believed the rhetoric of Biden and Harris and acted on it,” Trump said of Routh in an interview with Fox News Digital.

Biden and Harris have both argued that Trump poses a clear threat to U.S. democracy. When Biden launched his now-suspended 2024 campaign, he pointed to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, which Trump incited, and argued that Trump was “willing to sacrifice our democracy and put himself in power.”

Harris argued that Trump was a “threat to our democracy and fundamental freedoms.”

Trump frequently uses inflammatory rhetoric to attack his political rivals, the judges who oversee his criminal cases, prosecutors who have brought charges against him, illegal immigrants, people who do not support his campaign, and others.

Trump has vowed retaliation if he is re-elected and has repeatedly suggested he will use the justice system as a weapon to pursue his political opponents. Trump also recently threatened prosecution and “long-term prison sentences” for election officials and political operatives he believes could commit fraud in the 2024 election.

Harris is scheduled to attend a campaign rally in Washington on Monday afternoon, according to her campaign office. CNN had previously reported that Harris would also attend a roundtable discussion with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters at the union’s headquarters in Washington on Monday.

Trump will appear at the launch of a new cryptocurrency business at his Mar-a-Lago home on Monday evening.

This story has been updated with further developments.

CNN’s Mina Allen, Nikki Carvajal and Kevin Liptak contributed to this report.

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