Trump shooting suspect Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, is charged with attempted assassination
The man accused of attempting to assassinate former President Donald Trump at his Florida golf course earlier this month has been indicted on federal charges.
Ryan Routh, 58, was charged with the murder in federal court Tuesday morning, just over a week after the botched assassination of the prominent political candidate.
He previously faced two weapons-related charges after police said he stabbed a gun through a fence at Trump’s West Palm Beach golf club, where he is now on trial.
The charges were filed during the defendant’s second day in court, after the Justice Department asked a grand jury on Monday to approve the more serious charge of attempted murder, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
He was previously sentenced to 20 years in prison after keeping the two-term president-elect under surveillance for 12 hours, federal authorities said.
Ryan Routh, 58, faced the charges in federal court Tuesday morning, a little more than a week after the political candidate’s botched assassination. A sketch of Routh in a federal courthouse in West Palm Beach this week can be seen here
He already faced two weapons-related charges after officers said he stabbed a gun through a fence at Trump’s West Palm Beach golf club, where he is now being tried.
“Violence directed against government officials endangers everything our country stands for, and the Department of Justice will use all available resources to [Routh] responsible for the attempted murder,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said of the updated indictment.
“The Department of Justice will not tolerate violence that strikes at the heart of our democracy, and we will seek out and hold accountable those who commit such violence.
“This has to stop.”
Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco released her own statement, describing the suspect’s alleged actions as “a direct attack on our democracy.”
“Political violence has no place in this country — not then, not now, and never,” she said in a press release on Tuesday afternoon.
“Today’s charges reflect the Department’s continued determination to use all available resources to ensure the safety of government officials and to hold accountable those who target government officials, within the limits of the law.”
FBI Director Christopher Wray also responded to the development, noting in his own statement that the accusation of murder against a presidential candidate “strikes at the heart of our democratic system.”
“The FBI continues our investigation into this alleged conspiracy and will use the full scope and resources of the FBI to uncover and provide as much information as possible about what led up to the events in West Palm Beach,” Wray said.
‘In our country we must hold people who use violence accountable.’
This story is still developing. Check back for updates.