Ryan Routh, charged with trying to assassinate Trump, asks to have charges dropped

Ryan Routh, the antheral accused successful a 2024 assassination effort of Donald Trump astatine a West Palm Beach, Fla. play course, had a national tribunal proceeding Wednesday successful Fort Pierce, Fla. In this record photograph of the Alto Lee Adams Sr. United States Courthouse, attorneys argued respective merits of the lawsuit — including what tin and can't beryllium utilized successful the trial. Joe Raedle/Getty Images hide caption

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Joe Raedle/Getty Images

FORT PIERCE, Fla. — The antheral charged with attempting to assassinate Donald Trump erstwhile helium was moving for president past twelvemonth has asked a justice to disregard immoderate of the charges against him.

Prosecutors accidental Ryan Routh was readying an assassination effort earlier helium was detected by a Secret Service agent astatine Trump's West Palm Beach nine successful September. Routh has pleaded not guilty.

At a proceeding successful national tribunal present connected Wednesday, Routh's defence lawyers argued that 2 of the charges against him should beryllium dismissed due to the fact that they interruption his Second Amendment rights. Routh is accused of illegally owning a firearm arsenic a convicted felon and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number.

Federal nationalist defender Sonia Fahrezi told U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon that caller tribunal decisions show, "The Second Amendment doesn't conscionable use to law-abiding citizens." Routh has 2 anterior felony convictions, including 1 for illegally possessing dynamite. Fahrezi says those convictions should not preclude him from exercising his law close to ain a firearm. And she said, "The lack of a serial fig doesn't region a firearm from the Second Amendment text."

Ryan Routh, shown present being interviewed during a rally successful Kyiv, Ukraine successful 2022, is accused successful the assassination effort of Donald Trump successful 2024 astatine Trump's play people successful West Palm Beach, Fla. Nicolas Garcia/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Nicolas Garcia/AFP via Getty Images

Justice Department authoritative John Shipley said the statute that prohibits felons from possessing firearms is inactive law. And helium said, "A firearm with an obliterated serial fig has nary lawful purpose."

Judge Cannon was appointed by President Trump. She's the aforesaid justice who dismissed charges against the president for mishandling classified documents astatine his location successful Mar-a-Lago.

In summation to the felony weapon counts, Routh faces 3 different charges, including attempting to assassinate a statesmanlike candidate.

Routh has been successful national custody since his apprehension successful September. A Secret Service cause who was portion of Trump's information item says helium saw a weapon tube poking from the histrion enactment a fewer holes up of wherever the then-presidential campaigner was golfing. The cause fired astatine the idiosyncratic holding the gun. A antheral aboriginal identified arsenic Routh fled the country and was arrested a abbreviated clip aboriginal driving northbound connected Interstate-95.

On Wednesday, Routh's lawyers asked Judge Cannon to suppress the grounds of the witnesser who identified their lawsuit arsenic the idiosyncratic who was seen moving from Trump's play club.

Two hours aft the incident, the witness, identified successful tribunal by his initials, TCM, was flown by chopper to a determination connected I-95. Routh's lawyer Renee Sihvola said, helium saw from the chopper the postulation stopped connected the interstate, and was taken by car to a determination wherever helium was presented with a azygous suspect, a handcuffed Routh. The defence says that was "impermissibly suggestive" and created a "substantial likelihood" that helium was misidentified.

Sihvola asked Judge Cannon to bid a proceeding to research however Routh was identified arsenic the idiosyncratic TCM saw moving from the play club. Sihvola said, "The totality of the circumstances suggest it was unreliable."

Prosecutor Christopher Browne told the justice the witness, TCM, was a "good Samaritan" who heard gunshots and made a U-turn successful his conveyance to get a amended look astatine the idiosyncratic helium saw moving from the play club. "There is zero imaginable for misidentification successful this case, "he said.

Prosecutors besides asked the justice to exclude Routh's lawyers from arguing their lawsuit lacked the intelligence oregon carnal capableness to airs a existent menace to Trump.

The SKS-style firearm near astatine the country wasn't fired and had a scope attached to it successful a makeshift mode utilizing electrical tape. Routh's lawyers privation their ain experts to attest connected however good oregon whether it would person worked if fired astatine Trump that day. The justice granted a defence petition to behaviour a live-fire trial of the weapon, but said it could not beryllium tested for scope oregon accuracy.

Routh's proceedings is acceptable to statesman successful September.