Routh readies trial defense for alleged Trump assassination plot

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(The Center Square) – Federal prosecutors on Thursday neared the end of their case in the trial of North Carolina construction worker Ryan Routh, charged with plotting to assassinate then-presidential candidate Donald Trump on his south Florida golf course on Sept. 15, 2024.

One of the final witnesses for the prosecution on Thursday was Randy Walters, an agent with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, who testified that he found improvised firing mechanisms in a storage container that he alleged belonged to Routh.

The agent said he found apparent homemade weapons constructed with rods, pipes, and rat traps in the box, which appeared to be someone "tinkering with different ideas to achieve different results."

The only purpose of the components would be to use them as a weapon, Walters testified.

Routh, who is representing himself, questioned Walters on cross-examination, asking him if it would be illegal to own the components. Walters said most of the components did not break any laws. 

An FBI agent, Nicholas Schnelly, testified that Routh’s alleged spot behind hedges near the gold club made a “good hide,” that would have given a shooter an unobstructed shot to the sixth hole of the golf course.

Federal agents also testified Thursday that the safety on Routh’s rifle was off when a member of Trump’s security detail spotted him. Routh, 59, was later stopped on Interstate 95 in a Nissan Xterra loaded with a mattress, toiletries, clothes and food, police said.

FBI Special Agent Nicholas Schnelle testified Thursday about the Chinese semi-automatic rifle Routh allegedly had on the golf course. On cross-examination, the agent admitted he had not test-fired the weapon.

Routh has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate; possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence; assaulting a federal officer; being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition; and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.

U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon, who is presiding over the trial, has instructed Routh to have witnesses ready to take the stand on Friday.  It is not known whether he will testify in his own defense. 

Trump had survived another assassination two months prior in Butler, Pa. and went on to win the presidential race in November.