A defendant accused of plotting to assassinate former President Donald Trump filed a 24-person witness list that included Trump himself, a pro-Palestinian activist and several academics, but a federal judge has barred most of those potential witnesses as untimely.
Ryan Routh, 59, who is representing himself at the federal trial in Fort Pierce, Florida, submitted the witness list on Sept. 2. Judge Aileen Cannon denied most of the requests at a hearing last week, characterizing the bid as "untimely and insufficient," but she said she would allow a small number of friends and family members to testify on Routh's behalf.
Prosecutors say Routh was armed with an SKS assault rifle and was spotted in the bushes outside the driving range at Trump International West Palm Beach on Sept. 15 of last year. A Secret Service agent opened fire, prosecutors say, and Routh fled the scene. He was arrested shortly afterward and has pleaded not guilty to five federal charges related to the alleged plot. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison.
The witness list — described by court filings as containing numerous typographical errors — named a wide array of people Routh sought to call, including Trump; pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil; Columbia University affiliate and Yale professor Jason Stanley; Routh's son, Oran Routh; and several academics and student activists. The list also referenced a Secret Service agent identified by initials, R.F., and included an unusual notation next to those initials: "At fence fired shots … wanted me to spank/slap ass and I — refused; I will not spank, choke or pull hair-NO."
Cannon has already limited the scope of what Routh may present and has warned him that he must comply with courtroom procedures. At a hearing, she blocked Routh from asking prospective jurors unusual and, in her view, irrelevant questions, such as their views on the United States taking over Greenland, pro-Palestinian student activism, and hypothetical responses to a turtle crossing the road.
Prosecutors have submitted their own witness list and plan to call agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Secret Service and the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office to testify about the events leading to Routh's arrest, investigations and any evidence gathered at the scene.
Routh dismissed his legal team earlier this summer and has since filed a string of unconventional motions and requests. Court filings and public documents show he has questioned why his case would not be eligible for the death penalty, sought to be traded in a prisoner exchange with foreign groups, and proposed a challenge to Trump to a speculative "game of golf to the death" in which he said the loser would face execution or loss of office. Cannon has repeatedly admonished him to follow legal rules and standards.
Jury selection began this week in the U.S. District Court in Fort Pierce. Wednesday marked the third day of voir dire, and opening statements were scheduled to begin Thursday. The trial is expected to last roughly three weeks.
Routh has been detained since his arrest. Court filings indicate his son, Oran Routh, was arrested on separate child pornography charges after the father's arrest. The judge has allowed limited family testimony but otherwise curtailed Routh's broader attempt to put forward witnesses and themes the court deemed untimely or irrelevant to the charges.
Observers said the trial will center on testimony from law enforcement and forensic evidence about Routh's presence at the golf course, the discovery of the weapon, and the interactions that led to his capture. The government must prove beyond a reasonable doubt the elements of the charged offenses; Routh's defense strategy and claims remain constrained by the judge's rulings on witness and evidence disclosures.
The case has drawn national attention because of the target and the circumstances of the alleged plot. Cannon has emphasized courtroom decorum and adherence to evidentiary rules as the proceedings move forward, and jurors will be instructed by the court on the legal standards that apply to the charges they will consider.