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"It's best I walk alone": Man accused of attempting to kill Trump prepares for his trial

A man accused of trying to assassinate President Donald Trump at his Florida Golf Course last year began his trial Monday. Facing the possibility of life imprisonment, he chose to fire his legal counsel and defend himself. Ryan Routh faces five charges, including attempted assassination. Prosecutors claimed he concealed himself near the sixth hole of Trump International Golf Club, West Palm Beach with a rifle in order to shoot Trump in the final campaign weeks of 2024.

According to court documents, a U.S. Secret Service Agent spotted Routh in the treeline and fired, prompting Routh flee before he could fire a shot.

Routh has denied all of the charges.

The jury selection in the federal court in Fort Pierce began on Monday. It is expected that the trial will provide a detailed account about what prosecutors claim was a second attempt to take Trump's own life within a two-month period. The gunman who shot Trump in the ear in the first attack was killed on the spot. The test will also be how far Routh can take the proceedings to express his views. Routh is a roofing contractor who has a long history of advocating for fragile democracies such as Ukraine and Taiwan.

Aileen Cannon of the U.S. district court, who oversees the case in question, rejected Routh’s proposed questions for prospective jurors on Monday, calling them “very off base” and irrelevant to proceedings. Cannon stated that the questions included inquiries about pro-Palestinian activism by students and Trump's support of a U.S. invasion of Greenland.

Routh, who fired his public defenders team in July, has used court documents to suggest a "beatdown" session with Trump. He also floated the idea of trading himself for an Iranian or Chinese prisoner and tried unsuccessfully to introduce expert testimony about his "narcissism."

Routh will be presenting evidence in his own name, despite the fact that he has no formal training as a lawyer. He is also expected to make opening and closing remarks, interview witnesses, and question them. Two of his former attorneys will be "standby counsel" and ready to give advice when needed.

Routh wrote to Cannon that it was absurd to think that a stranger who knows nothing about me could speak for me. "It's best I walk alone."

TRUMP APPOINTEE Cannon was also in charge of the criminal case that accused Trump of illegally retaining classified documents. She received widespread criticism and attention for her decision to dismiss the case last year based on the finding that the lead prosecution was illegally appointed.

Legal experts say that criminal defendants are entitled to self-representation. However, Routh's gambit adds a new element of uncertainty and risk into the trial.

"If his only goal is to get acquitted then his chances will probably go down," said Erica Hashimoto a Georgetown University law professor who has studied the self-representation of criminal cases. If he wants to achieve something else by going to court, representing himself could be the best way to accomplish that.

Routh has tried to show the jury that he is not violent by citing his previous writings in which he defended persecuted people and the "common person."

Routh, in a 2023 self-published memoir, wrote that he had voted for Trump back in 2016 but was no longer a fan. He viewed the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 as part of an international assault on democracy.

Routh's ability to make political or ideological arguments during trial will be severely limited. Both the prosecution and defense agreed in advance that Routh could not argue that his actions were justified or necessary.

Cannon has already ruled some of his previous writings are not admissible as evidence. In a recent court order, she warned Routh against using witnesses' testimony as "a tool for calculated chaos."

The prosecution plans to show at least one letter Routh allegedly wrote. The letter, addressed to "Dear World," and allegedly left in a box with an acquaintance several months before the incident begins: "This was an assassination try on Donald Trump. I'm sorry I failed."

The prosecution will need to prove that Routh had both the intention to kill Trump, and also took significant steps towards doing so.

The prosecution alleges that on September 15, 2024 Routh built a "sniper’s nest" with a SKS style rifle and 20 rounds of ammunition, as well as ballistic plates to protect him.

Prosecutors have stated that at the time Routh was spotted by the Secret Service, Trump was only a few hundred feet away, near the fifth green of the course. He would have reached the sixth green in about 15 minutes. (Reporting and editing by Scott Malone; David Gregorio, Marguerita Choy, Scott Malone)

(source: Reuters)