On Monday, Ryan Routh, 58, pleaded not guilty on Monday to five federal charges, including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, stemming from an incident on September 15 outside one of Donald Trump’s golf courses in Florida.
During the hearing, Routh appeared handcuffed and dressed in a tan prison jumpsuit. When Judge Reinhart asked if he understood the charges, Routh simply replied, “Yes, your honor.” His defense attorney then formally entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf.
The plea was entered during a hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart, and Routh has been ordered to remain in jail pending his trial.
As per prosecutors, Routh intended to kill Trump while the former president was golfing at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach. Previously, criticized Trump in a self-published book and left a letter months earlier with an associate that referenced an assassination attempt. According to court documents, Routh wrote, “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump, but I failed you.”
Meanwhile, at a prior hearing, Routh’s lawyers suggested that the letter might have been an effort to gain publicity and highlighted his claims of supporting democracy in Ukraine and Taiwan.
But according to prosecutors, Routh positioned himself outside a fence overlooking the sixth hole of the golf course, where authorities discovered an AK-47-style rifle, snacks, a digital camera, and bags containing metal plates designed to withstand return fire from the U.S. Secret Service.
Earlier initially charged with gun-related offenses, Routh was indicted last week on the attempted assassination charge, along with assaulting a federal officer and possessing a firearm in connection with a violent crime.
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