Ryan Routh, the man charged with trying to assassinate President Donald Trump in Florida before the 2024 election, is asking to represent himself in his September trial, which prosecutors say Routh wants to turn “into a circus.”
Florida federal trial Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee assigned to Routh’s case, considered the request at a July 10 hearing, but hasn’t issued a ruling. Routh was arrested Sept. 15, 2024, after a Secret Service agent allegedly saw him holding a rifle through a fence at the Trump International Golf Club. Trump was playing on the green about a hole behind Routh’s location.
Federal prosecutors initially brought gun charges against Routh, but later elevated his case with a charge of attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate. Cannon has set aside two weeks starting Sept. 8 for Routh to have a jury trial.
At the July 10 hearing to determine whether Routh’s publicly financed lawyers would be terminated from the case, Routh reaffirmed to Cannon that he wanted to represent himself, according to an order she issued later that day.
Routh, 59, is not a lawyer. He previously worked as a roofer and contractor, and has advocated on social media for Ukraine to get assistance in defending against Russia’s invasion.
Even as she considers his request, Cannon told Routh’s lawyers to stick to their current responsibilities, including responding to a government request to keep certain evidence out of the trial.
That request may become even more important to prosecutors if Routh is speaking and making arguments for himself at his trial.
According to a July 8 motion from prosecutors, “Routh has been very explicit in his desire to turn this trial into a circus where his supposed good character is weighed against the President’s.” They say Routh has given them evidence that he wants jurors to hear that isn’t relevant to whether he committed the alleged crimes.
“He even has provided us with four-decades-old Eagle Scout applications,” prosecutors said in their motion.
Cannon said in her order that if she does allow Routh to represent himself, she will give him a chance to make his own arguments about the prosecution’s motion.
It’s not the first high-profile case for Cannon, who previously dismissed a federal criminal case against Trump over his handling of classified documents. The Justice Department appealed that ruling, but then dropped its prosecution following Trump’s November election victory.
Contributing: Rick Jervis and Will Carless
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Alleged Trump assassin Ryan Routh seeks to represent himself in court
