The man accused of attempting to assassinate former President Donald Trump on his Florida golf course earlier this month has been indicted on federal charges.
Ryan Routh, 58, was hit with the charge in federal court Tuesday morning, a little over a week removed from the failed assassination on the prominent political candidate.
He had already been facing two gun-related charges after cops said he pointed a rifle through a fence at Trump’s golf club in West Palm Beach, where he is now being tried.
The indictment came during the suspect’s second day in court, after the Justice Department asked a grand jury on Monday to approve the more serious attempted assassination charge, which carries a max sentence of life in prison.
Routh previously faced 20 years, after staking out the aspiring two-term president for 12 hours, feds said.
Ryan Routh, 58, was hit with the charge in federal court Tuesday morning, a little over a week removed from the failed assassination on the political candidate. A sketch of Routh in federal court in West Palm Beach this week is seen here
He had already been facing two gun-related charges after cops said he pointed a rifle through a fence at Trump’s golf club in West Palm Beach, where he is now being tried
‘Violence targeting public officials endangers everything our country stands for, and the Department of Justice will use every available tool to hold [Routh] accountable for the attempted assassination,’ said AG Merrick Garland of the updated indictment.
‘The Justice Department will not tolerate violence that strikes at the heart of our democracy, and we will find and hold accountable those who perpetrate it.
‘This must stop.’
Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco issued her own statement, in which she painted the suspect’s alleged actions as ‘a direct attack on our democracy.
‘Political violence has no place in this country – not then, not now, not ever,’ she said in a press release Tuesday afternoon.
‘The charges today reflect the Department’s continued resolve to deploy every available resource to ensure public officials remain safe and to hold accountable those who target public officials to the fullest extent of the law.’
FBI Director Christopher Wray also responded to the development, remarking in his own statement how the charge of assassinating a presidential candidate ‘strikes at the very heart of our democratic system.’
‘The FBI is continuing our investigation into this alleged plot and will use the full weight and resources of the FBI to uncover and provide as much information as possible about what led to the events in West Palm Beach,’ Wray said.
Routh previously faced 20 years after staking out the aspiring two-term president for 12 hours. He now faces life in federal prison, as Trump continued to campaign in Georgia Tuesday
‘In our country, we have to hold accountable people who resort to violence.’
As the charge was announced, Trump continued to campaign in Georgia Tuesday, speaking at the Johnny Mercer Theatre Civic Center in Savannah.
This story is developing; please check back for updates.
