The man accused of attempting to assassinate former President Donald Trump at his Florida golf course in September filed a motion Thursday requesting that U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon recuse herself from the case.
Ryan Routh’s legal team raised concerns about Cannon’s impartiality due to her appointment by Trump and the former president’s public praise of her judicial decisions regarding his classified documents case, according to the motion. Routh’s attorneys argued that the unique nature of the case could lead the public to question the fairness of the proceedings.
“Mr. Trump is the current Republican candidate for President in next month’s election. On the campaign trail, he has repeatedly praised Your Honor for her rulings in his case,” the motion stated. “By repeatedly and publicly praising this Court by name for its rulings in his case, Mr. Trump has arguably bolstered the perception that the Court is partial in his favor. Moreover, were Mr. Trump to become President again in the future, he would be in a position to nominate Your Honor to a vacancy on a higher appellate court, including the U.S. Supreme Court.”
BREAKING: Lawyers for Hawaii man accused of attempting to assassinate Trump on Florida golf course, Ryan Routh, ask Judge Aileen Cannon to recuse herself from the criminal case. Doc:https://t.co/pyvseoP0nl
— Josh Gerstein (@joshgerstein) October 17, 2024
The defense highlighted the potential conflict of interest, given Trump’s role as the alleged victim in this case.
“As the alleged victim here, he has a significant stake in the outcome of this case too. Were he to become President in the future, he would have authority to nominate Your Honor to a federal judgeship on a higher court were a vacancy to arise.”
Cannon previously granted former Trump’s motion to dismiss the classified documents case in July, siding with his argument that Special Counsel Jack Smith’s appointment was unconstitutional.
Officials revealed that Routh had been hiding in a bush at Trump International Golf Course when a Secret Service agent spotted his gun barrel and prompted him to flee. Routh was later arrested in Martin County, Florida, with an AK-47-style rifle, ceramic-plated backpacks and a GoPro camera, and prosecutors revealed that cell phone data showed he had been stalking Trump for over a month, frequenting both the golf course and Mar-a-Lago since Aug. 18.
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