The trial for the man accused of attempting to assassinate former President Donald Trump last month has been set for November.
Federal judge Aileen Cannon scheduled the trial for November 18 to take place in Fort Pierce, Florida, according to Reuters. Cannon announced the trial date on Wednesday, the day after 58-year-old Ryan Routh pleaded not guilty to attempted assassination and four other charges. The latest slate of charges came in addition to two earlier gun charges filed against Routh.
Routh pleaded not guilty to five federal charges on Tuesday: attempted assassination of a presidential candidate, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, assaulting a federal officer, felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. He could face a maximum penalty of life in prison if found guilty.
“Routh is charged with attempted assassination of a presidential candidate, which strikes at the very heart of our democratic system,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement when the charges were announced. “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. In our country, we have to hold accountable people who resort to violence.”
Routh was arrested on September 15 after a Secret Service agent saw a rifle barrel sticking out of a bush on the border of Trump’s Florida golf club. The former president was golfing at the time, but had not yet made it as far as the snipers nest on the course. Secret Service agents opened fire on the gunman, causing him to flee.
Routh was apprehended by law enforcement after a witness saw him take off in a black Nissan Xterra, prosecutors said. Law enforcement searched Routh’s vehicle and found “a handwritten list of dates in August, September, and October and venues where the former President had appeared or was expected to be present,” according to the Department of Justice.
In a box Routh left with a “civilian witness,” Routh wrote a handwritten letter addressed to “Dear World,” which stated, “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I am so sorry I failed you,” prosecutors said.
Cannon has also overseen another high-profile case involving the former president: the classified documents case prosecuted by special counsel Jack Smith. Cannon dismissed the case in July after finding that Attorney General Merrick Garland’s appointment of Smith violated constitutional procedures for special prosecutors.
Smith has appealed Cannon’s ruling, arguing in an August filing that Cannon misinterpreted the historical record.
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