Ryan Routh, who was charged with trying to assassinate former President Trump on a Florida golf course last month, told U.S. District Judge Eileen Cannon on Thursday that President Trump appointed her and the indictment on classified documents. He asked him to recuse himself from the incident because he praised the way he handled the incident.
Mr Routh's lawyers said the “unprecedented circumstances” could create an unfair impression in the public's eyes.
“Mr. Trump is the current Republican presidential candidate in next month's election. During his campaign, Mr. Routh has repeatedly praised the ruling in his case,” Mr. Routh's attorneys wrote. motion.
“As the alleged victim here, he also has a significant stake in the outcome of this case. If he becomes president in the future, if a vacancy arises, he will be appointed as a federal judge in the Superior Court.” ” they continued.
By random selection, Mr. Cannon was appointed to both Mr. Routh's criminal prosecution and to Special Counsel Jack Smith, who criminally prosecuted Mr. Trump for illegally retaining classified documents and obstructing efforts by the government to retrieve classified documents after he left office. supervise court proceedings.
Cannon dismissed Trump's accusations in July that Smith's appointment was inappropriate. Mr. Smith is currently appealing the decision.
Unlike many of the other judges Trump has repeatedly attacked on social media and elsewhere, he has high praise for Cannon, whom the former president nominated to the bench in 2020.
Lawyers for Mr. Routh argued that federal law required Mr. Cannon to be dismissed, pointing to Mr. Trump as the alleged victim in their client's case.
“By repeatedly naming and publicly praising the decision in his own case, Mr. Trump undoubtedly reinforced the perception that the court was biased in his favor,” Routh's lawyers wrote.
The motion indicates that federal prosecutors have accepted the request on advice, but have not yet taken a position.
Routh is accused of staking out a rifle around Trump's West Palm Beach, Florida, golf course last month and was spotted by Secret Service agents while the former president was on the course. This was the second attempt on President Trump's life in recent months.
Routh faces five criminal charges, including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate and multiple firearms charges. If convicted, he could face up to life in prison.
