A federal jury has convicted 59-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump during a planned sniper attack at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. The Justice Department announced the verdict on Tuesday, and Routh’s sentencing date has been set for December 18.
The court proceedings took a dramatic turn following the conviction when Routh attempted to stab himself in the neck with a pen as jurors were leaving the courtroom. Law enforcement deputies quickly intervened to stop him.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi said, “Today’s guilty verdict against would-be Trump assassin Ryan Routh illustrates the Department of Justice’s commitment to punishing those who engage in political violence. This attempted assassination was not only an attack on our President, but an affront to our very nation itself.”
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, an agent who was stationed one hole ahead of Trump spotted a rifle barrel sticking out of a bush and engaged the suspect. Agents reportedly opened fire at Routh as he fled. The suspect was able to get within 300 to 500 yards of Trump.
Law enforcement recovered a loaded SKS-style rifle with a scope, 19 additional rounds, steel armor plates, and a camera aimed at the sixth hole. The rifle’s safety was off.
A witness saw Routh escape in a black Nissan Xterra. Police arrested him on Interstate 95 heading north.
During the trial, prosecutors introduced a handwritten letter found in a box Routh left with a witness in April. It read: “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I am so sorry I failed you.”
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said, “The Department of Justice will relentlessly pursue those who try to silence political voices, and no enemy, foreign or domestic, will ever silence the will of the American people.”
FBI Director Kash Patel said the attempt occurred “mere weeks before an election and only months after a separate assassination attempt came dangerously close to succeeding.”
U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones called the violence “objectively evil.”
Routh was convicted of five charges: attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime, assaulting a federal officer, being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
The charges carry maximum penalties ranging from five years to life in prison. A federal judge will determine the sentence in accordance with the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.