Florida obtains warrant for man accused of trying to assassinate Trump at golf course

In defiance of federal prosecutors, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody announced Wednesday that the state has obtained its own arrest warrant for Ryan Routh, the man accused of trying to assassinate Donald Trump this summer on the president-elect’s golf course in West Palm Beach.

Federal prosecutors have already charged Routh, 58, with the attempted assassination of a presidential candidate — and told state officials earlier this year to suspend their parallel investigation into the matter to protect the integrity of the federal case.

In response, Moody sued the Department of Justice. And on Wednesday, she announced that Florida was bringing a charge of attempted felony murder against Routh, escalating a turf war over one of the highest-profile criminal cases in the U.S. criminal justice system.

The state’s case hinges on efforts to capture Routh after authorities say Secret Service agents chased him away from Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach. Police shut down Interstate 95 to catch the fleeing suspect, backing up the highway for miles and causing a five-car crash that injured a six-year-old girl, according to an 18-page affidavit released Wednesday.

The affidavit, filed in support of the state’s arrest warrant, describes the girl’s injuries as “life-threatening,” and said she remains in the hospital.

“When you couple those terrible injuries together with his other criminal conduct, which we believe rises to the level of domestic terrorism, it turns his actions into an attempted felony murder case,” Moody said.

Routh was not speeding or driving erratically, the affidavit states, indicating that he was “attempting to blend in to the regular flow of traffic and avoid detection.” The crash took place 3 or 4 miles south of where Routh was detained.

Moody and Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday cast the state’s latest action as part of its efforts to hold both Routh and the U.S. Department of Justice accountable. The governor and attorney general have on multiple occasions cast doubt on the Department of Justice’s ability to be fully transparent and honest in their investigation under President Joe Biden, noting that the agency has been prosecuting Trump in Florida and Washington D.C.

Moody said federal prosecutors asked the state to not get involved out of a “need to protect the case and national security.”

“I have never been asked to meet with anyone to discuss how national security is implicated in shutting down the state of Florida’s investigation,” Moody said. “And so we explained that we will move forward with charges of attempted felony murder to pursue justice on behalf of this little girl.”

The Department of Justice declined to comment on the state’s case. But federal law states that if a federal investigation is undertaken, then “such assertion shall suspend the exercise of jurisdiction by a State or local authority, under any applicable State or local law, until Federal action is terminated.”

Read more: Moody sues DOJ to let Florida investigate Trump golf course assassination attempt

DeSantis was scheduled to appear at the Wednesday news conference announcing Routh’s arrest warrant but was held back by weather. On social media, he said the federal government “stonewalled Florida’s investigation of the Trump assassination attempt at every turn” and suggested the Department of Justice will be more cooperative once Trump takes office next month.

“The tide will turn on January 20th and we fully expect that the federal roadblocks will be removed,” DeSantis said on X, in reference to the date Trump will take the oath of office. “The would-be assassin needs to face the full force of justice and the people deserve the truth about the defendant’s history, motivations and plan.”

Trump has nominated former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi to run the Justice Department. At the press conference Wednesday, Moody said U.S. senators should support Bondi’s nomination.

“I ask that you fully consider and give deference and merit to these nominations,” said Moody, who is believed to be one of the people considered by DeSantis for a U.S. Senate appointment.

Affidavit Details

The affidavit, filed by Florida Highway Patrol investigator Nelson Tineo, includes details on Routh’s social media posts and states that he “intended to commit an act of terrorism by assassinating former U.S. president, and at the time, presidential candidate Donald Trump.”

It says that Routh had a system of beliefs and a pattern of animosity toward Trump that motivated him. The affidavit said that, while he failed to shoot Trump, his getaway had violent consequences for the family involved in the wreck on Interstate 95.

“Routh committed another act, fleeing from the scene of this attempted act of terrorism, that resulted in severe injuries to the minor child,” the complaint says. Routh’s getaway “could have easily resulted in the death of” the six-year-old girl, the arrest affidavit states,” but fortunately did not.”

The document also notes that on Sept. 6, more than a week before Routh was found on the perimeter of the golf course with a rifle, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputies encountered Routh when they were called out to a truck stop in South Bay for a welfare check. Routh seemed to be living in his car at the time, the affidavit says.

Federal authorities have said Routh fled Trump’s golf course in a Nissan Xterra with a stolen license plate. The state’s affidavit says the tag came off a tree-trimming truck that was also located at the truck stop in South Bay. The tag and Xterra appeared around Palm Beach County between Sept. 2 and Sept. 15, the day of alleged assassination attempt, and was spotted between two and 10 miles from Trump International Golf Club.

One of those locations was the Palm Beach International Airport. On Sept. 7, surveillance footage showed Routh walking around the airport terminals and a parking deck that has a clear visual of the tarmac, including the area where Trump’s plane lands and is stored, the complaint says.

Moody noted that Routh is currently held by federal officials on federal charges, but said at some point he would be moved over to face his state charges.

“I expect that there might be some arguments made to the court regarding when that happens,” Moody said.

McClatchy Chief Washington Correspondent Michael Wilner contributed to this report.

This story was originally published December 18, 2024 at 12:19 PM.