Suspect in Trump’s Florida assassination attempt faces new charges

Writer: Kendell Gordon
Published: Updated:

State Attorney General Ashley Moody has announced her office will pursue attempted felony murder charges on the man who tried to assassinate President-elect Donald Trump while he was golfing in West Pam Beach.

The state is connecting a crash during the pursuit of the suspect to tie him with the domestic terror charges.

As Ryan Wesley Routh fled from the crime scene at Mar-a-Lago, a traffic stop was made on Interstate 95, during which a crash happened and nearly cost the life of a 6-year-old girl.

“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,” said Moody during a press conference Wednesday.

Three months earlier, when Routh attempted to take the life of the then-former president, Gov. Ron DeSantis’s office issued an executive order to investigate.

The office tried to coordinate with the federal government.

According to the governor’s office, however, the federal government was unwilling to allow the state to access the crime scene, provide evidence and to allow the state to accompany witness interviews.

The federal government intended to shut down the investigation and invoke federal jurisdiction.

DeSantis then filed a suit against United States Attorney General Merrick Garland, so they could pursue state law charges for state law violations in Florida.

The State is now seeking justice for the girl and her family for the crash that “seriously injured” the girl.

Routh is being held in federal custody.

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