Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced Thursday that his office is criminally charging the suspect who attempted to assassinate President Donald Trump.
Ryan Routh is facing charges of attempted first-degree murder and terrorism in Florida. This is separate from the case the Department of Justice is pursuing in an attempt to convict Routh federally. As the Secret Service apprehended Routh, who was armed, on a Florida golf course where Trump was playing, Uthmeier has filed his own charges.
Uthmeier acknowledged the delayed charges, claiming that his office was combatting “206 days of stonewalling by the federal government that stemmed from [the] days of the Biden administration.”
“My office, as well as our law enforcement partners, were met with major roadblocks in prosecuting this case during Biden’s term. Biden and his attorney general sought to frustrate our efforts and block our investigation into the man who crossed into this state and attempted to commit political violence against a Florida resident,” Uthmeier said. “Thank God he was unsuccessful, and thank God we have Donald Trump as president again.”
According to Uthmeier, Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel were “instrumental” in bringing the charges to pass. Uthmeier is new to his office since he succeeded Sen. Ashley Moody (R-FL), who was appointed to Marco Rubio’s seat when he was nominated as Secretary of State.
“Our statewide prosecutors will work to hold this evil man accountable and keep Florida safe, strong, and free,” Uthmeier said.
RYAN ROUTH TRIED TO BUY A ROCKET LAUNCHER FROM UKRAINE TO KILL TRUMP: DOJ
Routh has already pleaded not guilty to one federal count of attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate and four firearm offenses. In December, prosecutors added another attempted murder charge, as when Routh fled law enforcement, traffic was shut down, and an accident nearly killed a young female passenger.
In a court filing from earlier this week, the DOJ alleged that Routh attempted to buy a rocket launcher from Ukraine in his plot to assassinate Trump, who at the time was a presidential candidate. Routh is facing life in prison if convicted by the department.