Judge in case of Trump assassination attempt in Florida declines to recuse herself

By ERIC TUCKER The Associated Press

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives for a roundtable at the Drexelbrook Catering & Event Center, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, in Drexel Hill, Pa. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Julia Demaree Nikhinson]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal judge presiding over the criminal case of a man charged with trying to assassinate former President Donald Trump declined Tuesday to recuse herself, saying a defense request that she do so was without merit.

Lawyers for Ryan Wesley Routh had urged U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon to step aside, saying her handling of Trump’s classified documents prosecution created at least the appearance of bias in favor of the former president and current Republican nominee. They cited the fact that she was appointed to the bench by Trump and has been repeatedly praised by him for her rulings in the documents case, including her dismissal in July of the prosecution — a decision now being appealed by special counsel Jack Smith.

Cannon rejected the recusal request, writing Tuesday that she has “no control over what private citizens, members of the media, or public officials or candidates elect to say about me or my judicial rulings” and was not concerned about the political consequences of her rulings.

“I have never spoken to or met former President Trump except in connection with his required presence at an official judicial proceeding, through counsel. I have no ‘relationship to the alleged victim’ in any reasonable sense of the phrase,” Cannon wrote. “I follow my oath to administer justice faithfully and impartially, in accordance with the Constitution and the laws of this country.”

She also challenged defense claims that her recusal would remove any public perception that the attempted assassination case was assigned to her in a non-random manner.

“This case, like the prior cited cases involving former President Trump, were randomly assigned to me through the Clerk’s random case assignment system. Period,” Cannon wrote. “I will not be guided by highly inaccurate, uninformed, or speculative opinions to the contrary.”

Authorities say Routh staked out Trump for 12 hours on his golf course in Florida in September and wrote of his desire to kill him. He has been indicted on an attempted assassination charge.

The potential shooting was thwarted when a member of Trump’s Secret Service protective detail spotted a partially obscured man’s face and a rifle barrel protruding through the golf course fence line, ahead of where Trump was playing. The agent fired in the direction of Routh, who sped away and was stopped by law enforcement in a neighboring county.