by Katelynn Richardson
Ryan Routh, the man on trial for allegedly attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump, accused federal prosecutors on Wednesday of making a “racist” choice during jury selection.
Twelve jurors and four alternates were picked before breaking for lunch on the third day of jury selection. While the parties were making their final choices, Routh objected that the government struck two African Americans “out of a very small pool.”
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon immediately questioned whether Routh, who is representing himself, had been consulting with standby attorneys on “substantive matters,” noting she previously told him he cannot have “hybrid counsel.”
“I’m hearing whispers,” she said, suggesting they had offered him legal advice. Routh, sitting at the defense table alone in a grey suit and green striped tie, replied that he is turning down offers of help.
“We have a racist situation that’s occurring,” Routh told Cannon.
Cannon questioned whether Routh was formally raising a Batson challenge, which is an objection that a party’s decision to exclude a juror was based on sex, race or ethnicity. Routh said he simply wanted the issue on the record “for appeal.”
Prosecutor Christopher Browne told Cannon that some of the stricken jurors were not actually African American, noting one was Haitian.
“There’s been no showing of purposeful discrimination,” Cannon said.
Routh faces five charges for allegedly attempting to kill Trump at his West Palm Beach golf course on Sept. 15, 2024.
On this day, Routh allegedly positioned himself and hid along the tree lines at the golf course, waiting for Trump. While Trump golfed, the Secret Service conducted a perimeter security sweep, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). On this security detail, a Secret Service member saw the partially obscured face of a man, which turned out to be Routh, by the sixth hole, the DOJ said.
According to the DOJ, the agent saw a rifle barrel pointing directly at him, so the agent backed away, but he saw the rifle barrel move, and so he then shot at Routh. After being shot at, Routh fled across the road from the golf course and escaped in a black Nissan Xterra, the DOJ said. Later in the day, law enforcement apprehended Routh heading northbound on I-95 in Martin County, Florida, the DOJ detailed.
In court, Routh asked the judge to strike for cause several jurors who previously served in law enforcement, arguing they would not be able to be fair in a criminal case.
Routh also expressed concern about jurors who suggested the trial would strain their personal schedule or require them to work after jury duty, telling Cannon it seems unfair for jurors to experience difficulties “because of me.”
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Katelynn Richardson is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation. Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network and contributed to this story.
The post Alleged Attempted Trump Assassin Complains He Doesn’t Have Enough Black People on Jury first appeared on The Arizona Sun Times.