Trump assassination suspect’s team battles with DOJ over evidence ahead of September trial

Ryan Routh, the man accused of trying to assassinate then-candidate Donald Trump in September 2024, appeared in court as his team battled with the Justice Department over evidence. The defense team and the DOJ were engaged in a heated debate over the issue of firearm testing, with the defense calling for the gun in the DOJ’s possession to be tested.

The defense argued that the firearm was too old to fire the distance the DOJ claimed it would have, and therefore testing was necessary to determine its capabilities. The prosecution, however, argued that firearm testing was unusual and could potentially destroy evidence. Despite this, the prosecution ultimately agreed to allow the testing to take place.

The DOJ revealed that they have 90 gigabytes of bodycam footage from their search of Routh’s home in Hawaii, which was conducted weeks after the alleged assassination attempt. Additionally, the prosecution stated that they have hundreds of law enforcement reports to sift through, but assured the court that they would turn over the evidence within the next two weeks.

While the defense team ruled out using an insanity defense, they refrained from offering any specific theories, stating that they needed to review all of the prosecution’s discovery first. The defense team also requested a full list of evidence and information on the location of all items related to the case, claiming that some items were missing from the evidence box when they attempted to view the firearm in question.

Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley criticized Routh’s defense team for not being forthcoming in the case, and pointed out that many of Routh’s actions after being caught do not support a possible insanity plea. Routh is accused of waiting over 12 hours on the perimeter of the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, where he allegedly planned to assassinate Trump while he was playing golf.

President Trump expressed his willingness to release findings on the two assassination attempts made against him during the 2024 campaign, although no firm details have been provided at this time. The trial is set to begin on September 8, 2025, and both the defense and prosecution continue to prepare their cases as they await the court’s decision on the evidence in question.