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A federal jury on Tuesday returned a decisive verdict, finding Ryan Routh guilty on all counts for the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump — a chilling plot that, if successful, would have struck at the heart of our Republic. The guilty verdict was swift, and Routh now faces the prospect of life behind bars for aiming to murder a presidential candidate and for multiple weapons offenses.
Prosecutors laid out a disturbing, premeditated plan: Routh allegedly spent weeks surveilling the course and aimed a rifle through shrubbery at Trump during a round of golf on September 15, 2024, only to be thwarted when a vigilant Secret Service agent detected the threat. The evidence presented left little doubt in jurors’ minds that this was not a spontaneous act but a calculated attempt to silence a political voice by the most monstrous means.
The courtroom scene after the verdict was ugly but telling — Routh attempted to stab himself in the neck with a pen and had to be restrained by U.S. Marshals before he could do harm, underscoring the volatile and dangerous nature of the man the jury unanimously rejected. Law enforcement’s rapid response prevented a second act of violence and ensured order was restored, a reminder that brave federal officers stand ready to protect the rule of law.
Emotion ran high as Routh’s daughter erupted in the courtroom, screaming that the case was “rigged” and hurling profanity at the press and the proceedings, then chased after the motorcade as her father was taken away. Her outburst, while human in its panic, cannot change the fact that this was an attempted assassination that would have destroyed lives and shredded our civic norms if left unchecked. The response from the jury and the court was necessary and just.
Conservative Americans should be clear-eyed: political violence is the weapon of our enemies and the abandonment of civility by any faction is unacceptable. Federal prosecutors and the jury sent a message that attacks on public officials will be met with the full force of justice, and Americans should stand behind our law-enforcement professionals who do the hard work of keeping our leaders and our institutions safe.
This verdict closes an immediate threat but opens a larger conversation about the poisonous rhetoric and lawlessness that incubate such monsters; Routh is scheduled to be sentenced on December 18 and must face the consequences of his plot. Patriots should be united in condemnation of assassination and in defense of the democratic process, demanding accountability, secure public spaces, and a restoration of respect for the rule of law.
