Man accused of trying to assassinate Trump apologizes to potential jurors

FORT PIERCE Fla AP The man charged with trying to assassinate Donald Trump while he played golf last year in South Florida stood before a group of prospective jurors in a Florida courtroom on Monday and disclosed he was sorry for bringing you all in here Ryan Routh wearing a gray sports coat red tie with white stripes and khaki slacks is representing himself in the trial that began with jury selection on Monday in the federal courthouse in Fort Pierce Florida Thank you for being here Routh recounted the first group of jurors who were brought into the courtroom after U S District Judge Aileen Cannon introduced prosecutors and Routh to the panel Cannon signed off on Routh s request to represent himself but announced court-appointed attorneys needed to remain as standby counsel During a hearing earlier to go over questions that would be appealed of jurors Routh was partially shackled But he did not appear to be restrained when the first of three batches of promising jurors were brought into the courtroom on Monday afternoon Cannon dismissed the questions Routh craved to ask jurors as irrelevant earlier Monday They included asking jurors about their views on Gaza the talk of the U S acquiring Greenland and what they would do if they were driving and saw a turtle in the road The judge approved preponderance of the other questions for jurors submitted by prosecutors The panel of prospective jurors filled out questionnaires on Monday morning and the first group was brought into the courtroom during the afternoon session The judge inquired about any hardships that would prevent them from sitting as jurors during a weeks-long trial Twenty-seven noted hardships and the judge dismissed of them on Monday The other two groups of jurors will return to the courtroom on Tuesday morning for similar questioning Those who are not dismissed will then return at p m Tuesday for further questioning about the affair and their views The court has blocked off four weeks for Routh s trial but attorneys are expecting they ll need less time Jury selection was expected to take three days in an effort to find jurors and four alternates Opening statements were scheduled to begin Thursday and prosecutors will begin their matter forthwith after that Cannon communicated Routh last week that he would be allowed to use a podium while speaking to the jury or questioning observers but he would not have free rein of the courtroom Cannon is a Trump-appointed judge who drew scrutiny for her handling of a criminal episode accusing Trump of illegally storing classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach The development became mired in delays as motions piled up over months and was ultimately dismissed by Cannon last year after she concluded that the special counsel tapped by the Justice Department to investigate Trump was illegally appointed Routh s trial begins nearly a year after prosecutors say a U S Secret Facility agent thwarted Routh s attempt to shoot the Republican presidential nominee Routh has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate assaulting a federal officer and several firearm violations Just nine weeks earlier Trump had survived another attempt on his life while campaigning in Pennsylvania That gunman had fired eight shots with one bullet grazing Trump s ear before being shot by a Secret Facility counter sniper Prosecutors have revealed Routh methodically plotted to kill Trump for weeks before aiming a rifle through the shrubbery as Trump played golf on Sept at his West Palm Beach country club A Secret System agent spotted Routh before Trump came into view Administrators reported Routh aimed his rifle at the agent who opened fire causing Routh to drop his weapon and flee without firing a shot Law enforcement obtained help from a witness who prosecutors announced informed officers that he saw a person fleeing The witness was then flown in a police helicopter to a nearby interstate where Routh was arrested and the observers authenticated it was the person he had seen prosecutors have noted The judge last week unsealed the prosecutor s -page list of exhibits that could be introduced as evidence at the trial It says prosecutors have photos of Routh holding the same model of semi-automatic rifle ascertained at Trump s club Routh was a North Carolina construction worker who in newest years had moved to Hawaii A self-styled mercenary leader Routh spoke out to anyone who would listen about his dangerous sometimes violent plans to insert himself into conflicts around the world onlookers have explained The Associated Press In the early days of the war in Ukraine Routh tried to recruit soldiers from Afghanistan Moldova and Taiwan to fight the Russians In his native Greensboro North Carolina he was arrested in for eluding a traffic stop and barricading himself from officers with a fully automatic machine gun and a weapon of mass destruction which turned out to be an explosive with a -inch fuse In police searched a warehouse Routh owned and exposed more than stolen items from power tools and building supplies to kayaks and spa tubs In both felony cases judges gave Routh either probation or a suspended sentence In addition to the federal charges Routh also has pleaded not guilty to state charges of terrorism and attempted murder Source