Routh Rests; Expert Says Rifle Jammed

Ryan Routh, charged with attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump at a Florida golf club on Sept. 15, 2024, has rested his defense after calling a firearms expert and two character witnesses while representing himself in federal court. Routh declined to testify and is scheduled to give a closing argument Tuesday; U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon warned he must confine remarks to evidence presented or risk having his time cut off. Prosecutors, who over seven days called 38 witnesses, say Routh spent weeks plotting the attack, aimed a rifle through shrubbery at Trump and are seeking a life sentence. A firearms expert testified the recovered SKS-style rifle was test-fired for the court but repeatedly jammed on the second shot, which prosecutors attributed in part to acid used to recover serial numbers, a point Routh used to challenge the government's reconstruction. Routh has pleaded not guilty and argues prosecutors have not proven an assassination attempt, saying the gun never fired and that the area outside the club is a public right of way. His former attorneys remain as standby counsel as required by the court.