Trump assassination attempt suspect Ryan Routh to defend himself as prosecution rests case

The prosecution rested its case in the federal trial of Ryan Routh, accused of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach golf club in 2024. Beginning Monday, Routh — who is representing himself — is expected to begin his defense by calling three witnesses to the stand.

On Friday, the government’s final witness, FBI Supervisory Special Agent Kimberly McGreevy, walked jurors through phone data, license plate records, bank transactions and surveillance footage that prosecutors say tie Routh to Trump’s movements in the weeks before the alleged attempt.

PROSECUTORS TO REST CASE IN TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT TRIAL, DEFENSE PREPS WITNESSES

McGreevy testified that Routh’s “home base” between Aug. 14 and Sept. 15, 2024, was the Marathon truck stop in South Bay, Florida, where receipts showed he paid cash for overnight parking. Body-cam footage from a welfare check at the truck stop showed Routh wearing madras shorts later found in his Nissan Xterra and seen in airport surveillance on Sept. 7, when he was recorded watching Trump’s plane lift off.

Jurors also saw evidence of extensive online searches and surveillance. Reports from Routh’s phones included searches for Trump’s campaign schedule, rally tickets, and golf course properties, as well as live airport feeds and plane-tracking websites. One exchange presented to the jury included an aerial image of Trump’s plane. A contact named Vladmir texted, “Palm Beach, yours?” and Routh responded, “Trump’s plane. He gets on and off every day.”

EXPLOSIVES EXPERT DETAILS DEVICES AS TRUMP ASSASSINATION TRIAL NEARS CLOSE

Financial records presented showed large deposits and transfers through accounts in Routh’s daughter Sara’s name, some of which were then moved to Routh. Text messages and PayPal activity also reflected exchanges around money transfers, including a March 29, 2024 message to his son Oran: “Got a real phone… in West Palm Beach… Can you Western Union the rest of the money….”

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Prosecutors ended their case Friday after introducing dozens of witnesses, including Secret Service agents, FBI experts and former associates. Starting Monday, the jury will hear from Routh’s defense, which is expected to include a firearms expert and character witnesses.