The man who tried to kill Trump in Florida given huge temporary court win by Trump-beloved Judge Cannon
Florida – Ryan Routh, the Florida man accused of trying to kill former President Donald Trump, was handed a procedural victory in a recent decision by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon. The judge turned down a motion from the Justice Department to stop Routh from calling a defense expert witness at his trial.
Routh, who is defending himself, wants to call Michael McClay, a former Marine sniper instructor, to testify. McClay’s job will be to challenge what the government says about the sniper position Routh is accused of having and how the gun prosecutors say was used in the incident worked. The Justice Department had tried to remove McClay off the witness list by stating that his evidence would directly contradict what the government’s own expert, an FBI special agent, had said.
Judge Cannon said in her decision that there was “significant overlap” between the areas that both parties planned to cover with their expert witnesses. She decided that it would not be fair to entirely stop McClay from testifying, which would have allowed jurors to hear different expert opinions on important technical parts of the case.
McClay is expected to talk about two important things for the defense: what Routh was doing and where he was at the time of the incident, and about the performance of the rifle in question. According to Routh’s team, testing showed the weapon jammed after firing only two shots, a detail they believe challenges the government’s narrative about the threat he posed.
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This decision came after Judge Cannon made another important decision: she let Routh represent himself in court. That prior action happened even though she had warned him about how complicated and risky it is to represent yourself in a high-stakes federal trial.
Routh is facing serious charges, such as trying to kill a major presidential candidate. The trial is set to start in September, and whether or not McClay’s testimony may be used might be a big part of how the jury decides the prosecution’s case.
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The most recent verdict means that the courtroom battle will now include a direct collision between the experience of a federal investigator and the point of view of a seasoned military sniper instructor. This might have a big impact on the outcome of the trial.
