Ryan Wesley Routh, who has been charged in a thwarted assassination plot against Donald Trump in September, has requested the recusal of Judge Aileen Cannon from his case. Routh’s legal team contends that Cannon may struggle to remain objective due to her previous nomination by Trump and her decision to dismiss the Mar-a-Lago documents case involving the former president.
In the recusal motion submitted on Thursday, Routh’s attorneys stated that the request “is warranted due to the unique facts and circumstances of this case, and this Court’s relationship to the alleged victim. Recusal by Your Honor is essential to preserve the appearance of impartiality.” They highlighted Cannon’s connections to Trump and her prior rulings, indicating that “Mr. Trump is the current Republican candidate for President in next month’s election. On the campaign trail, he has repeatedly praised Your Honor for her rulings in his case. As the alleged victim here, he has a significant stake in the outcome of this case too. Were he to become President in the future, he would have authority to nominate Your Honor to a federal judgeship on a higher court were a vacancy to arise.”
The filing went on to assert that these “unprecedented facts and circumstances might create an appearance of partiality in the mind of the public. Accordingly, the Constitution and the federal recusal statute require Your Honor to recuse herself from this case.”
It was also noted that various media reports have raised questions about whether the cases against Trump were assigned to Cannon in a random manner. The attorneys argued, “Given these very low odds, the public may suspect that Mr. Trump’s cases have somehow been deliberately steered to this Court. That perception would irreparably damage the integrity of this Court as an institution, not to mention the judicial process.”
Furthermore, they clarified, “To be clear, there is no evidence that this case (or any other) was assigned in a non-random manner. But conspiracy theories have been based on less. Recusal would thus have the added benefit of preventing the public from harboring such a dangerous perception.”
According to Politico, Cannon was among about half a dozen federal judges eligible for Routh’s case.
Routh has pleaded not guilty to five charges, including attempted assassination of a presidential candidate and possession of a firearm as a convicted felon, stemming from the attack on Trump on September 15. During that day, while Trump was golfing at his West Palm Beach location, Secret Service agents noticed a gun barrel protruding from a bush. Multiple shots were fired, and the suspect fled the scene; Routh was subsequently arrested.
This assassination attempt occurred roughly two months after gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire from a rooftop during Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump was hit in the ear, two individuals sustained serious injuries, and former fire chief Corey Comperatore was fatally shot while trying to protect his family.
