Jury selection about halfway done in case of man who allegedly tried to kill Trump on golf course
The jury selection process is about halfway done in the trial of Ryan Routh, who is accused of trying to kill Donald Trump on his golf course last year.
Routh, a 59-year-old construction worker from North Carolina and Hawaii, is representing himself despite not being a lawyer and having limited legal experience.
By the end of the second day of jury selection Tuesday, federal prosecutors and Routh had screened all 180 potential jurors for conflicts, financial hardships and obvious signs of impartiality, and U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon had dismissed a total of 84 of them.
The 96 remaining potential jurors are due to return to court Wednesday for the final round of questions before the jury is finalized.
With the victim of the alleged crime now the president of the United States, Judge Cannon tried to address the inherent politics of the trial by asking jurors if they could set aside their personal thoughts about Trump.
"Whether or not you like Donald Trump or dislike him ... has no bearing on this case and should not factor into your decision," said Cannon, who was nominated to the bench by Trump and dismissed one of the criminal cases against him.
One juror who told Cannon "I just don't like Trump, period" was excused based on her response.
When Cannon asked the potential jurors if they remembered the news about Routh's alleged action, nearly every person raised their hands -- though most said they could set their personal opinions aside to be fair jurors.
"It's clearly a majority of you," Cannon remarked after seeing the jurors' hands shoot up.
Prosecutors allege that after planning his attack for months, Routh hid in the bushes of Trump's Palm Beach golf course with a rifle in the predawn hours of Sept. 15.
With Trump just one hole away from Routh's position, a Secret Service agent spotted a rifle poking out of the tree line and fired at him, causing him to flee, according to prosecutors. Routh was subsequently arrested after being stopped on a nearby interstate.
Routh has pleaded not guilty to five criminal charges that risk sending him to prison for life, including attempting to kill a presidential candidate and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
Routh, who was criticized Monday by Judge Cannon for a "casual" approach to jury selection, appeared to be more comfortable in court on Tuesday, even earning the occasional compliment from the judge.
"Good catch," Judge Cannon remarked after Routh agreed to strike a juror because of travel issues getting to and from court.
Routh also succeeded in removing a juror who stated on her questionnaire that she could only follow the court's instructions to the extent that they aligned with "God's law."
"She spoke about only following God's law," Routh said. "I don't she'd be fair and impartial if she is only following God's law."
Another juror was removed after saying on a questionnaire that he believes "nobody is innocent."
"Doesn't help me," Routh quipped.
Among the 120 jurors reviewed Tuesday morning, prosecutors successfully moved to strike 48 jurors. Routh, who agreed to many of the government's proposed strikes, succeeded in getting two jurors excused.
At least two jurors disclosed having connections to the case, including one juror who said they were at the scene when Routh was arrested and another who said their business got a voicemail from Routh in the days ahead of the assassination.
Another potential juror disclosed that he had breakfast with Donald and Melania Trump 30 years ago where he was offered a job at one of Trump's properties.
"I have a lot of respect for both of them," the juror said, before adding, "I turned down the job."
Routh unsuccessfully tried to have that juror excused, with Cannon noting that the juror said he could be fair despite the interaction.
Earlier Tuesday, one potential juror told Judge Cannon that she could not be fair because of her affinity for Trump and her preexisting knowledge of the case.
"I am MAGA," said the juror, who recalled seeing the news of the attempted assassination. "I feel it would be very hard to sway how I feel."
The judge barred Routh from asking potential jurors questions that she deemed "politically charged" and irrelevant, after Routh sought to ask jurors about their stance on Palestine, their opinion of Trump's proposed acquisition of Greenland, and what they would do if they were driving and they saw a turtle in the middle of the road -- which Routh said could speak to jurors' character and mindset.
Judge Cannon said she hopes to have a jury finalized Wednesday, with the trial expected to take approximately three weeks.
