Judge to Allow Limited Firearm Test in Trump Assassination Attempt Case

Defense attorney Kristy Militello said ‘intent is the paramount issue’ for the court and jury to decide in Routh’s case.

Ryan Wesley Routh takes part in a rally in central Kyiv, Ukraine, on April 30, 2022. Efrem Lukatsky/AP Photo

FORT PIERCE, Fla.—A federal judge said she would allow a limited test on a firearm recovered in an alleged shooting plot against President Donald Trump last year, although it would be confined to simply determining if the gun was operable.

In an April 15 pre-trial hearing for Ryan Routh—the man accused of trying to assassinate Trump at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sept. 15, 2024—U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon approved the defense team’s request to test the firearm.