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A federal jury in Fort Pierce delivered a swift and decisive verdict this week, finding Ryan Wesley Routh guilty of attempting to assassinate former President Donald Trump at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach. The evidence presented by prosecutors convinced jurors that this was not a rant or a mistake but a planned, premeditated attempt to end a political life, and Routh now faces the real possibility of life behind bars for those crimes. This verdict is a reminder that when political violence rears its ugly head, the rule of law must respond without fear or favor.
Court testimony and surveillance showed Routh lurking in the shrubbery with an SKS-style rifle, concealed and waiting as Trump moved across the course, until a vigilant Secret Service agent spotted the weapon and fired, forcing Routh to flee the scene. Law enforcement tracked him down shortly afterward and arrested him, leaving no mystery about the chain of events that could have ended in a national tragedy. Americans should be grateful to the agents who did their jobs and prevented a catastrophic loss that would have reverberated through our country.
During the trial Routh chose to represent himself, a gambit that produced rambling courtroom theatrics and the brazen claim that because he never pulled the trigger no crime occurred. That argument defies both common sense and settled criminal law — attempting to commit a crime by taking substantial steps toward it is still a crime — and the prosecution laid out meticulous evidence of planning and preparation. The jury saw through the theatrical performance and held him accountable, as any decent court should.
On conservative outlets this week retired Judge Andrew Napolitano tore into what he called the “absurd” legal theory Routh’s camp might try to press on appeal, saying such an argument would strain credulity and is unlikely to survive higher court scrutiny. Conservatives who respect the Constitution should welcome a clear-eyed judge calling out a frivolous defense that would otherwise undermine efforts to deter political violence. The fight now shifts to the appeals process, but Napolitano’s take is a sober warning to anyone hoping to twist the law into a shield for violence.
Sentencing is set for December 18, when a federal judge will decide how severely to punish a man convicted of trying to end a political campaign and terrorize the public; prosecutors say the gravity of the offense warrants the harshest penalties available. Let there be no doubt: those who aim rifles at our leaders or plot to assassinate public servants should face the full force of justice, because anything less would invite more of the same madness. This is not about politics; it is about preserving a free society where disputes are settled at the ballot box, not with a sniper’s scope.
Americans who work hard and love this country are tired of the left’s poisonous normalizing of political violence, and we should demand accountability from the institutions charged with protecting our leaders and our liberty. Praise the agents who stopped this attack, back the prosecutors who proved the case, and urge judges to send a message that an attempt to assassinate a candidate will not be rewarded with leniency. If we stand together — patriotic, law-abiding, and unafraid to call out bad faith — we can keep America safe from the kinds of nihilism that threaten our republic.
