Would-be Trump assassin asks Judge Aileen Cannon to recuse herself from his criminal case

Ryan Wesley Routh, the man charged in a foiled assassination attempt on Donald Trump in September, has requested that Judge Aileen Cannon recuse herself from the case. Attorneys for the suspect argued that Cannon may not be able to remain impartial in the case, citing Cannon’s nomination to her role by Trump and Cannon’s dismissal of the Mar-a-Lago documents case against the former president.

In the motion to recuse filed on Thursday, attorneys said the motion "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."

After noting Cannon’s nomination by Trump and Cannon’s dismissal of special counsel Jack Smith’s Mar-a-Lago case against Trump, the attorneys wrote, "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."

"Taken together, 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."

The filing stated that media reports have cast doubt on whether the multiple cases against Trump were assigned to Cannon randomly, adding, "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."

"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," the filing added.

According to Politico, Cannon appeared to be one of about half a dozen federal judges who were eligible to be assigned to Routh’s case.

Routh has pleaded not guilty to five charges, including attempted assassination of a presidential candidate and the possession of a firearm as a convicted felon, in connection to the September 15 assassination attempt on Trump. That day, Trump was playing golf at his West Palm Beach course when Secret Service spotted a gun barrel poking out of a bush. Several shots were fired in that direction and the suspect fled. Routh was later arrested.

The September 15 assassination attempt came around two months after gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire from a nearby rooftop on Trump's Butler, Pennsylvania rally. Trump was hit in the ear, two others were seriously injured, and former fire chief Corey Comperatore was killed as he shielded his family.