Ryan Routh, the man accused of plotting an assassination attempt on former President Donald J. Trump, now faces additional charges of attempted felony murder.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody announced the charges on Wednesday, citing Routh's role in a multi-vehicle accident that critically injured a six-year-old girl during his attempted escape. The incident, which occurred on September 15, has been described as a near-fatal catastrophe that has forever altered the life of a young child and her family.
As reported by The Post Millennial, the accident transpired around 3 pm, a few miles away from where Routh was apprehended. The child was critically injured when her family's vehicle was rear-ended amidst the chaos. "As a result of that, we felt compelled to seek justice on her behalf and her family that will never be the same as they cope with her injuries," Moody stated. She further emphasized the gravity of Routh's actions, saying, "when you couple those terrible injuries together with [Routh's] other criminal conduct, which we believe rises to the level of domestic terrorism, it turns his actions into an attempted felony murder case."
The arrest of Routh, which took place at 2:23 pm, led to a halt in both northbound and southbound traffic. However, the state-level investigation into Routh's actions has been met with significant resistance from federal authorities, according to Moody. The Attorney General alleged that the federal authorities have "obstructed" the investigation, a claim that has sparked controversy and raised questions about the transparency of federal agencies.
Moody detailed the challenges faced by Florida investigators, stating that their attempts to probe Routh's actions were met with a "lack of willingness to allow us access to the crime scene, and unwillingness to provide evidence that was collected, an unwillingness to allow us to accompany witness interviews, and the list goes on." She further revealed that "prosecutors and federal agents...made known that they intended to shut down our investigation and invoke federal jurisdiction in doing so."
In response to this alleged obstruction, Florida filed a lawsuit against the Department of Justice in October. Governor Ron DeSantis expressed his support for the state's actions, stating, "The feds have stonewalled Florida's investigation of the Trump assassination attempt at every turn, and I appreciate AG Moody and her team for plowing forward despite such resistance. The tide will turn on January 20th and we fully expect that the federal roadblocks will be removed."
Martin County Sheriff William Snyder echoed these sentiments, suggesting that the alleged obstruction was politically motivated. "This was not normal from our federal partners. This was not ground-level FBI agents. This came from much higher, way above those FBI agents," he said. As the case continues to unfold, the question remains: will the federal roadblocks indeed be removed, allowing for a thorough and transparent investigation into Routh's actions?
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