(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Justice Department prosecutors may not have wanted Judge Aileen Cannon to preside over its prosecution of Donald Trump in the now-dormant Florida classified documents case, but now they’re arguing in favor of her being the judge in their case against the man who allegedly tried assassinating Trump last month.
The would-be assassin, Ryan Routh, filed his motion last Thursday to have Judge Cannon recuse herself on the grounds that she was appointed by Trump and stands to benefit by a potential appointment to an appeals pannel.
The DOJ responded to would-be assassin’s motion on Monday, telling Judge Cannon she should stay.
“This Court’s discretion to recuse from this matter is subject to review only for abuse of discretion. Here, Routh’s motion does not cite any authority mandating recusal in these circumstances, and does not present either facts or case law requiring recusal on this record in light of the controlling standard. Judges are obligated to recuse only when there are proper grounds to do so,” the DOJ said in its two-page response.
“The Defendant does not present such grounds in his motion.”
🚨NEW🚨The 2nd would-be Trump assassin's attorneys revealed this morning that a DOJ prosecutor in the case went to high school with the presiding judge, Aileen Cannon.
Cannon also attended the prosecutor's wedding.
Why would the DOJ put someone on this case w/ such a clear… pic.twitter.com/BPfaQjMbJK— Ken Silva (@JD_Cashless) October 23, 2024
On Wednesday, Routh filed his reply to the DOJ, again arguing for recusal.
“To briefly recap: a former President, Mr. Trump, is the alleged victim in this criminal case; Mr. Trump appointed Your Honor to the federal bench; this Court previously presided over cases where Mr. Trump was a party and issued some rulings that were favorable to him, including one dismissing a criminal case against him,” Routh said.
“[W]hile on the campaign trail, Mr. Trump has repeatedly and publicly praised this Court and its rulings; Mr. Trump would have authority to appoint Your Honor to a position of power were he to become President again; and given the low odds of this Court being assigned three cases involving Mr. Trump, some have questioned whether the cases have been assigned at random,” he added.
Routh also revealed new information that a member of the prosecution team—Christopher Browne of the DOJ’s National Security Section in Miami—attended high school with Cannon. Moreover, Cannon attended Browne’s wedding nine years ago, according to Routh’s motion.
“It is unclear why the government believed that this information was important enough to share with defense counsel but not important enough to include in its response. And it is unclear why, despite hundreds of able prosecutors in this District and around the country, the government elected to staff its team in this high-profile case with a prosecutor who enjoys a longstanding, personal relationship with the presiding judge,” Routh’s motion said.
It’s not clear when Cannon will rule on the matter.
Routh’s trial is set for Feb. 10, 2025. He was initially charged with two federal firearms offenses. Later in September, the Justice Department announced a five-count indictment in which Routh is also charged with attempted assassination.
Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.
