(Ken Silva, Headline USA) The Justice Department filed a brief with the Fourth Circuit Appeals Court on Monday, asking justices to keep the son of alleged would-be Trump assassin Ryan Routh in jail for possessing child pornography.
The son, Oran Routh, was arrested last September after agents searched his home in connection to his father’s alleged Sept. 15 assassination attempt on Donald Trump at his Florida golf course. Oran pled guilty to one count of possessing child pornography in January.
Up until his guilty plea, Routh had been on house arrest. He’s now in jail, but wants to be released until his official May 14 sentencing on the grounds that he’s in danger from other inmates. After a district judge sent him to jail, Routh filed an appeal last month with the Fourth Circuit.
In his appeal, Oran argued that the notoriety of his father has made him a marked man in prison. Being convicted of possessing child porn hasn’t helped his cause, either, he added.
But on Monday, the DOJ said Oran doesn’t have a valid case to get out of jail.
“Though Routh’s circumstances may be unusual, he has not shown evidence of any specific threats or vulnerabilities during his previous or current detention. Instead, he has pointed only to news articles regarding his and his father’s charges and offered speculation regarding potential harms,” the DOJ’s lawyers argued.
“On this record, the district court did not clearly err in determining Routh’s circumstances do not constitute ‘exceptional reasons’ why his detention is inappropriate, and correctly denied Routh’s motion for release pending sentencing.”
It’s unclear when the Fourth Circuit will rule on the matter. Meanwhile, Oran is still in jail.
Law enforcement started investigating Oran for child pornography in late 2023, when the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, or NCMEC, flagged a video allegedly on his phone. NCMEC passed that tip along to the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office, which visited his mother’s home last February. Law enforcement didn’t follow up until Oran’s father allegedly tried to kill Trump.
The father faces trial for attempted assassination in September.
Ken Silva is the editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.
