Secret Service Director Sean Curran. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Secret Service agents believe they have cracked a plot that could have crippled the telecommunications network — and law enforcement functions — in the nation’s largest city as more than 150 world leaders descend this week on New York, officials said on Tuesday.
“The potential for disruption to our country’s telecommunications posed by this network of devices cannot be overstated,” Secret Service Director Sean Curran said in a statement.
Agents were first tipped off last spring, and officials believe the plot is connected to the Chinese government, according to one law enforcement source briefed on the probe.
The threat was uncovered as part of the Secret Service’s normal work of protecting the president, his family and key administration officials, the source said.
The agency declined to specify how the plot was uncovered, but a law enforcement official briefed on the case said agents stumbled onto it while investigating threats to three people, including one with direct access to President Donald Trump.
No one has been arrested yet, officials said. The probe is ongoing.
Agency officials said they were reluctant to discuss key details because of the ongoing investigation as well as international sensitivities, given the fact that they believe a foreign government was apparently involved.
Secret Service personnel along with officers from the New York Police Department and other federal agencies said they seized hundreds of servers and more than 100,000 cellphone SIM cards in multiple locations around the New York metro area.
The Secret Service is still working to determine what all of the equipment was meant to do and whether there was a specific target. There was enough equipment to send 30 million anonymous texts per minute — more than enough to bring the region’s interconnected phone systems to its knees, according to the Secret Service.
It was not clear that the equipment was supposed to be triggered either during the United Nations General Assembly or in connection with it, officials said. Investigators said they do not believe there is a direct threat to the gathering, but in the current climate of fear caused by wars around the world and political violence in the United States, Secret Service officials said they would not be taking any chances. Investigators are also looking into the possibility that there are other locations.
The UNGA kicked off Monday at the United Nations headquarters on the East Side of Manhattan. Trump is scheduled to address the gathering Tuesday. The gathering concludes on Sept. 29.
Hurricane Gabrielle in the Atlantic Ocean is seen in a satellite image, Sept. 22, 2025. (NOAA)
(NEW YORK) — Tropical activity is ramping up in the Atlantic Basin.
Along with Hurricane Gabrielle, which is currently tracking east of Bermuda, the National Hurricane Center is monitoring two tropical disturbances in the central Atlantic for potential development this week.
The first disturbance, located about halfway between the Lesser Antilles and the Cabo Verde Islands, now has an 80% chance of development within the next seven days, according to the latest forecast.
Shower and thunderstorm activity has increased over the past 24 hours, and environmental conditions are expected to become more favorable for development by Tuesday. The National Hurricane Center says a tropical depression is likely to form by mid to late week as the system moves west-northwestward.
Given the prevailing weather pattern, forecast guidance currently favors a track fairly similar to Gabrielle’s.
The second disturbance, a disorganized area of showers and thunderstorms, is currently situated several hundred miles east of the Lesser Antilles, west of the first system. Slow development is possible over the coming days as environmental conditions gradually become more favorable.
A tropical depression could form late this week as the system moves into the southwestern Atlantic Ocean, according to the National Hurricane Center. It currently has a 50% chance of development within the next seven days.
Regardless of development, the system could bring a period of gusty winds and showers to the Leeward Islands early this week as it tracks to the west-northwest.
The next tropical depression to form would be upgraded to a tropical storm once maximum sustained winds reach at least 39 mph, at which point it would receive a name. The next name on the list is Humberto.
Gabrielle’s development marked the end of a notably quiet period in the Atlantic Basin, a stretch that included the climatological peak of the hurricane season on Sept. 10.
Tropical activity is expected to continue increasing in the coming weeks as conditions become more favorable for development, forecasters say.
According to NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, the odds of tropical development are increasing across parts of the Atlantic Basin as large-scale environmental conditions become more conducive, a trend likely to continue into early October.
Experts at Colorado State University echo that forecast, noting that shifts in wind patterns and other atmospheric factors could support a noticeable uptick in activity.
While the climatological peak of the Atlantic hurricane season has passed, roughly 60% of tropical activity typically occurs after Sept. 10, on average, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Historically speaking, about two-thirds of all Atlantic hurricane season activity occurs between Aug. 20 and Oct. 10.
Last year demonstrated that late September and early October can be an active period for tropical development, with multiple threats that may be high-impact and potentially devastating.
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ daughters leave Manhattan Federal Court after court adjourned for his sex trafficking and racketeering trial on July 1, 2025. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Sean “Diddy” Combs deserves a prison sentence of no more than 14 months — a sentence that would effectively amount to time served — after a jury convicted him earlier this year of transportation for the purposes of prostitution, his attorneys argued in a new court filing Tuesday, saying, “It is time for Mr. Combs to go home to his family.”
Combs, who was acquitted of more serious sex trafficking and racketeering charges, has been jailed more than a year since his arrest in New York.
“Mr. Combs must be sentenced for what the jury convicted him of—interstate transportation of fully consenting adults with intent to engage in prostitution. But it would be unlawful, and a perversion of justice, for the Court to sentence him as if the jury had convicted him of sex trafficking and RICO, or to increase his sentence based on the Court’s own findings about force or coercion or racketeering,” defense attorneys said in their sentencing memorandum to the judge.
The memo runs 380 pages — including letters from Combs’ mother, children, friends and business associates — and takes aim at the apparent recommendations by prosecutors and the Probation Department for tougher sentences. Prosecutors have not completed their sentencing memorandum and the probation recommendation is not public, though the defense suggests it is about five years.
“The prosecutors, for their part, have lost all perspective,” the defense said. “This draconian approach makes Alice in Wonderland’s Queen of Hearts seem benevolent: instead of ‘Sentence first-verdict afterwards,’ the government’s view is ‘Verdict be damned—lock him up and throw away the key.'”
Combs’ attorneys called his case “unique,” since he made no money from the prostitution crimes. Instead, Combs transported Cassie Ventura, a woman who testified under the pseudonym “Jane” and male escorts so he could watch them have sex in various locations, “threesomes where fully competent adult men and women voluntarily crossed state lines and had consensual sex with each other.” The women dispute whether the sex was consensual.
Defense attorneys also appealed to Combs’ character in urging the judge for a lenient sentence, calling him “an extraordinary person who has made monumental professional and personal contributions throughout his 55 years” and who wants to be with his family, a description at odds with his portrayal by prosecutors as a violent, controlling, unpredictable sex fiend.
“He lost many loved ones, including his father, his best friend, Christopher Wallace—professionally known as Notorious B.I.G.—as well as the love of his life and mother of four of his children, Kim Porter, and most recently, his mentor, Andre Harrell,” the filing said. “These events were devastating, and for decades Mr. Combs struggled with serious substance abuse issues, anger and anxiety, and other flaws that he did not properly or professionally address until his incarceration last year.”
Trump International Golf Club on September 15, 2024 after apparent assassination attempt. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Closing arguments are scheduled Tuesday in the trial of Ryan Routh, who stands accused of trying to assassinate Donald Trump on Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course last year.
Routh, who is representing himself despite lacking any legal education or experience, was cut off multiple times by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon while presenting his defense case Monday.
Cannon ended the day with a warning for Ryan Routh ahead of closings.
“Any argument you make … must be reasonably tied to the admitted evidence. Do you understand?” the judge asked Routh, saying that any deviation will “cause a problem.”
“Yes, your honor,” Routh said.
“This cannot be your opportunity to provide pseudo testimony outside the context of the sworn testimony,” Cannon said.
Each side has been allotted one hour and 45 minutes for their closing arguments.
Deliberations will begin immediately after the closings end, said Cannon, who instructed the jury about the law on Monday afternoon.
“I want to remind you that if the defendant spoke in those parts of the trial, he was acting as a lawyer in the case, and his words are not evidence. The only evidence in this case comes from witnesses who testify under oath on the witness stand and from exhibits that are admitted,” Cannon told the jury.
Prosecutors allege that Routh put together a methodical plan — including purchasing a military-grade weapon, researching Trump’s movements, and utilizing a dozen burner phones — to kill Trump based on political grievances.
Hiding in the bushes of Trump’s Palm Beach golf course and armed with a rifle, Routh allegedly came within a few hundred yards of the then-presidential nominee before a Secret Service agent spotted his rifle poking out of the tree line.
Routh allegedly fled the scene but was later arrested by a local sheriff’s office on a nearby interstate.
To convict on the top count of attempted assassination of a presidential candidate, jurors might believe beyond a reasonable doubt that Routh intended to kill Trump and took a “substantial step” to carry out his plan, even if he did not follow through or changed his mind.
“Each of you must decide the case for yourself, but only after fully considering the evidence with the other jurors,” she told the jury. “Remember that, in a very real way, you are judges — judges of the facts. Your only interest is to seek the truth from the evidence in the case.”
Routh faces five criminal charges, including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, using a firearm in furtherance of a crime, assaulting a federal officer, possessing a firearm as a felon, and using a gun with a defaced serial number.
U.S. President Donald Trump attends a press conference with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer (not pictured) at Chequers at the conclusion of a state visit on September 18, 2025 in Aylesbury, England. This is the final day of President Trump’s second UK state visit, with the previous one taking place in 2019 during his first presidential term. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The Wall Street Journal and its parent companies, Dow Jones and News Corp., on Monday moved to dismiss President Donald Trump’s $10 billion defamation lawsuit over the paper’s July article reporting on an alleged letter from Trump that was included in a 50th birthday book for the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in 2003.
The motion contends that the article is true.
“The Birthday Book as produced by the Epstein estate and later publicly released by the House Oversight Committee contains a letter identical to the one described in the Article,” the motion states.
The motion further contends that the article is not defamatory, arguing that “there is nothing defamatory about a person sending a bawdy note to a friend, and the Article cannot damage Plaintiff’s reputation as a matter of law.”
“The Complaint should be dismissed with prejudice, and the Court should award Defendants their reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs,” the motion states.
Trump filed the lawsuit in July in federal court in Florida, seeking damages of at least $10 billion.
The president has argued that the letter is fake and that the signature on the letter is not his.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Members of the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Protective Service police provide security as Ryan Wesley Routh, the suspect in the apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump, is brought before a judge at the federal courthouse for an initial appearance on September 16, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
(WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.) — Ryan Routh, who is representing himself as he faces charges of trying to kill Donald Trump on Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course last year, rested his defense at his trial in Florida Monday following some chaotic testimony.
Routh, who lacks any legal education or experience, was cut off multiple times by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon while questioning the three witnesses he called, two of whom testified about his character.
Routh declined to testify in his own defense. Closing arguments are scheduled for Tuesday morning.
Judge Cannon ended the day by warning Routh that she will bar him from further addressing the jury if his closing argument is “disconnected” from the evidence in the case.
“Any argument you make … must be reasonably tied to the admitted evidence. Do you understand?” Cannon asked Routh, telling him that any deviation will “cause a problem.”
“Yes, Your Honor,” Routh said.
‘Give it your worst’
Routh argued Monday that the witnesses testifying about his character would show the jury he was incapable of killing Trump — though it risked opening the door to prosecutors introducing potentially damaging information about him.
“Give it your worst,” Routh told Judge Cannon after she warned of the dangers of using character witnesses. “We can analyze every moment of my life. We are here to ascertain the truth; we are going to give the jury everything.”
Routh then called to the stand his longtime friend Marshall Hinshaw, who told the jury that he has known Routh for twenty years as both a friend and coworker.
“Is it safe to say you knew everything in my life, and I know everything in your life?” Routh asked.
“I think so,” Hinshaw said.
“Is it your personal opinion of me that I am peaceful and gentle, and nonviolent?” Routh asked.
“I would say so,” Hinshaw said. “I would not expect you to harm anyone, Ryan.”
Routh proceeded to ask Hinshaw about how he treated his employees, his involvement in his community, whether his ex-wife was “not the easiest person to work with,” and his parenting style.
“Would you say I was a decent parent?” he asked.
“Absolutely,” Hinshaw said.
“You are not aware of me hitting or spanking my children?” Routh asked.
“No, maybe the other way around,” Hinshaw said.
“On the worst days when everything was falling apart, was I calm or patient?” Routh asked.
“Everyone looked up to you and respected you in that circle,” Hinshaw said before Cannon intervened.
“This must cease,” the judge said. “I am going to ask you to wrap up.”
“You always took care of people,” Hinshaw said. “You were the No. 1 person in my phone … you were great for me.”
During a brief cross-examination, a federal prosecutor sought to highlight that Hinshaw stopped seeing Routh regularly after 2017. He also asked if the allegations against Routh — including that he allegedly vowed to kill the Trump so he “cannot get reelected” — would change his impression of his longtime friend.
Hinshaw largely stood by Routh and pushed back when prosecutors sought to highlight Hinshaw’s rap sheet of larceny offenses.
“Like many people in America, I got addicted to drugs,” Hinshaw explained to the jury.
When Hinshaw concluded his cross-examination, he briefly flashed Routh the peace sign while leaving court.
‘You have always been a jolly person’
Routh’s second witness was Atwell Milsun, a longtime friend of Routh’s son Oren.
“Would you consider me to be gentle, and peaceful and nonviolent?” Routh again asked.
“I have never seen you as a violent person,” Milsun said. “Under stress, you have always been a jolly person.”
Routh then asked Milsun about Routh’s involvement in the community, including his helping employ others, lending people money, and assisting with community projects. “We are not talking about the police,” Routh joked.
“Did I do enough?” Routh asked Milsun about his involvement in the community.
“You did everything you could,” Milsun said.
Judge Cannon susequently cut off Routh’s questions, saying, “It’s crossed the line many times.”
‘I am not going to guess that’
Routh began his defense with a meandering direct examination of a firearms expert who tested the weapon allegedly used for the assassination attempt.
Routh attempted to focus his questions on the low likelihood that his assassination attempt would be successful because of issues with his weapon and the location of his alleged sniper perch.
Michael McClay, a Marine Corps veteran and expert in sniper tactics, noted that the firearm — a Chinese-made variant of the AK-47 — would routinely misfire, that the rifle’s scope appeared to be secured with a combination of putty, tape, and glue, that Routh was poorly camouflaged, and that hitting a target from 300 yards away would be difficult.
“Is there any way you could put a chance of success rate?” Routh asked.
“With the severity and seriousness of this, I am not going to guess that,” McClay responded.
“I respect that,” Routh said.
Despite McClay testifying as a defense witness, he appeared to be confused by many of Routh’s questions and declined to answer at times.
“Did you suffer mental anguish from being shot at?” Routh asked McClay, a veteran who saw combat.
“I don’t wish to answer that,” McClay said.
The main thrust of Routh’s direct examination of McClay was Routh’s suggestion that the assassination attempt would have failed due to his own incompetence and his being a self-described “coward.” Prosecutors had argued that Routh planned his attempt for months and set up a sniper’s perch with body armor to ensure that he would be able to shoot Trump.
“If someone is not dedicated to their mission 100%, is an exit plan vital to those who are cowards?” he asked McClay.
“I don’t understand,” McClay said.
“In your experience in the military, does it take a special type of person to take another person’s life?” Routh asked, prompting Judge Aileen Cannon to cut off the question.
After Judge Cannon criticized Routh for the “tenor” and “clear impropriety” of the question, Routh unsuccessfully argued that the question demonstrates he would not follow through with the assassination attempt.
“This whole case revolves around intent and state of mind … whether someone has the capacity [to kill],” Routh argued.
Prosecutors briefly cross-examined McClay to highlight how the weapon’s misfiring could be attributed to testing done on the gun after the shooting. The FBI used acid to try to recover the gun’s serial number, which had been scratched off.
‘That information is relevant’
Because Routh called two witnesses who spoke about character, prosecutors said they may seek to elicit testimony about some of Routh’s other alleged bad acts, including his alleged calls to kill politicians, like Trump, as well as his neighbors in Hawaii; racially offensive statements he allegedly made; and statements prosecutors say he made about his assassination plans in which he allegedly said he was “not going to go down easy for law enforcement” and that he would “shoot first.”
“If the defendant is going to try to develop he is nonviolent, that information is relevant,” prosecutor John Shipley said.
Routh, in earlier court filings, broadly described his defense strategy as emphasizing his “gentleness, peacefulness, and nonviolent caring for humanity.”
Among the exhibits Routh planned to use were a design for a DIY skatepark, videos and photos showing him recruiting and fundraising for the Ukrainian military, a photo of a flash mob he organized, and a church bulletin from 1980 when he was awarded an Eagle Scout award.
At the conclusion of Routh’s defense, federal prosecutors suggested they might not present a rebuttal case but said they have not made a final decision.
Judge Cannon — who has repeatedly clashed with Routh over his unusual courtroom tactics — curtailed much of Routh’s defense by blocking many of his proposed witnesses, including an ex-girlfriend and several Palestinian scholars, and prohibiting him from arguing that his actions were justified or that he would not have followed through with the assassination attempt.
Routh’s unorthodox defense case follows seven days of testimony from 38 witnesses called by federal prosecutors seeking to prove Routh came within a few hundred yards of killing then-candidate Trump on Sept. 15. Jurors heard from the Secret Service agent who said he spotted Routh hiding in the bushes of Trump’s golf course with an assault rifle, the man who illegally sold the gun to Routh, and a series of law enforcement witnesses who tied Routh’s fingerprints and DNA to the gun abandoned at the crime scene.
FBI agents also testified that Trump would have been less than 130 feet from Routh had Routh not been spotted by a Secret Service agent. Routh’s rifle, they argued, can hit a target ten times that, and the shot could have been made without a scope.
Two brothers who worked with Routh also testified about receiving a box from him in April 2024 — five months before the alleged assassination attempt — that contained wires, pipes, and bullets. After Routh’s arrest, the brothers said they opened the box to find a 12-page letter that prosecutors argue amounts to a confession from Routh.
“This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump, but I failed you. I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster. It is up to you now to finish the job; and I will offer $150,000 to whomever can complete the job,” the handwritten letter said.
Routh has argued that the letter does not describe the alleged assassination attempt.
At the conclusion of the government’s case on Friday, Routh argued that prosecutors had failed to prove their case and that Judge Cannon, who previously oversaw and dismissed one of Trump’s criminal cases, should toss the case. Routh claimed that the area in the bushes where he was allegedly found was a public area where anyone could carry a gun.
“They maybe proved that someone was outside the fence with a gun, but the gun was never fired,” Routh argued.
Judge Cannon denied Routh’s motion, concluding that prosecutors have provided enough evidence to let the jury decide the case.
(NEW YORK) — Hurricane Gabrielle, which has now rapidly intensified into a major Category 4 storm, is the second major hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic season, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Gabrielle, currently located southeast of Bermuda, now has maximum sustained winds of 140 mph.
Gabrielle is also the second tropical system to undergo rapid intensification this year.
On average, the second major hurricane forms around Sept. 19, meaning Gabrielle’s status aligns with what is typically expected during the Atlantic hurricane season.
As the system continues to track over warm waters and favorable atmospheric conditions, Gabrielle could strengthen even more on Monday before it begins to weaken by Wednesday.
There are currently not any tropical alerts for Bermuda as the storm is expected to pass to the east, keeping rain and wind away from the island.
As the storm passes east of Bermuda, Gabrielle will produce large swells and rip currents along the island through early this week.
The storm could also bring rip currents to the East Coast on Monday, with a high risk from the Jersey Shore to the Carolinas, along with parts of Florida’s East Coast.
The hurricane will push northeast and back out to the central Atlantic in the coming days and will weaken in the process. The storm could sweep along or north of the Azores — a group of islands west of Portugal — on Thursday night and Friday.
As of Monday, Gabrielle does not pose a threat to the United States.
ABC News’ Kenton Gewecke and Melissa Griffin contributed to this report.
(NASHUA, N.H.) — The suspect in Saturday’s fatal shooting at a country club in Nashua, New Hampshire, is scheduled to be arraigned on Monday, according to officials.
Hunter Nadeau, 23, is alleged to have entered the Sky Meadow Country Club in Nashua and the fired several gunshots, fatally shooting one person, according to the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office. Several other people were injured, authorities said.
The victim was named as Robert Steven DeCesare, 59. There was “no known connection” between the suspect and the victim, officials said, as members of DeCesare family grieved for him.
“You’d be hard pressed to find a man more loved, not only by his family but by his many groups of friends from golf, poker and pickleball,” Charlene DeCesare, his wife of 27 years, said in a statement to ABC News.
She added, “I cannot say enough how grateful I am for the outpouring of support from our friends and community. The stellar kindness and professionalism from everyone I have interacted with at Nashua PD and the AG has also been so appreciated.”
Charlene asked the public to stay away from reporting about the shooter’s possible motive. New Hampshire Attorney General John M. Formella said that the gunman allegedly said several statements during the shooting to “create chaos.”
“I’d also caution everyone to beware the speculation and utter nonsense that is being posted about what happened and why. It’s only making it harder for everyone involved, including the police who are trying to do their job,” Charlene said.
Robert’s mother, Evie O’Rourke, told ABC News affiliate WCVB that her son put himself between the gunman and his family, losing his life to protect them.
“He did what I’m sure was his instinct to do. Like I said, he was facing the shooter, not trying to get away, and that’s what his wife said,” O’Rourke said. “I’m still in shock seeing the shooting, but I know he did this: His thought was to take care of his family.”
Robert was preparing for his daughter’s wedding in six weeks, O’Rourke added.
Nadeau is scheduled to be arraigned on charges related to the shooting at the Nashua Circuit Court at a 1 p.m. ET on Monday, according to a media advisory.
He’s expected to appear via a video link, the advisory said.
An earlier statement from officials said Nadeau would be charged with one count of second-degree murder. “Additional charges likely will be brought, including for the additional shooting victims,” the statement added.
The country club contains a golf course, a wedding venue and a restaurant. Authorities did not specify the exact location of the shooting. Initially, Nashua police said two armed suspects fled the scene of the shooting and that one was at large, but they later said surveillance video confirmed there was only one shooter.
(HOUSTON) — A coach was shot after gunfire erupted at a youth baseball tournament in Texas on Sunday, local authorities said.
The Waller County Sheriff’s Office found the 27-year-old coach shot in the shoulder at The Rac baseball complex in Katy when they responded to multiple firearms complaints around 10 a.m. Sunday, according to authorities.
The coach was airlifted to a nearby hospital and has since been released, officials said.
Video of the incident shows players and coaches running for cover during a match after they hear shots ring out.
According to the sheriff’s office, three people were shooting at targets in the area and fired upon the baseball field.
Corbin Geisendorff, the assistant coach for the Texas Colts, told ABC Houston affiliate ABC13 that the scene was terrifying.
“There was bullets flying everywhere. It wasn’t one shot,” Geisendorff said. “There’s bullets flying everywhere off the poles, onto the field. It’s just unbelievable.”
Geisendorff recalled his interaction with the injured coach, who was working for another team.
“I actually went over to the gentleman and saw him, like, right there. I prayed over him,” Geisendorff said. “There was a gentleman who was already there. They used a belt to tourniquet his arm, you know, stop the bleeding really quick.”
Coaches present at Sunday’s shooting said they heard gunshots the previous morning, but they sounded distant.
The Rac complex issued a statement on Facebook on Sunday night, saying all activities on the fields were suspended until further notice.
“We are taking every step possible to ensure this does not happen again on our property. Any future practices or games at the facility are at a pause until law enforcement and our internal investigation has been completed to ensure the safety of all that visit the facility,” the statement read.
Local authorities have identified three people of interest but have not made any arrests. They said they do not believe it was a targeted shooting.
Members of the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Protective Service police provide security as Ryan Wesley Routh, the suspect in the apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump, is brought before a judge at the federal courthouse for an initial appearance on September 16, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
(WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.) — Ryan Routh, who is representing himself as he faces charges of trying to kill Donald Trump on his West Palm Beach golf course last year, rested his defense at his trial in Florida Monday.
Routh called three witnesses, two of whom testified about his character. He declined to testify in his own defense.
Closing arguments are scheduled for Tuesday morning.
Routh, who lacks any legal education or experience, began his defense with a meandering direct examination of a firearms expert who tested the weapon allegedly used for the assassination attempt.
Routh attempted to focus his questions on the low likelihood that his assassination attempt would be successful because of issues with his weapon and the location of his alleged sniper perch.
Michael McClay, a Marine Corps veteran and expert in sniper tactics, noted that the firearm — a Chinese-made variant of the AK-47 — would routinely misfire, that the rifle’s scope appeared to be secured with a combination of putty, tape, and glue, that Routh was poorly camouflaged, and that hitting a target from 300 yards away would be difficult.
“Is there any way you could put a chance of success rate?” Routh asked.
“With the severity and seriousness of this, I am not going to guess that,” McClay responded.
“I respect that,” Routh said.
Despite McClay testifying as a defense witness, he appeared to be confused by many of Routh’s questions and declined to answer at times.
“Did you suffer mental anguish from being shot at?” Routh asked McClay, a veteran who saw combat.
“I don’t wish to answer that,” McClay said.
The main thrust of Routh’s direct examination of McClay was Routh’s suggestion that the assassination attempt would have failed due to his own incompetence and his being a self-described “coward.” Prosecutors had argued that Routh planned his attempt for months and set up a sniper’s perch with body armor to ensure that he would be able to shoot Trump.
“If someone is not dedicated to their mission 100%, is an exit plan vital to those who are cowards?” he asked McClay.
“I don’t understand,” McClay said.
“In your experience in the military, does it take a special type of person to take another person’s life?” Routh asked, prompting Judge Aileen Cannon to cut off the question.
After Judge Cannon criticized Routh for the “tenor” and “clear impropriety” of the question, Routh unsuccessfully argued that the question demonstrates he would not follow through with the assassination attempt.
“This whole case revolves around intent and state of mind … whether someone has the capacity [to kill],” Routh argued.
Prosecutors briefly cross-examined McClay to highlight how the weapon’s misfiring could be attributed to testing done on the gun after the shooting. The FBI used acid to try to recover the gun’s serial number, which had been scratched off.
Because Routh called two witnesses who spoke about character, prosecutors said they may seek to elicit testimony about some of Routh’s other alleged bad acts, including his alleged calls to kill politicians, like Trump, as well as his neighbors in Hawaii; racially offensive statements he allegedly made; and statements prosecutors say he made about his assassination plans in which he allegedly said he was “not going to go down easy for law enforcement” and that he would “shoot first.”
“If the defendant is going to try to develop he is nonviolent, that information is relevant,” prosecutor John Shipley said.
Routh, in earlier court filings, broadly described his defense strategy as emphasizing his “gentleness, peacefulness, and nonviolent caring for humanity.”
Among the exhibits Routh planned to use were a design for a DIY skatepark, videos and photos showing him recruiting and fundraising for the Ukrainian military, a photo of a flash mob he organized, and a church bulletin from 1980 when he was awarded an Eagle Scout award.
At the conclusion of Routh’s defense, federal prosecutors suggested they might not present a rebuttal case but said they have not made a final decision.
Judge Cannon — who has repeatedly clashed with Routh over his unusual courtroom tactics — curtailed much of Routh’s defense by blocking many of his proposed witnesses, including an ex-girlfriend and several Palestinian scholars, and prohibiting him from arguing that his actions were justified or that he would not have followed through with the assassination attempt.
Routh’s unorthodox defense case follows seven days of testimony from 38 witnesses called by federal prosecutors seeking to prove Routh came within a few hundred yards of killing then-candidate Trump on Sept. 15. Jurors heard from the Secret Service agent who said he spotted Routh hiding in the bushes of Trump’s golf course with an assault rifle, the man who illegally sold the gun to Routh, and a series of law enforcement witnesses who tied Routh’s fingerprints and DNA to the gun abandoned at the crime scene.
FBI agents also testified that Trump would have been less than 130 feet from Routh had Routh not been spotted by a Secret Service agent. Routh’s rifle, they argued, can hit a target ten times that, and the shot could have been made without a scope.
Two brothers who worked with Routh also testified about receiving a box from him in April 2024 — five months before the alleged assassination attempt — that contained wires, pipes, and bullets. After Routh’s arrest, the brothers said they opened the box to find a 12-page letter that prosecutors argue amounts to a confession from Routh.
“This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump, but I failed you. I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster. It is up to you now to finish the job; and I will offer $150,000 to whomever can complete the job,” the handwritten letter said.
Routh has argued that the letter does not describe the alleged assassination attempt.
At the conclusion of the government’s case on Friday, Routh argued that prosecutors had failed to prove their case and that Judge Cannon, who previously oversaw and dismissed one of Trump’s criminal cases, should toss the case. Routh claimed that the area in the bushes where he was allegedly found was a public area where anyone could carry a gun.
“They maybe proved that someone was outside the fence with a gun, but the gun was never fired,” Routh argued.
Judge Cannon denied Routh’s motion, concluding that prosecutors have provided enough evidence to let the jury decide the case.
