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Trump backs House GOP accusation Liz Cheney tampered with Jan. 6 committee witness

December 19, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Republican Rep. Barry Loudermilk, chairman of the House Administration’s subcommittee on Oversight, in a new report suggests former GOP Rep. Liz Cheney should be investigated for alleged criminal witness tampering, claiming she played an “integral role” shaping key witness testimony before the Jan. 6 committee investigating the attack on the U.S. Capitol by a pro-Trump mob.

President-elect Donald Trump posted early Wednesday morning on his social media platform that “Liz Cheney could be in a lot of trouble based on the evidence obtained by the subcommittee, which states that ‘numerous federal laws were likely broken by Liz Cheney, and these violations should be investigated by the FBI.”

Earlier this month, Trump, speaking about Jan. 6 committee members, said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that, “for what they did, honestly, they should go to jail.”

The House GOP report released Tuesday marks not only the latest effort by House Republicans to discredit the Jan. 6 committee, but also a possible preview of its oversight efforts in the next session of Congress beginning in January.

Cheney’s name appears in the report more than 120 times, excluding the table of contents, going line-by-line to blast her participation as vice chair of the Jan. 6 committee.

“Without authority and against House Rules — the role of ranking member, Congress itself must right its former wrongs and declare this appointment of Representative Cheney invalid now,” the report states.

The report alleges that as Cheney participated in the investigation, she colluded with Cassidy Hutchinson, the former Trump White House aide, about her testimony describing then-President Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

The report contends that Cheney not only “backchannelled” with Alyssa Farah Griffin, a former Trump White House aide and a host of ABC’s “The View,” to get Hutchinson to change her narrative but also communicated with her “directly for days.” After that, the report alleges that Cheney also convinced Hutchinson to fire her attorney, Stefan Passantino.

“According to text messages, that appear to be from the encrypted messaging app “Signal,” between Hutchinson and Farah Griffin obtained by the Subcommittee, Cheney agreed to communicate with Hutchinson through Farah Griffin,” the subcommittee said.

“It is unusual — and potentially unethical — for a Member of Congress conducting an investigation to contact a witness if the Member knows that the individual is represented by legal counsel,” the report states. “This appears to be precisely what Representative Cheney did at this time, and within a matter of days of these secret conversations, Hutchinson would go on to recant her previous testimony and introduce her most outlandish claims.”

“What other information was communicated during these phone calls may never be known, but what is known is that Representative Cheney consciously attempted to minimize her contact with Hutchinson in her book, and the most likely reason to try to bury that information would be if Representative Cheney knew that it was improper and unethical to communicate with Hutchinson without her counsel present,” the report states.

“It must be emphasized that Representative Cheney would likely have known her communications without the knowledge of Hutchinson’s attorney were illicit and unethical at that time,” the report said. Farah Griffin indicated as much … in her … message to Hutchinson … when she wrote that Representative Cheney’s “one concern” was that as long as Hutchinson was represented by counsel, “she [Cheney] can’t really ethically talk to you [Hutchinson] without him [Passantino].”

Despite Representative Cheney’s initial hesitation, the Subcommittee uncovered evidence of frequent, direct conversations between Hutchinson and Representative Cheney without Passantino’s knowledge, and also through their intermediary Farah Griffin.”Cheney responded in a statement stressing the testimony “was painstakingly” presented in thousands of pages of transcripts, made public along with a “highly detailed and meticulously sourced 800-page report.”

“Chairman Loudermilk’s ‘Interim Report’ intentionally disregards the truth and the Select Committee’s tremendous weigh of evidence, and instead fabricates lies and defamatory allegations in an attempt to cover up what Donald Trump did,” Cheney wrote. “Their allegations do not reflect a review of the actual evidence, and are a malicious and cowardly assault on the truth.”

Cheney also did not back off her role and the committee’s findings.

“January 6th showed Donald Trump for who [he] really is – a cruel and vindictive man who allowed violent attacks to continue against our Capitol and law enforcement officers while he watched television and refused for hours to instruct his supporters to stand down and leave,” she noted. “The January 6th Committee’s hearings and report featured scores of Republican witnesses, including many of the most senior officials from Trump’s own White House, campaign and Administration.”

Farah Griffin also disputed the GOP report’s conclusions.

“This report is full of inaccuracies and innuendo,” she said in a statement. “The report wrongly states – and without any evidence – that I acted as an intermediary between Cassidy Hutchinson and Liz Cheney for “a month.” That is not true, and these messages demonstrate the full extent of my involvement. Further, these messages weren’t ‘obtained’ by the Committee – they were requested by the Committee and voluntarily handed over to the Committee. I believe in Congressional oversight, whether it be the January 6th investigation or this inquiry.”

Trump has denied any wrongdoing in relation to Jan. 6.

FBI investigating death on Royal Caribbean cruise after alleged incident with unruly passenger

December 19, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(LOS ANGELES) — The FBI is investigating an incident aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship allegedly involving an unruly passenger.

The incident took place Friday aboard the Navigator of the Seas, which was sailing from Ensenada, Baja California, to Los Angeles, officials said.

The unidentified passenger allegedly became unruly and crew members were called in, according to witnesses.

A video of the incident showed crew members restraining the man on the floor with towels.

It is unclear when the man died after being restrained.

“The FBI responded to a Royal Caribbean cruise on Monday when it docked in Los Angeles and is investigating an incident on board that resulted in death,” the FBI said in a statement.

Royal Caribbean Cruises released a statement after the incident, saying, “We are saddened by the passing of one of our guests. We offered support to the family and are working with authorities on their investigation.”

Dominique Pelicot given maximum 20 year sentence in France rape trial that has shocked the world

December 19, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(LONDON) — Dominique Pelicot, 72, has been given the maximum sentence of 20 years in the massive trial that has shaken France and shocked the world.

Pelicot and the 50 codefendants have all been found guilty, with all except one having been charged with rape.

The trial began on Sept. 2. Hearings took place for nearly three months and included testimony from Gisèle herself, who has become a feminist icon in France and across the world.

Prosecutors demanded the maximum sentence of 20 years for Dominique Pelicot and 10 years or more for most of the other co-defendants, if they’re found guilty. Dominique Pelicot had asked his family to “accept his apologies.”

Forty-nine of the 50 other co-defendants face aggravated rape or attempted rape charges. One co-defendant is accused of sexual assault and could face up to four years in prison.

Dominique Pelicot testified during the trial in Avignon that he mixed sedatives into Gisèle Pelicot ‘s food and drink so he could rape her, and that he recruited at least 50 other men via an online chat forum and invited them over to the family home where they are alleged to have raped and sexually abused Gisèle Pelicot. Dominique acknowledged in court that he’s guilty of the allegations and that his co-defendants understood what they were doing, The Associated Press reported.

The alleged abuse took place for almost a decade in their home in Provence, from 2011 to 2020. Gisèle has since divorced her husband.

Dominique Pélicot collected 20,000 photos and videos and stored the evidence, which later helped lead prosecutors to the 50 other defendants — “although about 20 others haven’t yet been identified,” The AP has reported.

She refused to stay anonymous, saying in court at one point during the hearings that she wants women who have been raped to know that “it’s not for us to have shame — it’s for them,” per The AP.

ABC News’ Tom Soufi Burridge and Hugo Leenhardt contributed to this report.

School shooting drills can do more harm than good, experts warn

December 18, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Active shooter drills have become the norm in schools across the U.S., but experts warn they have the potential to cause more harm than good.

Though the exercises seek to prepare students to respond to gun violence in their schools, little evidence exists proving their efficacy, experts told ABC News, days after two people were killed during a shooting at a Christian school in Madison, Wisconsin.

They can, however, cause marked damage to mental health and even serve as an instruction manual for potential school shooters, according to some experts.

“There’s too little research confirming the value of [drills] involving students — but evidence is absolutely mounting on their lasting harms,” Sarah Burd-Sharps, the senior research director at the anti-gun violence advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety, told ABC News.

Over 95% of public schools in the U.S. have trained students on lockdown procedures to be used in the event of an active shooter incident, a number that has risen significantly since the early 2000s, according to a 2017 U.S. Department of Education report. At least 40 states have laws requiring these drills, according to data collected by Everytown.

Despite their ubiquity, few standards exist regulating how these drills should be conducted, Burd-Sharps said. As a result, the practices can range widely, she said. In some schools, training may consist of basic education on lockdown procedures. Others, however, have taken it further, simulating a real life active shooting scenario with sounds of gunfire or even school staff members posing as shooters.

Trainings of this kind can be deeply traumatizing to students and have a negative impact on mental health. A 2021 study by Burd-Sharps and others, which examined 114 schools across 33 states, found an approximate 40% increase in anxiety and depression in the three months after drills.

The effects can be especially pronounced among students with preexisting mental health struggles and those who have personal experience with gun violence, such as those who regularly hear gunfire in their communities or who have survived a prior shooting, Burd-Sharps said.

Rebekah Schuler, a 19-year-old Students Demand Action leader who survived the 2021 Oxford High School shooting in Michigan, said she and her classmates hadn’t taken active shooter drills very seriously until the attack that killed four students and injured seven others.

After the shooting, many of her classmates transferred, going on to schools that held their own active shooter trainings, she said. Many found these drills retraumatizing, she said, and some would have panic attacks.

“I hadn’t known the seriousness of it, but after the shooting, they were traumatizing to a different level,” Schuler told ABC News of the drills.

Advocacy groups like Everytown, as well as Sandy Hook Promise — the nonprofit formed by the families of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting — are pushing for stricter guidelines for active shooter drills that serve to better prepare school communities while avoiding negative effects.

In a report, Sandy Hook Promise recommended guidelines for these trainings, including requiring that they are announced in advance, allowing students to opt out and requiring regular reviews of practices.

The organization urged strongly against simulated gunfire, which they say can traumatize participants and risk physical injuries, without improving the exercises’ effectiveness. It’s a stance Burd-Sharps and other experts said is crucial for conducting safer trainings.

“No fake bullets, fake blood, janitors dressed as gunmen. That is deeply traumatizing,” she said. “And it’s not just traumatizing for the kids, it’s traumatizing for the teachers as well.”

Though few laws govern how these trainings are run, some states have begun taking steps to limit the most hyperrealistic practices. In July, New York banned drills that seek to realistically simulate shootings, and guidelines released by the Kentucky Department of Education recommend avoiding “dramatic crisis simulations.”

Active shooter drills also can come with another grim risk: serving as a blueprint for would-be school shooters on how to circumvent safety measures in planning their own attack. For instance, Natalie Rupnow, the alleged shooter at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, was a student at the school.

“Because 3 in 4 school shooters are a current or former student, by drilling multiple times a year, you are giving the roadmap of what’s going to happen during an active shooter incident to a potential shooter,” Burd-Sharps said, citing a 2016 New York Police Department report.

Experts recommend focusing training efforts more on teachers than on students, and concentrating more efforts around prevention strategies — particularly convincing parents to lock up their guns and teaching students who they can safely go to if they observe concerning behavior among their peers.

“When you compound actual shootings that kids see on TV all the time with these drills, and with lockdowns in response to new incidents, it’s actually not surprising that many American school kids are in crisis. The last thing they need is additional trauma from drills multiple times a year,” Burd-Sharps said.

Paris Hilton-backed child abuse bill headed to Biden’s desk for signature

December 18, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The House passed the Paris Hilton-championed Stop Institutionalized Child Abuse bill on Wednesday, a sweet victory for the celebrity hotel heiress after the nearly three years she’s spent lobbying politicians in Washington on the issue of reform in the “troubled teen” industry.

The measure that would require more federal oversight into these facilities for troubled minors passed by a vote of 373-33.

All those who voted against the legislation were Republican, most from the far-right faction of the party, including Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Andy Biggs and Paul Gosar of Arizona, Byron Donalds of Florida, and Thomas Massie of Kentucky, among others.

The Senate passed the bill a week ago with unanimous support. It now heads to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature.

“I am so emotional right now. I have never felt prouder in my life,” Hilton told reporters after the vote. “Just to be here today and see our bill pass in Congress has been one of the most incredible moments of my life and I just know that the teenage me would be so proud of the woman that I am today — turning my pain into purpose and being a voice for so many people who don’t have a voice.”

Hilton said she traveled to Washington every six to 10 months starting in October 2021 to push for a child abuse bill. She traveled back to the Hill on Monday and has spent the past two days meeting with representatives in order to get the measure across the finish line. She held a press conference outside the Capitol on Monday evening, urging the House’s passage of the bill.

Hilton was personally in contact with House Majority Leader Steve Scalise regarding movement on the bill this week.

Hilton for years has been an advocate for reform in congregate care facilities and residential treatment programs for “troubled” minors. She’s brazenly described her own traumatizing experience at Provo Canyon School in Utah when she was a teenager.

The legislation — which would ordinarily pass through the House Energy and Commerce committee before it could get called by leaders to the floor — was fast-tracked by bypassing that step, according to a source familiar with committee business.

“When the U.S. Senate came together in a rare show of unity to pass the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act unanimously on Wednesday December 11th, it was one of the best moments of my life. It was proof that when we listen to survivors and put politics aside, we can create real, meaningful change. But this journey isn’t over. I can’t celebrate until this bill becomes law, and now it’s up to the U.S House of Representatives to finish what the Senate started,” Hilton wrote in an open letter shared to her Instagram page on Monday.

“To Leader Scalise, Speaker Johnson, and every member of the House: I urge you to think about the children who can’t speak for themselves. They’re relying on us—on you—to stand up for their safety and dignity. Passing this bill would be a testament to what we can achieve when we lead with empathy and courage.”

Hilton has traveled to Washington every six to 10 months starting in October 2021, according to her spokesperson, each time asking Congress to reform youth residential treatment facilities.

She’s met individually with members like Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who thanked Hilton after the bill’s passage last week for her work on the issue, and Republicans like Sens. Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Tim Scott of South Carolina.

Some of her biggest advocates have been the cosponsors of the bill: Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, along with Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., Hilton said.

“A lack of oversight and transparency in residential youth programs has allowed for the abuse of children in facilities across the country for far too long,” Cornyn said in a statement after the bill passed.

“I’m proud that the Senate unanimously passed this legislation to ensure the vulnerable children in these facilities are protected, and I want to thank the countless advocates who have bravely shared their stories to help end institutional child abuse.”

Hilton also testified before the House Ways and Means Committee in June, emotionally recounting her experience being at Provo Canyon School as a teen.

“These programs promised healing, growth, and support, but instead did not allow me to speak, move freely, or even look out a window for two years,” she testified in 2023. “I was force-fed medications and sexually abused by the staff. I was violently restrained and dragged down hallways, stripped naked, and thrown into solitary confinement.”

The Provo school in Utah, which is still operating today, released an updated statement in June 2024 saying they couldn’t comment on the operations or student experiences at the school prior to August 2000, when it had changed ownership shortly after Hilton’s stint there. Provo said it did not “condone or promote any form of abuse,” in their statement.

Hilton has gone to the White House to advocate for child welfare, meeting with policy staff in May 2022.

“We have had some prior conversations with the White House about the bill, and we don’t have a reason to believe that they wouldn’t sign it into law,” Hilton’s spokesperson said.

The socialite’s push for congregate-care reform started in 2021, when she came to Washington in support of a similar measure, the Federal Accountability for Congregate Care Act, which was a different bill that was introduced in October 2021 and led by Khanna, Merkley, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., and then-Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.

Before her visit in 2021, Hilton had opened up about her 11-month experience at Provo Canyon school in her 2020 documentary “This is Paris,” and in a Washington Post op-ed.

UnitedHealthcare CEO killing latest: Luigi Mangione to waive extradition

December 18, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(PENNSYLVANIA) — Luigi Mangione, the man accused of gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, will waive extradition to New York when he appears in court in Pennsylvania on Thursday, his attorney said Wednesday.

The Pennsylvania judge must accept the waiver or go forward with a scheduled hearing Thursday morning immediately following a separate hearing on the local charges Mangione faces.

Assuming the extradition paperwork is in order, the NYPD would transport Mangione from Pennsylvania to New York. Mangione could be arraigned in New York as soon as Thursday.

“I’m ready to bring him back here and make sure justice is served,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Wednesday.

A special edition of “20/20” airing Dec. 19 at 10 p.m. ET on ABC looks at the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and the manhunt that led to the arrest of Luigi Mangione, who went from the Ivy League to alleged killer.

Mangione, 26, is accused of gunning down Thompson outside a Hilton hotel on Dec. 4 as the CEO headed to an investors conference. Prosecutors alleged Mangione waited nearly an hour for Thompson to arrive.

A Manhattan grand jury has upgraded charges against Mangione to include first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism, prosecutors announced Tuesday.

The slaying in the heart of Midtown Manhattan unfolded as tourists, commuters and residents were on the streets and was “intended to evoke terror,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said.

In Pennsylvania, where Mangione was arrested on Dec. 9 after nearly one week on the run, he faces charges including allegedly possessing an untraceable ghost gun.

When Mangione was apprehended, he had a 9 mm handgun with a 3D-printed receiver, a homemade silencer, two ammunition magazines and live cartridges, prosecutors said.

Mangione is also charged in New York with: two counts of second-degree murder, one of which is charged as killing as an act of terrorism; two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree; four counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree; one count of criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree; and one count of criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree.

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to reflect that Mangione will waive extradition at Thursday’s hearing, according to his lawyer, but he has not yet waived extradition.

UnitedHealthcare CEO killing latest: Luigi Mangione waives extradition, could be in New York as soon as Thursday

December 18, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(PENNSYLVANIA) — Luigi Mangione, the man accused of gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, has waived extradition and expects to be returned to New York as soon as Thursday, his attorney said Wednesday.

The judge in Pennsylvania must accept the waiver or go forward with a scheduled hearing Thursday morning immediately following a separate hearing on the local charges Mangione faces.

Assuming the extradition paperwork is in order, the NYPD would transport Mangione from Pennsylvania to New York. Mangione could be arraigned in New York as soon as Thursday.

“I’m ready to bring him back here and make sure justice is served,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Wednesday.

A Manhattan grand jury has upgraded charges against Mangione to include first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism, prosecutors announced Tuesday.

The slaying in the heart of Midtown Manhattan unfolded as tourists, commuters and residents were on the streets and was “intended to evoke terror,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said.

In Pennsylvania, where Mangione was arrested on Dec. 9 after nearly one week on the run, he faces charges including allegedly possessing an untraceable ghost gun.

When Mangione was apprehended, he had a 9 mm handgun with a 3D-printed receiver, a homemade silencer, two ammunition magazines and live cartridges, prosecutors said.

‘Murder hornet’ eradicated from US, officials declare

December 18, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The so-called “murder hornet” has been eradicated from the United States, five years after the invasive species was first discovered in Washington state, officials declared Wednesday.

There have been no confirmed detections of the northern giant hornet — the hornet’s official name — for the past three years, the Washington State Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Agriculture said.

The eradication was the result of a yearslong effort to find and eliminate the hornets that involved state, federal and international government agencies, officials said.

“We are proud of this landmark victory in the fight against invasive species,” Dr. Mark Davidson, the deputy administrator at USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, said in a statement. “The success of this effort demonstrates what’s possible when agencies and communities unite toward a common goal.”

WSDA Director Derek Sandison said in a statement he was “incredibly proud of our team, which has dedicated years of hard work to safeguarding our state and the nation from this invasive threat to our native pollinators and agriculture.”

The public also played a large part in helping eradicate the pest by reporting sightings, officials said.

“Without the public’s support for this effort, it is unlikely we would be announcing the eradication of northern giant hornet today,” Sven Spichiger, WSDA’s pest program manager, said in a statement. “All of our nest detections resulted directly or indirectly from public reports. And half of our confirmed detections came from the public. The people of Washington can be proud that we did this by working together.”

The northern giant hornet, which is native to Asian countries including China and Japan, was first detected in North America in August 2019 in British Columbia, Canada. It was confirmed in Washington state four months later when a resident in Whatcom County reported a dead specimen. That incident appeared to be a separate introduction originating from a different country than the British Columbia one, officials said.

Four hornet nests found inside alder tree cavities in Whatcom County were eradicated between October 2020 and September 2021.

Trapping efforts continued in Whatcom County through 2024, and no additional hornets have been detected in the area, WSDA said.

A community member reported a “suspicious hornet sighting” in Kitsap County in October, though WSDA was unable to obtain the hornet to confirm the species, the department said. Traps placed in the area and public outreach did not yield any additional evidence or reports of suspected sightings, it said.

“All we can say is that the image appears to be a hornet of some kind. How it came to be in Kitsap County, we don’t know,” Spichiger said.

WSDA said it will conduct trapping in the area in 2025 as a “precautionary measure.”

The northern giant hornet could have posed a “significant threat” to honey bees and other pollinators had it become established in the U.S., officials said. The hornets can kill an entire honey bee hive in just 90 minutes. Their sting is also more painful than that of a typical honey bee.

“By tackling this threat head-on, we protected not only pollinators and crops, but also the industries, communities, and ecosystems that depend on them,” Davidson said.

Operator of secret Chinese police station in NYC pleads guilty

December 18, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — One of the suspects accused of running a secret Chinese police station in lower Manhattan has pleaded guilty.

The suspects in the case, Lu Jianwang and Chen Jinping, were accused by prosecutors last year of working on behalf of China’s Ministry of Public Security in violation of the Espionage Act.

Chen pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a charge of conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government. He will be sentenced on May 30, 2025. Lu has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial.

At the time the case was charged in April 2023, the FBI called it in an example of China’s “audacious activities” on U.S. soil.

The location in Chinatown claimed to be a nonprofit organization helping Chinese-Americans but federal prosecutors in Brooklyn, who brought the case, said it “appears to have had a more sinister use.”

Prosecutors said the secret police station was set up by Chinese counterintelligence operatives to harass and intimidate dissidents living in the United States.

“Today, a participant in a transnational repression scheme who worked to establish a secret police station in the middle of New York City on behalf of the national police force of the People’s Republic of China has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to act as an illegal agent,” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said. “We will continue our efforts to protect the rights of vulnerable persons who come to this country to escape the repressive activities of authoritarian regimes.”

Alleged would-be Trump assassin Ryan Routh faces state charge in connection with his arrest

December 18, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.) — Ryan Routh, the man accused of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump at the president-elect’s golf club in Florida, is now facing a state attempted murder charge in connection with a car accident that occurred following his arrest, officials announced Wednesday.

The Florida Attorney General’s Office said it has obtained an arrest warrant against Routh, who was apprehended on Interstate 95 in Martin County on Sept. 15 after he allegedly fled the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, authorities said.

Following his arrest, an accident occurred that seriously injured a 6-year-old girl who was traveling with her family, according to Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody.

“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 said at a press briefing on Wednesday.

The multi-vehicle accident occurred on I-95 approximately three or four miles south of where Routh’s traffic stop occurred, according to the arrest warrant affidavit.

A Martin County deputy located the suspect’s vehicle at approximately 2:09 p.m. It was unclear if any vehicles or explosives were in the vehicle, and northbound traffic was stopped due to the “high-risk potential” of the traffic stop, according to the affidavit. Routh was taken into custody at approximately 2:23 p.m., according to the affidavit.

Southbound traffic was also stopped while authorities worked to clear Routh’s vehicle, and traffic began to back up in both directions for miles, according to the affidavit.

The accident occurred at approximately 3 p.m., according to the affidavit. The child, whose name has not been released, suffered critical injuries after a vehicle rear-ended the one she and her family were traveling in, according to the affidavit.

“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,” Moody said.

Moody said her office has filed a complaint and arrest warrant against Routh on Wednesday. The charge carries a sentence of up to life in prison if convicted.

Moody said her office had reached out to the federal government regarding pursuing the attempted murder charge against Routh.

“They responded that we should not bring charges,” she said. “The excuse and the reasoning kept coming back to the need to protect the case and national security.”

Moody filed a lawsuit against the Department of Justice in October claiming the agency was unlawfully attempting to block Florida’s criminal investigation into the alleged assassination attempt against Trump.

ABC News has reached out to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, which is prosecuting the federal case against Routh, for comment.

Routh faces multiple federal charges in connection with the alleged attempted assassination.

On the day in question, Trump was playing golf on the course when a Secret Service agent spotted a gun barrel poking out from the tree line near the sixth green, according to investigators.

The agent then fired in the direction of the rifle and saw Routh fleeing the area and entering his nearby vehicle, according to the federal criminal complaint.

In the area of the tree line where the suspect was seen, agents found a digital camera, two bags, including a backpack, and a loaded SKS-style 7.62×39 caliber rifle with a scope, according to the complaint.

Trump was not harmed in the incident and was taken to a safe location by Secret Service agents.

Routh pleaded not guilty to federal charges including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate and assaulting a federal officer, as well as several firearms charges.

He is currently in federal custody.

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