Photo: NICOLAS GARCIA / AFP / Getty Images
The man charged in the attempted assassination of President Trump at his West Palm Beach golf course last year acted as his own attorney during a pretrial conference yesterday.
Jury selection is set to begin next Monday in the case of Ryan Routh.
Fort Pierce Federal Judge Aileen Cannon warned the 59-year-old about how he must conduct himself in front of jurors. She granted his request in July to defend himself but ordered his court-appointed attorneys to be on standby.
Yesterday it was discovered that Routh filed with the court a golf challenge for President Trump. He wrote that if Trump wins, he can execute Routh, but if Routh wins, he gets Trump's job.
The judge also ordered Routh to wear professional business attire, after there was concern that he might wear clothing featuring unapproved slogans.
The hearing also featured a contentious exchange over Routh's proposed witness list. The prosecution argued that Routh had added over 10 new witnesses to his list without approval, including a former romantic partner, Harvard professors, and even the President himself. Routh attempted to justify the additions by saying the witnesses would "speak well to his character." Judge Cannon quickly denied the addition of the new witnesses, calling the request "clearly absurd."
Opening statements are expected next Thursday and the trial is expected to last up to four weeks at the Fort Pierce federal Courthouse.