LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Closing arguments are set today in the Florida trial of Ryan Routh, the man charged with trying to assassinate Donald Trump last year during Trump's run for the White House. Routh was arrested after a Secret Service agent said he spotted him holding a rifle near where Trump was golfing at his West Palm Beach club last September. Routh has pleaded not guilty and has represented himself in court throughout the 2 1/2-week trial. NPR's Greg Allen has been covering that trial and joins us now from Fort Pierce, Florida. Good morning, Greg.
GREG ALLEN, BYLINE: Good morning, Leila.
FADEL: So Ryan Routh presented his defense case yesterday. He's representing himself. How did he do?
ALLEN: Well, you know, he's representing himself because he told the judge that he was dissatisfied with his court-appointed attorneys during the pretrial hearings. Yesterday, he only called three witnesses. In all, his defense just took about three hours. That's far less than what prosecutors used. They questioned 38 witnesses over seven days. And during that time, they laid out a very detailed account of what they say was Routh's plan to assassinate Donald Trump. But in questioning his witnesses yesterday, Routh actually did very little to challenge the prosecution case against him.
FADEL: OK. So who were his witnesses?
ALLEN: Well, he brought in as character witnesses two friends from North Carolina, where he lived for a long time and where he operated a roofing company. He brought them to court to talk about examples of what he said were his, quote, "peacefulness, gentleness and nonviolence." He became frustrated, though, by prosecutors' objections to some of his questions, and U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon admonished him for his line of questioning at some point. The judge ended his questioning of both witnesses early after her repeated warnings. The other witness he called was Michael McClay. He served in the Marines as a sniper and was in court to discuss a sniper's tactics and positioning.
FADEL: OK. How would that help Routh's defense?
ALLEN: Well, throughout the trial, Routh and his former lawyers have tried to suggest that the SKS-style rifle that was left behind on the golf course that day wouldn't have worked well or at all. It was never fired that day. It was an older weapon with a scope attached in a makeshift manner using electrical tape. Routh might have gotten a little help on that yesterday from McClay. McClay said that when he test-fired the rifle months after Routh's arrest, it malfunctioned. He said the gun fired, but the second round in the magazine repeatedly jammed. Prosecutors said that was likely due to the effects of acid that had been used by investigators to recover the gun's obliterated serial numbers. They have also said that the gun - whether the gun worked well or not isn't relevant in a charge of attempted assassination. It only requires intent and taking a, quote, "substantial step" in the alleged attempt. Other testimony from McClay, though, was less helpful to the defense, I think.
FADEL: How so?
ALLEN: Well, McClay says he visited the golf course and surveyed the area around the sixth hole, where prosecutors say a sniper's hide was set up just outside. He said it offered what he called a clear shot to the sixth hole, where Trump was soon to arrive.
FADEL: Oh.
ALLEN: And Routh also asked about whether the gun would be effective firing at the fifth hole, where Trump was golfing at the time, which was much farther away. And McClay said, depending on the skill of the shooter, yes. Throughout the trial, Routh's questions for witnesses have been unusual, vague, and the judge has ruled many of them irrelevant. Yesterday, he asked McClay, does it take a special type of person to be able to take another person's life? The judge shut down his examination and admonished him for what she said was just the clear impropriety of the question.
FADEL: OK. Sounds like a chaotic day, to say the least, for Routh's defense. Any idea what to expect in his closing argument today?
ALLEN: Well, you know, he wants to talk about his peacefulness and nonviolence. Given the weight of the prosecution case, it's not clear how convincing that's going to be. We'll see what happens at closing arguments when they happen today.
FADEL: NPR's Greg Allen in Fort Pierce, Florida. Thank you, Greg.
ALLEN: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
