Cannon recuses himself from Trump assassination case

U.S. District Judge Eileen Cannon on Tuesday refused to recuse herself from overseeing the case of the suspect accused of trying to assassinate former President Trump at his golf course.

Suspect Ryan Routh cited Trump praising Cannon for dismissing the indictment of his classified documents, saying it created the appearance of bias. Federal prosecutors opposed the attempted recusal of Routh.

“As Defendant acknowledges, I have no control over what private citizens, members of the media, public officials or candidates choose to say about me or my judicial decisions,” Cannon wrote in her decision.

“I also am not concerned about the political consequences of my decisions or how those decisions might be perceived by ‘certain members of the media,’” she added.

Routh faces five federal charges, including attempted murder of a top presidential candidate, for allegedly guarding the perimeter of Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach, Fla., last month with a rifle while the former the president was on the field. Routh, who faces life in prison, has pleaded not guilty.

Cannon was randomly assigned to oversee both the Routh case and Trump’s indictment, which accused him of mishandling classified documents after leaving office and obstructing government efforts to recover them.

In July, Cannon dropped Trump’s charges after finding that the special counsel leading the prosecution had been appointed unconstitutionally, leading the former president to publicly praise the judge. ABC News also reported that Cannon is on Trump’s shortlist for attorney general for a potential second term in the White House.

In addition to the judge’s actions in prosecuting Trump, Routh’s motion also mentioned how Cannon attended high school with one of the prosecutors assigned to his case and attended his wedding.

Cannon confirmed that she attended the wedding nine years ago, but insists this does not provide grounds for recusal.

“I do not maintain an ongoing personal relationship with the prosecutor and have not communicated with him for many years,” she wrote. “In short, my personal friendship many years ago with the prosecutor has no bearing or influence on my impartial conduct of this case or any other case in which he may serve as counsel of record.”

Updated at 13:15

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