CNN anchor Brianna Keilar was visibly confused as correspondent Randi Kaye described the day's court proceedings in the trial of Ryan Routh, who is charged with attempting to assassinate Donald Trump at his golf club in West Palm Beach last year while he was on the campaign trail. In particular, Keilar was baffled at how Routh conducted himself in the courtroom.
Routh is representing himself in court, which is being presided over by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, the same Trump-appointed judge who generated intense controversy for burying Trump's own criminal trial over stealing classified documents.
"Randi, what's the latest? How's this going?" asked Keilar.
"Brianna, it's been a really interesting day in court," said Kaye. "It started off pretty well for Ryan Routh. He seemed to be in good spirits. He was taking notes. He was using a highlighter during some of the opening arguments and testimony. But it got off the rails for him during his opening statements. That's when he said to the jury, 'Thanks for being here. I'm sorry to disrupt your lives.' And then he launched into a rant about genocide, about Putin, Netanyahu, and Hitler. Also started crying at one point, and the judge eventually after just less than five minutes actually cut him off and said, 'I have limited patience. Don't make a mockery of this courtroom.' She said that he relinquished his right to conclude his opening statement. So that was the end of that."
By contrast, Kaye continued, "the prosecution had a more traditional opening statement, telling us about the several aliases that Ryan Routh had allegedly used. Also the 17 trips that he allegedly had made to Trump's golf club before this incident. He also showed a handwritten list that he said that Ryan Routh had made. It was called a gear list, which included diapers because he was going to be there for about 10 hours laying in wait, allegedly, and also a note to himself to wear bug spray."
Thus far, she said, there have been two witnesses in the case.
"One was a Secret Service agent who had allegedly spotted Routh along the fence line there at the golf club," said Kaye. "He described being five feet away from Ryan Routh and saying to him, 'Hey sir.' When he noticed him, he said that Routh smiled at him and then groaned. Now, Routh cross-examined the Secret Service agent and he said to him on the opening, 'Good to see you. Is it good to be alive?'"
"There was also a second witness," she added. "This was the man who spotted Routh fleeing, allegedly, and took pictures of him and IDed him for authorities. Ruth said to him in the end, 'You're my hero. You're a good man. You're the man. You're an American hero.' And then, before closing his cross-examination, he asked this witness, 'Are you a Trump supporter?' That was stricken from the record."
"That is a strange day in court," said Keilar.
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