A federal judge on Friday allowed the Justice Department to keep key evidence in the Trump assassination case under wraps, citing potential “exceptionally grave damages” to U.S. national security.
The Friday order from U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon stems from a DOJ motion to block the release of classified materials in the case of Ryan Routh, the man accused of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump at his Florida golf course last September.
Routh has not been permitted to view the classified evidence. He wasn’t even allowed to see the DOJ’s motion or attend the secret hearing related to it, according to reports.
Cannon did not elaborate in her ruling, stating only that disclosure of the materials “could cause serious damage or exceptionally grave damages to the national security of the United States.”
The classified evidence may be tied to Routh’s 2022 trip to Ukraine, where he attempted to recruit fighters to join the U.S. proxy war against Russia. In a 2023 self-published book, Routh claimed his “best partner” in Ukraine was an Israeli. The DOJ later accused him of trying to purchase a rocket launcher from a purported Ukrainian as part of his alleged plot.
Investigators also found that Routh had been in contact with Afghan commandos living illegally in Iran, as well as Mexico.
The Justice Department’s secret motion—and Cannon’s decision to grant it—were made under the Classified Information Procedures Act (CIPA), which allows the government to keep national security information from the defense, even if it limits the defendant’s access to evidence.
Section 4 of CIPA, according to the DOJ, “authorizes federal district courts to deny, or otherwise restrict, discovery of classified documents and information.” Instead of producing the actual material, the government can submit a summary.
This is not the first time the DOJ has sought to shield evidence in an assassination plot against Trump. In December, prosecutors made a similar move in the case of Asif Merchant, a Pakistani national accused of trying to hire two hitmen in a plot backed by Iran.
Social media users were furious with the decision to keep the information sealed, and they had theories.
“JUST IN: The DOJ has introduced CLASSIFIED evidence against wannabe Trump (assassin) Ryan Routh Judge Cannon ruled the evidence could cause “exceptionally grave damages to the national security of the U.S.,” so she SEALED it Was this guy a Ukrainian asset or something??!” Nick Sortor said.
“Federal prosecutors have introduced classified evidence in the case against Ryan Routh, the man accused of attempting to assassinate Trump. Judge Aileen Cannon ordered the material sealed, warning its release could cause ‘exceptionally grave damage to the national security of the United States.’ The classified filing signals a deeper intelligence dimension in the case against Routh, who’s already facing multiple federal charges tied to the attempted hit on Trump,” Mario Nawfal wrote on the X platform.
“Wow – now our government is telling us we can’t know the truth about Ryan Routh AND Thomas Crooks. Unacceptable. *The only acceptable reason to seal would be if the evidence points to co-conspirators they are still hoping to nab,” RealClearPolitics reporter Susan Crabtree added.