(DCWatchdog.com) – Putting in question the seriousness of the matter, lawyer Alan Dershowitz doubted why federal prosecutors could not prosecute the wannabe assassin accused of trying to kill GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump.
Secret Service agents stopped Ryan Wesley Routh, who was lurking near Trump International Golf Club. This came two months after Trump had been shot in the ear while speaking at a rally in Pennsylvania.
Dershowitz said that even though Routh clearly intended to kill Trump, it is unclear whether the legal elements for attempted murder are fully met.
“Based on my experience, I don’t think they have a case for attempted assassination,” Dershowitz asserted.
“Let me explain why, this is gonna sound so counterintuitive. The guy obviously wanted to kill the president and he took actions to kill the president. Now here… you’re getting a free Harvard criminal law class,” he added.
Dershowitz kept explaining:
“If he conspired with somebody else to do it, it would be an open and shut case, because for conspiracy all you need is an agreement to kill the president or to try to kill the president, and he did certainly agree with himself, he certainly made up his mind.”
Moreover, the lawyer underscored that there is evidence that the suspect wrote a letter saying he wanted to kill the president, or at least he tried to, but he failed. He was planning to give $150,000 to anybody else who succeeded.
“So, if it were conspiracy, it would be a clear case, conspiracy to assassinate the president, open and shut. Why isn’t it an open and shut case for attempt?” Dershowitz continued.
“Criminal law distinguishes between preparation and attempt. Now, there’s no question: He prepared to kill the president,” Dershowitz said, describing Routh’s alleged actions.
In turn, the lawyer said the assassin did everything he could to do it. He had the gun, the ammunition, and the scope, and he surveilled; he sat in the bushes while the first guy who tried to kill the president was killed; there was clearly an attempt.
“He fired a gun. He aimed at the president, fired at him, and hit him in the ear. The clearest possible case of attempted murder,” Dershowitz claimed.
“But Routh never had the president in his line of fire, and he never pulled the trigger,” he continued.
He concluded, arguing the question the court will have to address is whether or not preparing, putting a gun in a location, putting it through the link fence, but not getting the president in the line of sight and not pulling the trigger is enough to turn it from preparation to attempt. The law is just unclear on that.
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