A would-be assassin of Donald Trump asked for a trial delay and for a new judge at a court appearance Wednesday.
In September, Ryan Routh, 58, allegedly was pointing a rifle in Trump's direction while Trump was golfing at his club in West Palm Beach. Routh faces five federal charges related to the incident and has pleaded not guilty.
Routh asked for a year's delay in the trial at a court appearance, according to WPTV.
"Discovery delays and the extraordinary volume of discovery have made the current trial schedule incompatible with Mr. Routh's due process rights," Assistant Federal Public Defender Renee M. Sihvola wrote in the motion, Post Millennial reported.
Federal Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, will take the request into consideration. Cannon, however, was more skeptical of a request that she should recuse herself.
"Defendant cites a series of factors which he believes, when viewed in their totality, create an appearance of partiality," Cannon wrote, according to NBCDFW. "None warrants recusal, whether examined individually or together."
The incident unfolded Sept. 15 when a Secret Service agent positioned one hole ahead of where Trump was golfing and saw a rifle pointing through a fence, NPR reported. Routh was about 300 yards to 500 yards away from Trump in some shrubbery just beyond the club's fenceline.
Although Routh did not fire at Trump, the Secret Service agent did fire at Routh. Routh fled the area and was later captured in his black Nissan on a nearby highway, NPR reported.
