By Sean O'Driscoll
Senior Crime and Courts Reporter
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Judge Aileen Cannon has set a rapid trial schedule for the man accused of trying to assassinate Donald Trump.
On Tuesday, Cannon scheduled the trial to begin on November 18 in Fort Pierce, Florida. She is a Trump-appointed federal judge who was criticized by special prosecutor Jack Smith for the slow pace of the former president's classified documents case. She eventually dismissed all of the charges against the Republican after ruling that Smith was improperly appointed.
Trump was facing 40 federal charges in Cannon's court over his alleged handling of sensitive materials seized from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, after leaving the White House in January 2021. He was also accused of obstructing efforts by federal authorities to retrieve them.
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The Republican presidential nominee had pleaded not guilty and he has repeatedly said the case is part of a political witch hunt.
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Newsweek sought email comment from Trump's attorney and Cannon's office on Wednesday.
The Department of Justice charged 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh with possession of a firearm while a former felon, and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. He allegedly tried to shoot the former president at Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach in Florida.
While Routh didn't fire any shots on September 15, a Secret Service agent spotted a rifle sticking out near a fence and opened fire. Routh was later arrested after police stopped his car.
He could face a maximum penalty of life in prison, and other charges are likely pending. He pleaded guilty to all charges on Monday. Newsweek sought email comment from his attorney on Wednesday.
A calendar call will be held at 1:45 p.m. on Tuesday, November 12, to ensure that both sides are prepared for trial.
"Any testing of electronic equipment to be used at trial must take place at the calendar call. To that end, the parties are directed to bring to the calendar call any equipment intended for use at trial," Cannon's ruling states. She also ruled that all motions must be filed by Friday, October 18.
In contrast, Cannon was frequently criticized for the slow pace in Trump's classified documents case, which she eventually dismissed.
In April, Smith filed a court document expressing his frustration at the slow pace of proceedings and said that Trump's lawyers were deliberately trying to delay the case as much as possible.
At the time, former prosecutor Neama Rahmani told Newsweek that Smith was showing "increasing frustration" in the classified documents case, but would struggle to have Cannon removed.
In her dismissal of the charges on July 15, Cannon noted that there is no constitutional backing for appointing Smith, a "private citizen," as a Department of Justice prosecutor in charge of all Trump's federal indictments.
Smith is now appealing that decision to a federal appellate court in Florida.
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