Suspect in apparent Trump assassination attempt charged with 2 firearm counts

• Ryan Wesley Routh was charged with two firearm offenses in federal court on Monday. If convicted on the two firearms charges, he could face a maximum sentence of 20 years.
  
• Routh, 58, was armed with an AK-47-style rifle and was allegedly 300-500 yards away from former President Donald Trump at Trump International Golf Course when members of the Secret Service detail spotted him and opened fire, according to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw. The head of the Secret Service said the suspect "did not fire or get off any shots at our agent." The FBI is leading the investigation.
• Routh was pulled over and detained about 50 miles away after a law enforcement alert was issued for the black Nissan with the license plate number.  He did not resist when he was taken into custody.
• Law enforcement officials say they found the rifle, a scope, two backpacks with ceramic tile and a GoPro camera in the bushes at the golf course.
• Several people who have spoken with Trump say he was in good spirits Sunday night and has recounted what happened to multiple friends, family members, and advisers. He thanked the Secret Service for their response. He also joked that he wishes he could have finished his round of golf. He has told others he is determined to keep on campaigning this week.
  

FBI special agent says DNA has been found on gear at the scene

Jeffrey Veltri, the FBI special agent in charge of the Miami field office, said authorities are reviewing Routh's background, his online activity and objects found at the scene.

"We view this as extremely serious, and are determined to provide answers as to what led up to the events which took place," Veltri said at a briefing Monday afternoon.

Veltri said DNA has been collected from the rifle and other items found at the scene, which have been sent to an FBI lab at Quantico, Virginia, for analysis. Veltri said they'll be working to compile the subject's movements leading up to Sunday's incident. Veltri also said Routh had an "active" online presence, and they're working to review his activity.

Veltri said investigators are using all available resources and that the FBI and Secret Service are still in the process of interviewing people.

Secret Service chief says protective elements put in place after Pennsylvania rally "are working"

Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe said the agency is using protective methodologies and assets put in place after the attempt on Trump's life in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July. And Rowe suggested Sunday's incident at the golf course is proof that those plans are working.

"We constantly evaluate based on threat," Rowe said. "And yesterday, what we showed is that our agents and our protective methodologies – and there's a lot of tactical assets in place, things that have been put in place as a result of what happened 60 days ago – those elements are working. And that demonstrates the redundancies that we have. And so, we constantly evaluate. We'll of course look at this and see what lessons learned from it, but as of right now, we are constantly evaluating that threat, and if we need to ratchet up additionally, we will."

Rowe said the suspect did not have a line of sight to Trump.

Secret Service chief says suspect "did not fire or get off any shots at our agent"

Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe said the suspect "did not fire or get off any shots at our agent" — the clearest statement from law enforcement officials yet that Routh did not fire a gun during the incident.

Security level at Mar-a-Lago is the "highest it could possibly be now," sheriff says

In a news conference, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said the security level at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate is the "highest it could possibly be now," following Sunday's apparent assassination attempt, which occurred at the former president's golf course just a few miles away.

Biden administration seeks to increase flexibility in Secret Service funding

The Biden administration has asked Congress for special permission to increase its spending on the Secret Service in the coming weeks, even if Congress passes only a short-term spending bill to avert a government shutdown.

Multiple sources told CBS News a so-called anomaly request was submitted in August to congressional committees by the Biden administration. In the request, the administration's Office of Management and Budget warns that without some flexibility to ratchet up spending on the agency in the coming weeks "the Secret Service would have insufficient resources to sustain and enhance protective operations."

Congressional staffers told CBS News there are increasing concerns about the level of funding for the agency. The uncertainty over how much additional funding the Secret Service will need has further knotted negotiations and deliberations over government spending for the new fiscal year, which starts in October.

The request to Congress argues that if the Biden administration is given special permission to increase Secret Service spending in the short term, "USSS would sustain current operations and address additional protective and campaign travel, operations, and overtime costs as they arise."

Separately, the Secret Service has notified Congress that it needs more resources to complete its mission. In a letter sent a week ago to a Senate subcommittee, acting Director Ronald Rowe said, "Increased mission requirements of the Secret Service necessitate additional resources."

Trump appearing live on social media from Mar-a-Lago tonight

The former president says he'll appear live on X, formerly known as Twitter, from his Mar-a-Lago estate at 8 p.m. ET. Trump's last live appearance on X was plagued with technical difficulties.

Although he didn't say in the post what he planned to discuss, Trump said last week that he'd announce Monday at 8 p.m. the debut of a new cryptocurrency platform called World Liberty Financial that will be controlled by sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump. In recent weeks, the Trumps have been promoting the endeavor on social media, touting it as "the future of crypto."

Trump's 18-year-old son Barron, a first-year student at New York University, is identified as the project's "DeFi visionary," according to a white paper on the project obtained by cryptocurrency news site CoinDesk . DeFi, short for "decentralized finance," is a term that refers to financial services offered through public blockchains

Bodycam footage shows Routh being taken into custody

Body camera footage released Monday shows Routh's arrest on a Florida roadside.

The bodycam footage from the Martin County Sheriff's Office shows a group of sheriff's deputies in bulletproof vests with guns out yelling at Routh.

In the video, Routh is directed to move to his right and then walk backward.

The deputies then took Routh into custody.

Routh could still face more charges

As the federal probe into the apparent assassination attempt continues, Routh could face additional charges, depending on what the investigation uncovers. He is so far charged with two firearms offenses.

Attorney General Merrick Garland issued a statement saying the FBI is "continuing to investigate what appears to be an assassination attempt of former President Trump that occurred yesterday in Florida," and, "we are grateful that the former president is safe."

"The entire Justice Department — including the FBI, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida, and the National Security Division — is coordinating closely with our law enforcement partners on the ground," Garland said.

Biden says Secret Service assessing whether "further adjustments" needed to ensure Trump's safety

President Biden began his remarks at the 2024 National HBCU Week Conference in Philadelphia on Monday by commending the Secret Service for protecting his predecessor.

"Before I begin, I want to make a quick reference on the attempted assassination against our former president in Florida yesterday," Mr. Biden said. "I commend the Secret Service for the expert handling of the situation."

He said the acting head of the Secret Service is in Florida "assessing what happened and determining whether any further adjustments need to be made to ensure the safety of our former president. Let me just say, there is no ... no place for political violence in America. None. Zero. Never."

After the attempted assassination of Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July, Mr. Biden delivered a rare Oval Office address to condemn the violent attempt on Trump's life and call for unity.

Map shows locations of Trump, suspect at golf course

Law enforcement officials said the armed suspect was spotted by a member of Trump's Secret Service detail on the perimeter of the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach a few holes ahead of where the former president was golfing. According to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, the former president was about 300-500 yards away at the time.

This map shows the approximate locations of Trump and the suspect at the golf course.

Investigators said a Secret Service agent scanning the area spotted the suspect's rifle in the tree line while Trump was on the 5th fairway, and that Routh did not have line of sight to the former president.

Officials say the Secret Service agent fired at the suspect, who fled the scene without firing any shots. He was pulled over on I-95 about 45-50 miles away and was taken into custody.

No indication Routh ever fired rifle, source says

There is no indication Routh ever fired the rifle, according to a federal source.

Although the serial number on the rifle was obliterated, there are methods investigators will use to try to raise it. If this is successful, investigators will try to trace where the gun came from.

New details on suspect's vehicle revealed in criminal complaint

Routh allegedly fled the vicinity of the Trump International Golf Club in a black Nissan sport utility vehicle and was pulled over on I-95 by Martin County police. When asked if he knew why he was being stopped, "he replied in the affirmative," according to the criminal complaint.

The license plate attached to the Nissan he was driving was registered to a white 2012 Ford truck that had previously been reported stolen, the complaint said.

Sheriff describes suspect's arrest: "He just sat there, really, like he was going to a picnic"

Martin County Sheriff William Snyder says he arrived at the scene shortly after the suspect was pulled over driving north on I-95.

"I was at the scene right after the stop. I had gone from my house," Snyder said in an interview. "I was taken back by just how flat of a facial affect he had. He was displaying no emotion. I mean, he was the — he was coherent, cognizant, but it looked to me like he was just on his way to, early Sunday, Sunday night church service. … We had helicopter overhead. We had a dog out there. We had men with rifles and tack vests. I-95 shut down in all directions. He never so much as asked what's going on. He just sat there, really, like he was going to a picnic."

Trump commends law enforcement for "absolutely outstanding" job

Trump took to X, formerly known as Twitter, Monday afternoon to thank the Secret Service and local law enforcement, commending them for doing an "outstanding" job handling the potential attempt on his life. He thanked Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw by name.

"I would like to thank everyone for your concern and well wishes - It was certainly an interesting day!" Trump wrote . "Most importantly, I want to thank the U.S. Secret Service, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw and his Office of brave and dedicated Patriots, and, all of Law Enforcement, for the incredible job done today at Trump International in keeping me, as the 45th President of the United States, and the Republican Nominee in the upcoming Presidential Election, SAFE. THE JOB DONE WAS ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING. I AM VERY PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!"

Court documents reveal new details on suspect's weapon

The complaint against Routh describes the weapon found at the scene as "a loaded SKS-style, 7.62x39 caliber rifle with a scope." It noted the serial number on the SKS-style firearm was "obliterated and unreadable to the naked eye."

In an affidavit submitted as part of the complaint, FBI special agent Mark Thomas said that SKS-style 7.62x39 caliber rifles aren't manufactured in Florida, which means that there is probable cause to believe it previously likely traveled in interstate or foreign commerce.

Both of the charges Routh currently faces are firearms charges: possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and obliterating the serial number on a firearm.

In December 2002, Routh was convicted in Greensboro, North Carolina, of possession of a weapon of mass death and destruction, a Class F felony. In March 2010, he was convicted of multiple counts of possession of stolen goods, a Class H felony in North Carolina.