A new lawsuit accuses the Trump administration of “wrongfully withholding” records about assassination suspect Ryan Routh, who is currently on trial for attempting to shoot the president last year at one of his golf courses.
“The release of these records is in the public interest because it would inform the public about the government’s communications with Routh,” wrote the lawyers for the Center to Advance Security in America (CASA) in a complaint filed Monday in response to the U.S. State Department’s repeated denial of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests related to the Routh case.
“Over 355 days have elapsed since the federal government received CASA’s requests, yet DOS still has not made a determination with respect to it,” according to the lawsuit. “DOS has not produced responsive documents to CASA, has not communicated to CASA the scope of the documents it intends to produce or withhold — along with the reasons for any such withholding — and has not informed CASA of its ability to appeal any adverse portion of its determination.”
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, accused State Department officials of failing to fulfill their “statutory obligations” to provide the records. CASA filed four FOIA requests in connection with the Routh assassination attempt at one of Trump’s Florida golf courses last year.
Routh, 59, faces charges of attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer, and multiple firearm violations. He pleaded not guilty and is representing himself in court.
“DOS is an agency subject to FOIA and therefore has an obligation to release any non-exempt records and provide a lawful reason for withholding any materials in response to a proper FOIA request,” according to the complaint. “DOS is wrongfully withholding non-exempt agency records requested by CASA by failing to produce non-exempt records responsive to its request.”
CASA’s lawyers argued that the State Department’s alleged failure to make that determination within the time frame required by law necessitates “immediate judicial review” after the group claims it has exhausted all available options. CASA has provided copies of at least four separate FOIA requests dated September 17, 2024. They are looking for records from the US Embassy in Ukraine, the Office of the Secretary, the Office of the Coordinator of US Assistance to Europe and Eurasia, and several other State Department divisions.
“For each of these requests, DOS followed a similar pattern of initially acknowledging the requests and then going silent after informing CASA that a search was ‘in process’ without any estimated production date,” stated the complaint’s allegations. “For all four requests, DOS failed to fulfill its statutory obligations under FOIA and appears unwilling to do so absent litigation.”
According to CASA’s complaint, State Department officials stated in an email dated October 9, 2024, that they would be unable to respond to the requests within 20 days due to “unusual circumstances.” The State Department allegedly changed the statuses to “In Process” before going dark.
“The Center to Advance Security in America (CASA) is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to improving the safety and security of the American people,” the group stated in its requests for information. “CASA educates and informs the American people about the actions of their government and its officials that impact their safety; peace and security; democracy, civil rights, and civil liberties; and privacy.”
According to the complaint, the group seeks declaratory and injunctive relief in order to “compel compliance” with FOIA requirements. It has asked the court to order the Trump administration to produce the requested “non-exempt records” within 10 days of any order being issued, or by any other date that the court considers appropriate.
