US Attorney overseeing Trump assassination attempt case made history as Haitian lawyer
The first Haitian-born American U.S. Attorney is leading the office prosecuting the suspect in Donald Trump's most recent assassination attempt.
Markenzy Lapointe is the top prosecutor for the Southern District of Florida's federal court, where Ryan Routh faces gun-related charges after a Secret Service agent saw a gun poking through the bushes of the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, where Trump was in range. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Dispoto is prosecuting the case, court records show.
The historic case comes at a time when Trump has repeatedly spread misinformation about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, prompting bomb threats and school evacuations in the area.
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South Florida top prosecutor already made history
Lapointe, a U.S. Marine Gulf War veteran, was nominated by President Joe Biden and sworn into office in January 2023.
He came to the U.S. from Haiti as a teenager, worked alongside his mother in a restaurant in Miami, and joined the U.S. Marines as a reservist after high school, the Miami Herald reported,
"Going to war representing the United States was particularly meaningful to me,” Lapointe told the Herald of his six-month tour of duty in Iraq. "It mattered to me as an immigrant who came here and could contribute to this country in a special way.”
Lapointe started his career as a law clerk with the Florida Supreme Court, served as an assistant U.S. attorney for the southern district, and then became partner at two Miami law offices, according to a Department of Justice news release when Lapointe was sworn in.
Lapointe was recommended for his current role by a bipartisan judicial advisory commission led by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.
“I am deeply honored to serve my country and community as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida,” Lapointe said in the release. “The proud history of this office stems from decades of commitment to justice, fairness, integrity, and community service. I will follow these principles and strive to uphold the standard of excellence on which this office is built.”
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Over the last couple of weeks, Trump and running mate JD Vance have waged several rhetorical attacks on Springfield, Ohio, claiming that Haitian migrants in the community were eating pets, which local officials have repeatedly debunked.
Vance had said online he heard from constituents with the accusations about Haitian migrants but said he had no regrets about spreading baseless claims, even after it led to threatening calls and bomb threats in Springfield.
Trump also repeated the claim from the debate stage and later promised to conduct mass deportations of Haitian immigrants from Springfield, even though most of the Haitian migrant population is in the country legally, Reuters reported.
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Trump was at his Florida golf course Sunday when a Secret Service agent reported seeing a gun barrel in the bushes near the property line. The agents opened fire, the suspect dropped a rifle, two backpacks and a GoPro, and fled, according to authorities.
The FBI said the incident appeared to be an assassination attempt. Routh was apprehended shortly after and appeared in court Monday morning on charges of possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
Trump was not injured and thanked the Secret Service and local authorities for their work.
President Joe Biden also commended the Secret Service and said, "There is no place for political violence or for any violence ever in our country."
Contributing: Phillip M. Bailey, Paste BN