A federal judge has agreed to let the Biden Justice Department conceal classified evidence in the high-profile case against Ryan Routh, the man accused of attempting to assassinate President Donald J. Trump last September at his Florida golf resort.

In a ruling issued Friday, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon approved a DOJ motion to block access to the sensitive material, warning that its disclosure “could cause serious damage or exceptionally grave damages to the national security of the United States.”

According to reports, not even Routh himself has been allowed to view the evidence against him. He was barred from attending the secret hearing and has not seen the DOJ’s motion—an extraordinary level of secrecy for a domestic criminal case involving a direct threat to a sitting U.S. president.

The sealed materials reportedly include information related to Routh’s 2022 visit to Ukraine, where he claimed in a 2023 self-published memoir that his “best partner” during his time there was an Israeli national. Federal prosecutors later alleged that Routh attempted to obtain a rocket launcher from a supposed Ukrainian source as part of his broader plot.

Investigators also uncovered communications between Routh and foreign actors, including Afghan commandos residing illegally in Iran and unknown individuals in Mexico—connections that suggest the alleged assassination attempt may have been part of a wider, internationally coordinated effort.

The DOJ’s decision to withhold evidence from the defense was made under the Classified Information Procedures Act (CIPA). Under Section 4 of the law, the federal government is allowed to restrict the discovery of classified information and submit summaries in place of original documents, even if it limits the defendant’s ability to mount a full legal defense.

This isn’t the first time the Biden DOJ has invoked national security as a pretext to block transparency in a case involving an attempt on President Trump’s life. Last December, prosecutors used similar tactics in the case of Asif Merchant, a Pakistani national accused of conspiring to hire two assassins in an Iranian-backed plot to eliminate Trump.

The latest ruling has triggered a storm of backlash online, with prominent voices questioning the true nature of the classified material.

“JUST IN: The DOJ has introduced CLASSIFIED evidence against wannabe Trump (assassin) Ryan Routh. Judge Cannon ruled the evidence could cause ‘exceptionally grave damages to the national security of the U.S.,’ so she SEALED it. Was this guy a Ukrainian asset or something??!” — Nick Sortor

“Federal prosecutors have introduced classified evidence in the case against Ryan Routh... The classified filing signals a deeper intelligence dimension in the case...” — Mario Nawfal

“Wow – now our government is telling us we can’t know the truth about Ryan Routh AND Thomas Crooks. Unacceptable. *The only acceptable reason to seal would be if the evidence points to co-conspirators they are still hoping to nab.” — Susan Crabtree, RealClearPolitics

With major questions left unanswered—and a pattern of classified filings stacking up in plots against the President—critics say it’s time for full transparency. Whether the DOJ is protecting legitimate national interests or concealing politically inconvenient truths remains to be seen.