Ryan Routh’s Letter About Trump Assassination Attempt: ‘Tried My Best’
Ryan Wesley Routh allegedly wrote a message to the world should he fail in his apparent assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump, saying that he “tried” his “best” while offering a $150,000 reward to “whomever can complete the job.”
Routh was allegedly seen by Secret Service pointing a rifle through the fence of Trump’s golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida. He did not fire any shots before fleeing the scene.
He was arrested later that day in Martin County, Florida. He is charged with possession of a firearm while a former felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
The FBI said Trump survived “what appears to be an assassination attempt.“
The Justice Department revealed details about Routh’s motivations in a newly filed detention memo. The department said Routh expressed a desire to kill Trump in a note turned in by an unidentified citizen, who said they received it months before the alleged assassination attempt.
“This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I failed you. I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster. It is up to you now to finish the job; and I will offer $150,000 to whomever can complete the job,” the note said, according to prosecutors.
Ryan Wesley Routh allegedly discussed his plan to attempt an assassination on former President Donald Trump in a letter obtained by prosecutors. The letter offered a reward for “whomever can complete the job.”
U.S. Attorney’s Office Southern District of Florida and Guilford County Sheriff’s Office via AP
The letter also allegedly laid out some of Routh’s frustrations with the former president.
“Everyone across the globe from the youngest to the oldest know [sic] that Trump is unfit to be anything, much less a US president,” Routh said. “U.S. presidents must at bare minimum embody the moral fabric that is America and be kind, caring and selfless and always stand for humanity.”
The person said they received the note inside of a box which they did not open until after Routh’s arrest. The box also contained ammunition, a metal pipe and other items.
Investigation into Ryan Routh
Investigators said Routh camped outside of Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach for nearly 12 hours on September 15.
An FBI affidavit used cellphone data to determine that Routh was at the tree line of the property from about 1:59 a.m. to 1:31 p.m.
Cellphone records obtained by investigators also allegedly show that Routh arrived in West Palm Beach in mid-August and he was near Trump’s golf club and Mar-a-Lago residence “on multiple days and times” between August 18 and September 15.
Officials recovered a digital camera, a loaded AK-47 rifle with scope and a plastic bag containing food from the area where Routh was standing.
Routh appeared in court on Monday for a detention hearing. A magistrate judge ruled to detain Routh without bond.
The Paul G. Rogers Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse is shown after Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, suspected in an apparent assassination attempt targeting former President Donald Trump, attended a hearing on Sept. 23, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Florida. A magistrate judge ruled Routh will remain in custody as he awaits trial.
AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee
The FBI connected Routh to the rifle found at the scene through a fingerprint on tape attached to the weapon, according to federal prosecutors.
Law enforcement who searched Routh’s car discovered a handwritten list of dates in August, September and October with where Trump has appeared or was expected to appear, prosecutors said. Officials also found six cellphones, one of which showed a search of how to travel from Palm Beach to Mexico.
A notebook inside the car contained criticisms of the Russian and Chinese governments and information on how to join Ukraine in its war against Russia.
Trump’s Secret Service Under Fire
The House of Representatives unanimously voted to pass bipartisan legislation on Friday to increase security for the presidential and vice presidential candidates as the Secret Service faces scrutiny for their handling of the two apparent assassination attempts on Trump.
The Enhanced Presidential Security Act, if signed into law, will give presidential candidates the same level of Secret Service protection as the sitting president.
In a separate resolution, lawmakers also voted to broaden the role of the bipartisan House task force investigating the July 13 Trump assassination attempt to include the second apparent attempt.
Former Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle resigned amid criticism from both Democrats and Republicans after July’s assassination attempt. She resigned one day after being questioned by the House Oversight Committee.
“The Secret Service’s solemn mission is to protect our nation’s leaders. On July 13th, we failed,” Cheatle said at the hearing. “As the Director of the United States Secret Service, I take full responsibility for any security lapse.”
Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, was fatally shot after he opened fire at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania. He shot Trump in the ear, killed one individual and critically injured two others.
The FBI identified the suspect in former President Donald Trump’s July assassination attempt as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks. Crooks was fatally shot after he opened fire at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania.
Bethel Park School District
The Secret Service is currently being led by acting director Ronald Rowe Jr.
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