Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, is accused of attempting to assassinate former President Donald Trump and allegedly left behind a chilling note urging others to complete the mission if he failed.
According to prosecutors, Routh delivered a letter in a box to an unidentified person’s home, expressing his belief that his assassination attempt would be unsuccessful and offering a reward for anyone willing to carry it out.
“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,” the note read.
“It is up to you now to finish the job; I will offer $150,000 to whoever can complete it.” The letter’s contents were detailed in a detention memo filed before a Monday hearing, where the Department of Justice will argue that Routh should remain detained as his case progresses.
Routh’s note, which began with “Dear World,” criticised Trump’s fitness for office: “Everyone across the globe from the youngest to the oldest knows that Trump is unfit to be anything, much less a U.S. president.
U.S. presidents must, at a bare minimum, embody the moral fabric that is America, be kind, caring and selfless, and always stand for humanity. Trump fails to understand any of [that].”
Routh was arrested on September 15 on a road approximately 50 miles from Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course, shortly after a Secret Service agent spotted a rifle sticking out of a fence near the property while the former president was golfing. Secret Service agents fired at Routh, who fled the scene, but no one was injured in the incident.
Authorities later found that the box left with the person, who had contacted authorities, contained other letters, ammunition, a metal pipe, and various other items.
It also included a list of Trump’s scheduled appearances in August, September, and October, suggesting Routh had planned his attack around these dates, according to prosecutors.
Investigators also discovered a book written by Routh last year titled “Ukraine’s Unwinnable War: The Fatal Flaw of Democracy, World Abandonment and the Global Citizen-Taiwan, Afghanistan, North Korea, WWIII and the End of Humanity.”
Justice Department documents stated that in the book, Routh admitted, “I must take part of the blame for the [person] that we elected for our next president that ended up being brainless, but I am brave enough to say that I misjudged and made a terrible mistake and Iran, I apologise.
You are free to assassinate Trump as well as me for that error in judgment and the dismantling of the deal.”
Routh has been federally charged with possessing a firearm with a scratched-off serial number and illegal possession of a firearm as a convicted felon. He may face additional, more severe charges as the case progresses.
Routh is set to appear in court for a detention hearing on Monday. At that hearing, a judge will determine whether he will remain in custody while awaiting trial.
