THE man accused of trying to assassinate Donald Trump tried to buy a rocket launcher from Ukraine before his arrest, according to new court docs.
Text messages revealed in a court filing allegedly help prove Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, planned to kill Trump in September, prosecutors claim.
Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was arrested by cops in Florida after Secret Service agents saw a rifle poking out of bushes at Trump’s West Palm Beach golf clubAP
AFPThe Hawaii resident was arrested after an eyewitness said they allegedly saw him speed off in a black nissan[/caption]
DOJRouth allegedly left a letter to ‘The World’ about his failed plan to assassinate Donald Trump[/caption]
ReutersThe rifle police found in connection with the attempted assassination of Trump[/caption]
Routh was allegedly chatting with a person he believed to have access to Ukraine military supplies, the Daily Mail reported.
The conversation happened on an encrypted messaging app, according to new court filings.
Routh allegedly wrote to the person, asking “send me an rpg [rocket propelled grenade] or stinger and I will see what we can do…
“[Trump] is not good for Ukraine.”
Routh was arrested by cops in Florida after Secret Service agents saw a rifle poking out of bushes at Trump’s West Palm Beach golf club.
Trump was playing a round on September 15, 2024, when Routh managed to get within 400-500 yards of Trump.
Routh allegedly aimed a weapon into the golf course but was spotted by Secret Service agents before anything happened.
He fled in an SUV but was caught nearly an hour later by officials 50 miles away and was taken into custody.
In the texts revealed in the court documents, Routh allegedly said he needed the Ukrainian weapons “so that Trump cannot get elected.”
The correspondence also allegedly included talks about how much the weapons would cost and shipping logistics.
Prosecutors claimed that these messages showed Routh’s intent to kill Trump.
In the messages, Routh allegedly didn’t just talk about weapons with the correspondent but also about specific details of Donald Trump’s movement.
“Trump’s plane, he gets on and off daily,” court filings claim Routh wrote with pictures of the president’s plane attached.
In a message discussing the July 2024 assassination attempt on Trump by Thomas Matthew Crooks during a Pennsylvania rally, Routh allegedly said he wished the attempt was successful.
ROUTH FIGHTS BACK
Routh’s attorneys are pushing to discredit a crucial eyewitness account from being admitted to court.
The eyewitness claimed to have seen a scattered-looking man jump out of the golf course bushes and drive away in a black Nissan.
The eyewitness, who goes by the initials TCM, identified the man as Routh.
Police say that the eyewitness’ description was critical in finding Routh.
However, Routh’s defense argued that the evidence was “constitutionally inadmissible” as they claimed police helped to sway the witness.
In the filing with the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, Routh’s attorneys claimed law enforcement was “impermissibly suggestive” when interviewing the witness.
The defense claimed that police only showed the witness one picture of the suspect after he was detained.
It was the witness’ description of Routh at the scene, along with the AK-47-style rifle with a scope, backpacks with ceramic tiles, and a GoPro camera found in the bushes of the golf course that led to his arrest.
Routh’s defense argues that the high-pressure environment the witness was in when asked to describe the suspect made it easy “for any well-meaning individual to identify the one, and only, person law enforcement presented to them in this manner.”
DISTRUBING EVIDENCE
The suspect also allegedly left a letter addressed to “The World” discussing his foiled plan to kill Donald Trump.
“I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster,” he allegedly wrote in the letter.
“It is up to you now to finish the job; and I will offer $150,000 to whomever can complete the job.”
Ryan Routh’s letter
The Justice Department released a chilling letter from would-be assassin Ryan Wesley Routh about his plan to kill Donald Trump on Monday.
“Dear world,” the note began.
“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.
“Everyone across the globe from the youngest to the oldest know that Trump is unfit to be anything, much less a U.S. president.
“US presidents must at bare minimum embody the moral fabric that is America, and be kind, caring and selfless and always stand for humanity.
“Trump fails to understand any of [that],” the letter concluded.
In the letter, Routh calls out Donald Trump for failing to stand for humanity.
“US presidents must at bare minimum embody the moral fabric that is America, and be kind, caring and selfless and always stand for humanity.
“Trump fails to understand any of [that],” the letter states.
In addition to the letter, FBI agents also claim to have found “documents that contained a handwritten list of dates in August, September, and October and venues where the former President had appeared or was expected to be present,” according to a release from the Department of Justice.
“The FBI is continuing our investigation into this alleged plot and will use the full weight and resources of the FBI to uncover and provide as much information as possible about what led to the events in West Palm Beach,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said in the release.
“In our country, we have to hold accountable people who resort to violence.”
Routh, a Hawaii resident, pleaded not guilty to the charges of attempted assassination of a presidential candidate, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
If found guilty, he could serve life in prison.
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