Ryan Routh, the middle-aged man who allegedly planned to shoot Donald Trump while the former president was playing golf at his Mar-a-Lago resort earlier this month, wrote a note to an unnamed person informing them of his plan to kill Trump months before the act.
Routh, 58, the man suspected of attempting to assassinate Trump on his south Florida golf course, penned a letter “to the world” to be released in the event that his attempt on Trump’s life failed, federal prosecutors said in court papers Monday. The Justice Department disclosed the note in a memo arguing for Routh to remain in detention ahead of his criminal trial.
“This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I failed you,” Routh wrote. “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.”
Routh went on to warn that Trump is morally unfit to be president and suggested the entire world believes as much. The rhetoric is consistent with Routh’s self-published manifesto where he urged Iran to kill Trump and expressed regret for once supporting Trump. The FBI reviewed this excerpt of Routh’s book during its investigation.
His social media activity and political donations prior to the assassination attempt suggest that Routh became a passionate Democrat after voting for Trump in 2016. A pro-Ukraine activist, Routh amateurishly attempted to recruit soldiers to fight for Ukraine, an effort that lead to interviews with multiple mainstream news outlets.
Prosecutors revealed that Routh’s note was contained in a box that the unnamed person opened after Routh’s arrest. The would-be assassin also put ammunition, a metal pipe, building materials, and other items inside the box with the note. It is unclear whether Routh’s note was meant to foreshadow his own attempt on Trump’s life or another foiled plot. Prior to the assassination attempt, Routh compiled a lengthy criminal rap sheet and was known to the FBI because a tipster accused him of illegally possessing a firearm a few years ago.
A Secret Service agent spotted Routh’s rifle in the bushes of Trump’s golf course on September 15 and opened fire, thwarting his assassination attempt before he could fire a shot. He attempted to flee the scene upon the gunfire only for law enforcement to identify and catch him nearby with assistance from an eagle-eyed witness.
Law enforcement found a loaded SKS-style rifle with a scope, a digital camera, and two bags on the scene. Phone records suggest that Routh spent 12 hours around Trump’s golf course leading up to the assassination attempt. Federal authorities analyzed a fingerprint from a piece of tape attached to the rifle to gain preliminary confirmation that it belonged to Routh. The detention memo features a photo of the SKS rifle and the scope.
Federal prosecutors said that a subsequent search of Routh’s car turned up six cellphones, and two of them indicated that he traveled from Greensboro, North Carolina to West Palm Beach, Florida a month before the assassination attempt. Federal agents discovered a notebook with notes on joining the war in Ukraine and criticism of the Chinese and Russian governments. They also found a handwritten list of Trump’s past and future public appearances from August to October.
Between August 18 and September 15, Routh’s phone accessed towers close to Trump’s golf course on multiple occasions. One of the cell phones had a Google search on how to travel from Palm Beach to Mexico.
The FBI’s investigation into the assassination attempt remains ongoing.