Prosecutors say suspect in Trump shooting attempt wrote a letter detailing his plans
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The federal government has provided new details in the apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at his Florida golf club earlier this month.
At Monday's court hearing, prosecutors produced images of a letter allegedly written by Ryan Routh in which he talked about his plans for what he called “an assassination attempt” on Trump, the Republican nominee for President.
As Trump golfed on Sept. 15, a Secret Service agent saw a gun barrel protruding from the bushes and he fired several shots at the suspect. A witness saw Routh fleeing and took a photo of his vehicle. Deputies arrested Routh a short time later as he sped north on Interstate-95.
Routh, shackled and wearing navy prison garb, was in court for the detention hearing. Prosecutors said Routh was a flight risk and a potential threat to the community and the judge agreed. After three hours of discussion, Magistrate Judge Ryon McCabe ordered him held without bail.
But there was a lot of new evidence submitted by the government, including a letter Routh allegedly wrote months earlier. It was in a box which also contained ammunition, a metal pipe, and other things. The letter, addressed to “The World” said, “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.”
According to the filing, the person who received the box months earlier didn’t open it until after seeing news reports of what happened. There are multiple pages to the letter, but only the first page was entered into evidence.
At the hearing, Routh’s public defender questioned an FBI agent about the rest of the letter which she said contained repeated references to a failed assassination attempt. The lawyer, Kristine Millitello said, “It seems to show multiple times an intent to fail.” And she called it, “Perhaps more of a publicity stunt than anything.”
Judge McCabe said he took seriously the evidence that Routh was planning an assassination attempt and refused to release him.
Prosecutors also produced new evidence tying Routh to the gun and the place where it was found at the golf club. FBI special agent Christian Hull said Routh’s fingerprint was found on the rifle and also on a plastic bag left at the scene.
In addition, Routh was identified by two eyewitnesses. One is the motorist who saw him fleeing the scene and the other was the FBI agent who originally spotted Routh along the tree line outside the fence.
The government also presented evidence from a notebook in which Routh listed places and dates for campaign appearances former President Trump had scheduled. Prosecutors say cell tower information on Routh’s phones show he traveled from North Carolina to West Palm Beach a month before his arrest and spent time near the golf course and Trump’s private residence at Mar-a-Lago.
Some of the most dramatic evidence prosecutors presented is a photo of what they’re calling a “sniper’s nest” that they say was set up by Routh. It was just about 100 feet from the golf course’s 6th hole. The photo shows a gun placed between two bags containing ballistic plates designed to stop bullets that were hung on the fence with just a small space in between for a rifle barrel.
Prosecutor Mark Dispoto says it was designed to protect Routh from return fire, calling it “something you might see in a movie or a war zone.”
In the hearing, Routh’s defense lawyer raised questions about the government’s evidence and about Routh’s ability to carry out an assassination attempt. The rifle scope on the SKS-style rifle found at the scene was attached by electrical tape, a makeshift addition that she suggested wouldn’t make it very useful.
It was an argument that prompted the judge to say, “You’re trying to make the point that if he was an assassin, he wasn’t a very good one?” Prosecutor Mark Dispoto responded that with a high-powered rifle and a target just 100 feet away, “This was an easy shot.”
Prosecutors say they’ll present evidence to a grand jury and ask for an indictment on multiple charges. The most serious one is attempting to assassinate a former President or political candidate, a charge that carries a possible sentence of life.
