Ryan Routh Manifesto Released: 'This Was an Assassination Attempt'

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Facts

  • The US Justice Department on Monday filed a letter written by Ryan Routh months before his alleged assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in Florida.[1]
  • Titled 'Dear World,' it states: '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.'[2]
  • The letter additionally claims that 'Trump is unfit to be anything, much less a US president' and offers to pay '$150,000 to whomever can complete the job' of killing him.[3]
  • Monday's filing cites a civilian witness who said Routh had left a box with him months earlier. Handed to officials three days after his arrest, it contained the letter, along with 'ammunition, a metal pipe, miscellaneous building materials, tools, [and] four phones.'[4]
  • Routh was found on the fringes of Trump's Florida golf course on Sept. 15, carrying an SKS rifle, and is being charged with firearm possession while being a felon. He has previously been convicted of possessing explosives and stolen goods.[4][5]
  • A court denied Routh bail on Monday, saying he was a serious flight risk. The prosecution is set to ask a grand jury to consider the charge that he tried to assassinate Trump.[6]

Sources: [1]FOX News, [2]Washington Post, [3]New York Post, [4]CNBC, [5]Breitbart and [6]ABC News.

Narratives

  • Left narrative, as provided by Washington Post. Given Routh's history of criminality and disturbed statements, it's feasible that he could have left such a note. His reported criminal activity in the US and attempts to recruit mercenaries in Ukraine are indicative of his state of mind, and should have tipped off several law enforcement agencies. While it may have been easier to shrug him off as an typical unstable individual, authorities should have registered him as a potential threat long ago.
  • Right narrative, as provided by Shooting News Weekly. With the US election just weeks away, it's very disconcerting that Biden's own justice department — the same one that claimed the transgender Nashville shooter's manifesto was too sensitive to release — has chosen to publish an inflammatory and extremist letter calling for the death of the Republican presidential candidate. It appears the Democrats are willing to publish incendiary manifestos so long as they pose a threat to their political opponents.