Suspect in Trump Assassination Attempt Spent Nearly 12 Hours in Wait

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Facts

  • Phone records for Ryan Routh, the 58-year-old man suspected of staging an assassination attempt on former US Pres. Donald Trump on Sunday, suggest he was waiting in the bushes of Trump's Florida golf course for nearly 12 hours.[1]
  • According to court documents, Secret Service agents probing the hiding spot found a digital camera, two bags, and a loaded SKS semi-automatic rifle.[1][2]
  • Routh has been charged with possession of a firearm while a convicted felon, and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. While more charges are expected, the initial ones will keep him detained while authorities continued to investigate.[3]
  • According to reports, Routh has a lengthy record of pro-Ukraine advocacy. In interviews with the New York Times and other publications, he claimed to have fought in Ukraine's International Legion and to have taken part in efforts to enlist volunteer fighters.[4]
  • In a statement to Newsweek, the International Legion said that Routh had 'never been part of, associated with, or linked' to it 'in any capacity,' with one member adding that he had once rejected a list of 6K Afghan citizens Routh wanted to recruit.[5]
  • Routh had previously encouraged others to try and assassinate Trump. In his self-published book, he apologized to Iran for having voted for Trump, writing, 'You are free to assassinate Trump as well as me for that error in judgment.'[6][7][8]

Sources: [1]Al Jazeera, [2]New York Post (a), [3]CNN (a), [4]FOX News, [5]Newsweek (a), [6]Newsweek (b), [7]CNN (b) and [8]New York Post (b).

Narratives

  • Republican narrative, as provided by FOX News. As was the case on July 13, this assassination plot was ignited by the inflammatory language of Democrats. Their accusations that Trump is a threat to democracy, coupled with their politically motivated lawsuits, unstable individuals have been emboldened to try and kill the Republican presidential candidate.
  • Democratic narrative, as provided by CNN. Trump's efforts to blame these attempts on his life on provocative rhetoric from the political left are ludicrous. The GOP nominee is doing what he has always done — making false claims that he is a persecuted victim of the political establishment. The former president is trying to whip up a frenzy to keep himself in the public eye, without any concern for the effects his divisive diatribes have on US democracy.

Predictions