Ryan Wesley Routh was charged Tuesday with the attempted assassination of Donald Trump after the alleged gunman staked out the former president’s Florida golf course earlier this month.
Routh, 58, was indicted on the new federal charge of attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate after he was previously slapped with weapons charges, the US Attorney’s Office said Tuesday.
The high-profile case was assigned to Trump-appointed US District Judge Aileen Cannon, CNN reported.
Cannon tossed a separate federal criminal case against Trump in July that was brought by special prosecutor Jack Smith over allegations the ex-commander in chief illegally kept classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago mansion.
The latest charge was brought against Routh one day after prosecutors released a letter penned by the accused would-be assassin in which he allegedly admitted he was going to try to kill Trump.
“This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I failed you,” the chilling letter read.
“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 appeared in court on Monday where a judge decided to keep him behind bars after he allegedly camped out in a sniper’s nest on the perimeter of Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach for 12 hours on Sept 15.
The Secret Service, which was ahead of Trump on the course, spotted the muzzle to a rifle in the bushes and an agent opened fire, prompting Routh to flee.
The Hawaii resident, who has roots in North Carolina, was quickly captured by authorities on a nearby highway.
He was also newly charged with possession to further a crime of violence and assaulting a federal officer, according to Tuesday’s indictment.
Here’s what we know about the assassination attempt on Trump in Florida:
- Former President Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach on Sept. 15, 2024.
- Trump sent out a statement to supporters soon after to report that he was “SAFE AND WELL.”
- The suspect — identified as Ryan Routh, 58, of Hawaii — was able to get within 300 to 500 yards of Trump at a chain link fence on the edge of the course, where he had an AK-47 and a GoPro camera set up, apparently to record the planned shooting.
- Routh has a history of supporting progressive causes online and has made 19 donations to Democratic candidates since 2019.
- A Secret Service agent spotted and opened fire on Routh as he put his gun through the fence. The suspect fled and was arrested on I-95 a short time later.
- According to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, Trump’s security detail was lighter because he isn’t a sitting president — despite the previous attempt on his life in July.
Federal prosecutors previously signaled during the three-hour court hearing on Monday they planned on bringing the attempted assassination charge forward.
The scare at Trump’s golf club was the second attempt on the former president’s life after Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire at the GOP presidential nominee’s campaign rally in Butler, Pa. in July.
One of Crooks’ bullets struck Trump’s ear and the would-be assassin was fatally shot by a Secret Service sniper.
Routh, who has a criminal history, was previously charged with illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
He’s accused of carrying a SKS semi-automatic rifle with a scope attached and an extended magazine during the scary scene.
“Violence targeting public officials endangers everything our country stands for, and the Department of Justice will use every available tool to hold Ryan Routh accountable for the attempted assassination of former President Trump charged in the indictment,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement on Tuesday.
“The Justice Department will not tolerate violence that strikes at the heart of our democracy, and we will find and hold accountable those who perpetrate it. This must stop.”