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Jimmy Williams
The man accused of attempting to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a Florida golf course left behind a note expressing his intent to kill Trump and was found with a list of Trump’s appearances, according to a Justice Department filing Monday.
Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, allegedly had a premeditated plan to assassinate Trump, prosecutors said in a memo filed ahead of a hearing to argue that Routh should remain in custody. Routh is accused of aiming a semiautomatic rifle at Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach before being spotted by a Secret Service agent, who thwarted the plot.
In addition to the weapon, investigators discovered a handwritten list in Routh’s car detailing dates and venues where Trump had either appeared or was scheduled to appear. They also found six cellphones and evidence that Routh had researched routes from Palm Beach County to Mexico, indicating possible plans to flee after the attack, the memo states.
Prosecutors revealed that Routh left a note in a box delivered months earlier to an unidentified individual, which contained ammunition and building materials. The note, addressed “Dear World,” suggested that Routh anticipated failure and urged others to complete the assassination attempt, offering $150,000 as a reward.
“This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump, but I failed you,” the note read. “It is up to you now to finish the job.”
Routh’s attorney did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Cellphone data indicated that Routh had traveled from Greensboro, North Carolina, to West Palm Beach in mid-August and had been near Trump’s properties on multiple occasions before his arrest.
The incident occurred on Sunday when a Secret Service agent spotted the rifle aimed from a patch of shrubbery at Trump International Golf Club, where Trump was playing at the time. Routh allegedly fled the scene but was captured by law enforcement in a neighboring county.
The Secret Service has stated that Routh did not fire any shots and never had Trump directly in his line of sight.
In addition to the list of Trump’s appearances, authorities found a notebook in Routh’s vehicle that criticized the Russian and Chinese governments and detailed plans to join the war in Ukraine. Routh had previously published a book criticizing Trump’s foreign policy, specifically in Ukraine, and suggested that Trump could be a target for assassination by Iran.
Routh faces charges of illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Federal prosecutors have indicated that more serious charges could be filed as the investigation continues.
