Ryan Wesley Routh, the individual accused of trying to assassinate former President Donald Trump earlier in September, has pleaded not guilty to five federal charges.
Routh, 58, appeared in federal court on Monday to enter his plea to the charges, which include attempted assassination of a major political candidate and assault of a federal officer, according to The Associated Press:
Ryan Wesley Routh appeared briefly in the federal court in West Palm Beach days after a grand jury handed down a five-count indictment stemming from the second attempt on Trump’s life since July.
Routh entered the courtroom handcuffed in a tan jumpsuit and waved his hands at reporters gathered to watch the proceedings. His lawyers declined to comment after the hearing.
Secret Service prevented the attack at a West Palm Beach golf club at which the former president was playing, when an agent spotted the defendant with a rifle nearby.
The agent opened fire at Routh, who fled the scene. He was later arrested on a highway in a nearby county. The defendant did not fire any shots during the incident and the authorities found a digital camera, a backpack, and a loaded rifle. It is believed that he had been camped out at the location for 12 hours.
It was later revealed that Routh was a Biden supporter and had donated to Democratic candidates on numerous occasions. His son indicated that the defendant hated the former president.
The defendant reportedly wrote a letter to the public to be read if he failed to kill Trump. “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. It is up to you now to finish the job and I will offer $150,000 to whomever can complete the job,” he allegedly wrote:
The DOJ released a letter written by Ryan Wesley Routh offering $150,000 to anyone who could 'finish the job' on President Trump.
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) September 23, 2024
The DOJ, which is trying to put Trump in prison, is now offering a bounty on Trump’s head by releasing this.
Why else would they release this? pic.twitter.com/r5u3RFBrIC
Routh had been known to the authorities when he worked to recruit Americans to travel to Ukraine to aid in its war against Russia:
The records further reflected that CBP officials were aware of Routh’s travels to Warsaw, Poland, and Istanbul, Turkey, in 2022 and 2023. In addition, they reveal that Routh:
“[A]dmitted in his interview that he had been recruiting as many as 100 foreign fighters from Taiwan, Afghanistan and Moldova to join Ukraine’s war against the Russian invasion.
“Routh even gave U.S. agents who interviewed him a business card that portrayed him as the director of a group called the “International Volunteer Center” that also claimed to have contact in Syria, Pakistan and Israel. He also described who had underwritten his efforts to recruit foreigners to assist Kyiv.
“‘Subject is a USC who had traveled to Kiev, Ukraine for 3 months to help recruit Soldiers from Afghanistan, Moldova, and Taiwan, to fight in the Ukrainian war against Russia,’ the CBP interview notes of Routh state.
Prosecutors initially charged Routh for gun offenses, then pursued additional charges before a grand jury, according to The Associated Press.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member