by Nicholas Ballasy
Ryan Routh, the suspect accused of attempting to assassinate former President Trump in Florida, apparently wrote a note months prior to the incident indicating he intended to kill Trump, according to a court filing released on Monday.
“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,” said the handwritten letter, which federal prosecutors revealed in a filing in support of the pretrial detention of Routh on Monday.
According to the filing, law enforcement was contacted on September 18, 2024 by a civilian witness who stated that Routh had “dropped off a box at his residence several months prior” and after learning of the September 15 assassination attempt, the witness decided to open the box.
“The witness stated the box contained ammunition, a metal pipe, miscellaneous building materials, tools, four phones, and various letters,” read the filing.
The handwritten letter about assassinating Trump, addressed to “The World,” was apparently found inside the box.
In the letter, Routh said Trump is “unfit to be anything, much less a U.S. president.”
The filing shows the first page of what it appears to be a longer letter.
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Nicholas Ballasy