Q&A of the Day – About The 2nd Trump Wannabe Assassin Ryan Routh
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Today’s Entry: Hi Brian, There's a lot that’s suspicious about the would-be Trump assassin. For example. Did he live in Hawaii, or did he live in North Carolina? What’s the deal with recruiting for Ukraine and Taiwan? How did he know Trump would be golfing and where to position? This seems fishy. Also, what does it say that Trump has been targeted twice in two months before the election? That's never happened before, has it?
Bottom Line: Ok, lots of questions here to unpack as we’re still learning about the background of the second attempted Trump assassin, 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh, who was charged yesterday, on two federal counts. Those counts are for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon (which speaks to his background) and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Those two charges carry with them a potential for twenty years in prison. Routh never discharged the weapon, which for now, pending other evidence that may emerge, is why he hasn’t formally been charged with more severe crimes, including a formal charge on an assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump. So, about Routh and what we know of his background.
Ryan Routh was a 58-year-old North Carolina native (Greensboro area) with numerous run-ins with law enforcement and a troubled civil history highlighting extensive character flaws. Among Routh’s issues are these:
- Several civil cases brought against him for failed/fraudulent home repairs in the 90’s, in North Carolina, resulting in tens of thousands of dollars awarded by courts to his victims
- In 1989 convicted of possessing stolen goods
- A 1998 criminal charge brought by the state of North Carolina for passing a “worthless check” (charge was later dismissed)
- 2002 arrest in North Carolina for carrying a concealed weapon and possession of a weapon of mass destruction (the weapon was a fully automatic machine gun), resisting arrest, delaying and obstructing law enforcement, and driving with a revoked license.
- In 2004 he was charged in a “Hit-and-Run", resisting arrest, and with a concealed weapons violation
- 2008 IRS tax evasion – ordered to pay over $31k in back taxes
- In 2010 he was arrested for the possession of stolen goods in North Carolina (he was sentenced to probation)
There are also detailed complaints of similarly shoddy work that he was performing in Hawaii in recent years similar to what he was found libel for in North Carolina.
Regarding his efforts involving Ukraine...
Routh first attempted to join the Ukrainian war effort seeking to join the International Legion and was featured in a New York Times story, for his desire to do so. He traveled to Kyiv and was shown participating in protests to the Russian invasion, however he never did serve the Ukrainian military. Routh established a website attempting to recruit Afghan soldiers fleeing the Taliban to fight in Ukraine, though there’s no evidence of anything having occurred as a result of it. Ukrainian officials detailed his repeated efforts to assist the legion as “delusional ideas”. The Ukrainian government put out this statement regarding the matter: American citizen Ryan Routh has never served in the International Legion and has no relation to the unit. Rumors disseminated in certain media are not true.
Subsequent to his visit to Ukraine, he self-published a 291-page book, which largely focused on Ukrainian affairs. In it, he encouraged the assassination of Donald Trump. It’s been out for about a year and a half.
As for his relocation and voter registration status. Like many things involving Routh...it’s especially curious. Ryan Routh originally registered to vote in North Carolina in 1988, remaining active through the 2000 presidential election cycle. He was then removed from voter rolls. This is likely due to his criminal conviction in 2002. In 2012, he registered to vote in North Carolina once again and remains an active registered voter as of today in the state. He voted as recently as the March 5th presidential primary in North Carolina seeking a Democratic ballot. Now, what’s especially notable about this is that by all accounts, including his social media and business accounts show he moved to Hawaii full-time in 2018. This introduces additional questions regarding how he could have been a legally eligible voter in North Carolina, shining light on a questionable voter reconciliation process within the state.
When you put all of the pieces together, we get a picture of an unscrupulous man who’d ripped off people for decades performing poor work. Someone with an extensive criminal history including a charge for possessing a fully automatic machine gun. Someone who was “delusional” according to Ukrainian officials (though interestingly a credible source for a New York Times article) and who produced a book calling for the assassination of Donald Trump. It’s not hard to see how he was radicalized by the left in this country. He's illustrative of why it’s critical that the left, led by President Biden and Vice President Harris, cease characterizations of Donald Trump as being akin to Hitler, and an existential threat. The most radical elements on the left, a la Routh, and Crooks before him are susceptible to being animated by those characterizations.
As for Donald Trump having been targeted twice for assassination. There is one other president who was subjected to two assassination attempts and they were also in short succession. Two unrelated attempts were made on Gerald Ford in California in September of 1975. The first attempt was stopped by Secret Service before being able to fire a shot at the president. A second attack resulted in two shots being fired before the attacker was taken down by law enforcement. Ford was unharmed. A bystander was injured in that attack.