Trump calls charges against 'maniac assassin' a 'slap on the wrist'

By Brett Rowland
The Center Square 

Former President Donald Trump on Monday called the charges filed against a man who set up for an assassination attempt "a slap on the wrist" and demanded federal prosecutors allow the state of Florida to handle the case. 

"The Kamala Harris/Joe Biden Department of Justice and FBI are mishandling and downplaying the second assassination attempt on my life since July," Trump said in a statement released by his campaign. "The charges brought against the maniac assassin are a slap on the wrist."

Federal prosecutors charged Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, of Hawaii, with possession of a firearm by a felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. 

Federal prosecutors filed court documents Monday that provided new details about Routh's attempt to kill the former president. The records show Routh had been planning to kill Trump for months. He also left a note that gives indication of his intentions.

Routh, resident of Hawaii and North Carolina and participant in the latter's March 5 primary, left the note with a person federal prosecutors described as a civilian witness several months before the Sept. 15 incident. According to court records filed Monday, the person reached out to law enforcement on Wednesday. The letter offered money to anyone who would finish the job.

The letter reads in part, "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."

In Routh's vehicle, a Nissan Xterra, FBI agents found two additional license plates and six phones. One of the phones contained a Google search of how to get from Palm Beach County to Mexico. The agents also found 12 pairs of gloves, Routh's Hawaii driver's license, his passport and other documents. Those included a handwritten list of dates in August, September and October 2024 and venues where Trump had appeared or was expected to be present.

Trump said he wants Florida prosecutors to handle the case.

Last week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state has the jurisdiction to prosecute Routh for attempted murder and will be more transparent in its investigation than the federal government. Routh is the subject of three assassination investigations and could face life in prison if convicted of attempted murder.

Trump said he didn't trust the U.S. Department of Justice or FBI as he races against Vice President Kamala Harris for the White House in November. 

"It's very difficult to trust the Biden/Harris DOJ/FBI to investigate the assassination attempts, due to Election Interference and the FAKE CASES brought against me, including their control over local D.A.s and A.G.s. ..." Trump said in the statement. "If the DOJ and FBI cannot do their job honestly and without bias, and hold the aspiring assassin responsible to the full extent of the Law, Governor Ron DeSantis and State of Florida have already agreed to take the lead on the investigation and prosecution." 

Trump said the Florida charges were "more serious than the ones the FBI has announced."

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