Would-be Trump assassin Ryan Routh tried — and seemingly failed — to get the Biden State Department to aid in his effort to recruit foreign soldiers for the war in Ukraine, emails obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation show
The records, which were released as a result of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by the Center to Advance Security in America (CASA), raise questions about who was aware of Routh’s activities and whether there was any formal attempt to follow up with him.
Routh was convicted for attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach golf course in September 2024, just two months after a gunman’s bullet grazed Trump’s ear at a Butler, Pennsylvania rally.
Despite the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) initiating an effort in 2022 designed to identify Americans who might turn violent after returning from the war in Ukraine, Routh seemingly was not investigated, Politico reported in September 2024.
Routh self-published a book in 2023 on “Ukraine’s Unwinnable War,” which included a line that seemed to tell Iran it was “free to assassinate Trump.” He was also interviewed in a March 2023 New York Times article about Americans who traveled to Ukraine to volunteer with the war effort.
Another American who met Routh in Ukraine warned U.S. authorities about his threats of violence, informing a Customs and Border Protection official in June 2022 that he was a “ticking time bomb,” the Wall Street Journal reported in September 2024.
“Through aggressive FOIA litigation, CASA has uncovered Ryan Routh’s attempts to communicate with the Biden State Department,” CASA Director James Fitzpatrick told the DCNF.
“Several unanswered questions remain regarding these communications,” Fitzpatrick said. “We still don’t know whether the Biden administration responded in any substantive way to Routh and the contents of those communications – the American people deserve answers here and CASA will continue to fight through this litigation to shed as much light on Routh’s officials communications as possible.”
The State Department and DHS did not respond to requests for comment.
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Routh State Dept. Records by Katelynn Richardson
Ukrainian military units denied any ties to Routh after he was arrested for attempting to assassinate Trump.
In one March 23, 2023 email, Routh claimed his team was “already supplying background checks from the US military through Representative Barry Moore of Alabama,” stating there were “5600 soldiers ready to be transported from Pakistan to a neighboring country of Ukraine and bussed into Ukraine to the front lines to fight.” Moore’s office said they never provided this assistance to Routh.
“A staffer in our D.C. office took a meeting with Routh after he visited without an appointment and asked to speak with someone,” Rep. Moore’s communications director Benjamin Martin told the DCNF. “The staffer determined our office should have no further contact with Routh and referred him to the State Department for any potential assistance. Congressman Moore has never interacted with Routh, and our office did not respond to any further outreach.”
Routh indicated in a separate email to then-Ambassador Bridget Brink and Defense Attaché Garrick Harmon on Oct. 29, 2023 that one of his associates spoke with a member of the U.S. Embassy staff.
“Your staff has spoken with [redacted] at great length and most recently had a meeting where he was asked to provide the execution details of the project as well as accounting of how funds would be allocated and spent and he failed to submit those documents to you,” Routh wrote. “I can be back in Ukraine at a moment’s notice and arrange what you need. Because [redacted] did not fulfill his obligation he is ashamed to give me any contact information since he dropped the ball.”
Both emails received an auto reply. Records released to CASA do not indicate whether any official followed up with Routh directly.
Routh’s sentencing is scheduled for Wednesday. During his trial, Routh represented himself and was interrupted numerous times by the judge for veering off-topic.
Routh has requested to be imprisoned in a state with assisted suicide. In court filings, he also suggested that he could be traded in a prisoner swap.
“Do not let me take my own life and it have zero benefit for humanity or mankind,” he wrote in an Oct. 29 filing.
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