Screengrab taken from AFPTV on September 16, 2024 shows Ryan Wesley Routh speaking during an interview at a rally to urge foreign leaders and international organizations to help provide humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians and Ukrainian servicemen from Mariupol in central Kyiv on April 27, 2022, amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by -/AFPTV/AFP via Getty Images)
OAN Staff Brooke Mallory 10:39 AM – Monday, September 16, 2024
Federal firearms charges were brought against the purported Trump shooter who, according to investigators, attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump on his golf course over the weekend, but failed just like 20-year-old Matthew Thomas Crooks.
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The disturbed man grinned in a federal courthouse on Monday morning in Florida.
Before making an appearance at the federal courts in West Palm Beach, Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was spotted with his hands and feet cuffed and dressed in dark blue prison scrubs.
Routh has a lengthy criminal history, previously donated to ActBlue, a platform for Democrat political causes, at least 19 times, and he is an avid supporter of Ukraine.
“Records from the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction reveal Routh’s long history of trouble with the law, including a 2002 conviction on a felony charge of possessing a weapon of mass destruction,” NPR reported.
North Carolina voting records show that he voted in person in the Democrat primary election in March 2024, the outlet continued. “He is also listed as having voted in the general elections in 2008 and 2012, and municipal elections in 2009.”
Before his hearing, he was spotted smiling and conversing with assistant public defense Kristy Militello.
“Routh was charged with possessing a firearm despite being a convicted felon and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number,” The Post reported.
In the event that the investigation is prolonged and an indictment is requested, more accusations could be brought against him, according to the prosecution.
Routh was informed by the judge that he was eligible for a federal public defender as he has “little or no assets.” Routh claimed to have no savings and no money, yet he did not disclose where he gets his $3,000 monthly salary. He also claimed to help support his 25-year-old son and to be the owner of two vehicles in Hawaii.
Until his arraignment on September 30th, Routh will remain in custody.
The 58-year-old has been portrayed in public records, social media posts, and interviews as a strong Trump critic. He was fervent about helping Ukraine in its conflict with Russia and even attempted to journey to the front lines in order to fight.
“I AM WILLING TO FLY TO KRAKOW AND GO TO THE BORDER OF UKRAINE TO VOLUNTEER AND FIGHT AND DIE…Can I be the example We must win,” Routh wrote on X in 2022.
He added that he occasionally “supports” his 25-year-old son, who admitted to the press that his father absolutely hated Trump yet still maintained that he was not typically “violent.”
According to officials, Routh can receive a term of up to 15 years in jail if found guilty of the first accusation and up to five years if found guilty of the second.
While Trump was playing golf, authorities said that Routh pushed his AK-47 rifle’s muzzle through a chain-link fence between 300 and 500 yards away from the former president.
One hole ahead of Trump on the golf course, a Secret Service agent noticed the gun sticking through the fence and immediately opened fire at Routh.
According to police, Routh was equipped with a GoPro camera, bags, and a scope on his rifle to record the incident. After escaping the area, the suspect was then apprehended shortly after on I-95.
“Thank God we found that car,” Martin County Sheriff Will Snyder said. “I think we were able to give former President Trump piece of mind.”
🚨ALERT FROM PRESIDENT TRUMP:
My resolve is only stronger after another attempt on my life!
I will never slow down.
I will never give up.
I WILL NEVER SURRENDER!
I thank God every day for having supporters like you on my side.
