A letter allegedly written by Ryan Routh, the man arrested in connection with the second assassination attempt on 2024 GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump, was filed in court on Monday.
The letter, reportedly written months before the attempt, reads, “Dear world, this was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump, but I am so sorry I failed you. I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster,” according to The Hill.
Prosecutors from the Department of Justice stated in court documents that Routh had placed the letter in a box, leaving it with an unnamed witness “several months” before the September 15 assassination attempt at Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course. The witness reportedly only opened the box after learning about the foiled plot, discovering the letter along with ammunition and other correspondence.
The letter also offered a $150,000 reward for “whomever can complete the job.” The golf course incident occurred just two months after a previous assassination attempt by gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where Trump was shot in the ear.
In the letter, Routh stated, “It is up to you now to finish the job; and I will offer $150,000 to whomever can complete the job,” as reported by Fox News. He continued, “Everyone across the globe, from the youngest to the oldest, knows that Trump is unfit to be anything, much less US president. US presidents must at a bare minimum embody the moral fabric that is America, be kind, caring, and selfless, and always stand for humanity.”
The letter was submitted as part of the prosecution’s argument to keep Routh in custody as legal proceedings move forward. A photo of the first page of the letter was included in the filing. Routh is scheduled to appear in court for a detention hearing later on Monday.
