Ryan Wesley Routh, who was caught Sunday with a rifle and scope at a golf course where former President Donald Trump was playing, could spend up to 20 years in prison, the Washington Examiner reported. Routh faces two federal weapons charges, with more likely coming at the state level for the convicted felon.
Authorities believe Routh was at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach intending to assassinate the former president, the second such incident since July. Congress, the Secret Service, the FBI, and the state of Florida are all investigating the circumstances surrounding Routh's offense.
On Monday, Routh appeared in federal court in West Palm Beach for his first hearing. He was charged with illegally possessing a weapon as a felon after he was caught with the "AK-47 style rifle with a scope" by authorities.
That charge carries a $250,000 fine and up to 15 years in prison, with another three years of supervised release. Routh was also charged with Possession of a Firearm with an Obliterated Serial Number, which carries another $250,000 fine and five years in prison with three years of supervised release.
According to Fox News, Routh's demeanor in court was incongruous to the gravity of his situation. Although cameras were not permitted, reporters noted that the 58-year-old smiled and laughed a few times as the judge questioned him.
When asked whether he could afford an attorney, Routh said that his income was insufficient and that he had no assets. He makes only $3,000 a month and has no real estate holdings or liquid savings.
The would-be assassin also claimed that he was supporting his 25-year-old son. Despite his lack of assets, Routh was resourceful enough to plan his ambush against Trump.
Secret Service agents discovered Routh after seeing the muzzle of his rifle sticking out through the bushes just 400 yards from where Trump was playing. They fired on him, and he fled the scene, leaving his rifle, scope, GoPro camera, and two backpacks.
The gun, which authorities told Fox was an SKS-type rifle, is not available in Florida and was likely transported over state or country lines, though no charges to that effect have been filed. Investigators are still trying to piece together a motive, but Routh has a troubled history.
Routh has a checkered past that includes many run-ins with the law. One of the most notable is his 2002 conviction in North Carolina for "possessing a weapon of mass destruction," The Hill reported.
Following a traffic stop, Routh holed up in his roofing business with a machine gun. He was later convicted of the weapon charges as well as driving with a revoked license, resisting an officer, and carrying a concealed weapon, which could all impact his sentencing for the assassination attempt.
However, Routh served no jail time for that incident but was put on probation. The charging officer, Tracy Fulk, was shocked to hear about Routh's recent "escapades" involving the president.
"I figured he was either dead or in prison by now," Fulk said. Over the years, Routh has been charged with writing bad checks and several traffic violations, though it doesn't explain his move to political violence.
Routh deserves to be behind bars if convicted of this attack. Unfortunately, the people around Trump weren't more diligent in making sure someone like him wouldn't get so close to a former president and current GOP presidential candidate.
Former Secretary of State and failed rival to former President Donald Trump Hillary Clinton is effectively blaming Trump for two assassination attempts on him in July and on Sunday, saying that he should try to "calm the waters" to avoid further attempts on his life.
“This is such a terrible thing to happen twice in our country in a relatively short period of time, and it’s frightening to see violence being threatened and used in a political campaign,” Clinton told Katie Couric during a Monday interview.
Both President Joe Biden and Democrat presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris have repeatedly called Trump a "threat to democracy" and used other similar rhetoric, but Clinton chose to blame the victim for the violence against him.
“If he were really a leader, he should be doing what he can to calm the waters, not try to just continue to throw red meat out there to get people riled up," she said.
In Clinton's opinion, Trump is only an effective politician because he “keeps people agitated. He keeps people angry. He keeps people upset.”
“I think it helps to have some sense of history and to know that in many society’s political systems, people who have an ability to connect with the fears, and the insecurities, and the anger and the hatreds of people in their society are very effective demagogues,” Clinton said.
“I think what he has done is to open that door to that in our country,” she said, ignoring the rhetoric from the other side that has been completely overblown in how it describes Trump.
As if her comments about Trump haven't called her judgment into question enough, she went on to say that Harris has run a "near-perfect" campaign.
She considers herself as having passed the torch to Harris, who could now accomplish the goal Clinton had to become the first woman president, during her DNC speech last month.
"As the first woman major-party nominee in American history, Clinton said she “wasn’t sure how I would feel when another woman would be so close to breaking that glass ceiling – and I was thrilled,” she said.
“It’s not just breaking through the glass ceiling; it’s about what’s on the other side of the glass ceiling," she said.
Clinton was a failure of a candidate.
She and Harris have that in common even if they manage to fool almost half of the electorate.
No doubt, Harris is saying "no thanks" to that torch being passed, if she knows what's good for her.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
How a man could carry a rifle to within a couple of hundred yards of President Donald Trump on a golf course now is the subject of not one or two, but four investigations by different agencies.
And a key question needing an answer is how the suspect, Ryan Routh, 58, apparently knew of the golf outing, its timing and locations, when that even had not been publicized.
A report from the Washington Examiner notes within hours of the Secret Service spotting a rifle barrel in the golf course bushes and the subsequent arrest of a suspect, the FBI, Secret Service, state of Florida and Congress all had confirmed investigations.
The FBI said, "The FBI has responded to West Palm Beach Florida and is investigating what appears to be an attempted assassination of former President Trump."
Further, the Secret Service is reviewing its own conduct, which is especially significant in light of the fact it's the second such attempt on Trump's life in just a matter of weeks.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis also confirmed an independent Florida investigation into the shooting, explaining, "The state of Florida will be conducting its own investigation regarding the attempted assassination at Trump International Golf Club. The people deserve the truth about the would be assassin and how he was able to get within 500 yards of the former president and current GOP nominee."
And finally, a congressional task force reviewing the facts surrounding the July assassination attempt, at a rally in Butler, Pa., said it is expanding its work.
Committee chief Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., and Jason Crow, a leftist Democrat from Colorado, asked for a briefing.
"The Task Force is monitoring this attempted assassination of former President Trump in West Palm Beach this afternoon. We have requested a briefing with the U.S. Secret Service about what happened and how security responded," a joint statement explained.
A key question is how Trump's actions were known, if in fact they were.
Former assistant FBI director Chris Swecker said it appears there may have been insider information, as the golf outing had not been planned or announced in advance.
The Daily Mail reported the golf outing "was not publicly known about as it was a last-minute decision."
A reporter, Marc Caputo, said in the report, "Leading up to this, the former president had been subject to some critical coverage in the news media for stoking some conspiracy theories about the first attempt and now that the second one came along, it's going to be had to convince him that there's not some deeper, darker force at work."
In fact, Democrats for years already repeatedly have characterized Trump as a "Hitler," a dictator who would destroy people and never leave power, a scheme that without a doubt could trigger extremists to believe in an attack on Trump they would be "saving" the nation or the world from a horrible fate.
Commentator Charlie Kirk wondered: "President Trump's round of golf was NOT on any public schedule. How did the suspect know Trump was golfing there today? How did he get a semi-automatic rifle so close to the president?"
Further, there are hints that the suspect may have had a link to a neo-Nazi group in Ukraine, where Routh had traveled and for whom he had been recruiting fighters. That neo-Nazi group, in turn, may have connections to the CIA.
Even more, Routh recently had self-published a nearly 300-page book online explaining he'd like to see Russian President Vladimir Putin assassinated, and seems to hope for Trump's assassination.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
In the wake of the second assassination attempt against President Donald Trump in just two months, Democrats have been almost unanimous in claiming there's no room for political violence in America.
But that's not what all their party members have said in the past.
For instance, Del. Stacey Plaskett, the Democrat non-voting delegate from the U.S. Virgin Islands, said, "He needs to be shot … stopped."
She's become a favorite of the party, being named as the ranking member of the House Select Subcommittee on Weaponization of the Federal Government, which is examining how the Biden-Harris administration has turned the bureaucracies of the federal government into weapons of war, and warfare, against Trump and Republicans.
She boasts on her website that in that position she works "to ensure Democratic members of this Subcommittee focus on evidence-based inquiries and not wild conspiracy theories."
She states, "The Republican's (sic) attempt to derail the federal government's obligation to investigate and conduct due process on actions, organizations, and individuals that threaten our republic and create an anti-democratic environment will be met with strong resistance by Ms. Plaskett and her Democratic colleagues on the subcommittee."
She also was an impeachment manager for one of ex-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's failed impeach-and-remove campaigns against Trump.
That wasn't the only threat to Trump, either.
One video has assembled more than two minutes of direct threats, often from politicians, entertainers and other public figures:
Among the comments:
"I'd like to punch him in the face."
"If we were in high school I'd take him behind the gym and beat the hell out of him," from Joe Biden
"When was the last time an actor assassinated a president?"
"They're still going to have to go out and put a bullet in Donald Trump. That's a fact."
"Where is John Wilkes Booth when you need him?"
"I have thought an awful lot about blowing up the White House."
The Trump campaign itself released a compilation of some of the threats, and identified those making the threats. They mostly are political or media figures or political operatives:
Kamala Harris: "Trump is a threat to our democracy and fundamental freedoms."
Harris: "It's on us to recognize the threat (Trump) poses."
Harris: "Does one of us have to come out alive? Ha ha ha ha!"
Joe Biden: "It's time to put Trump in a bull's-eye."
Biden: "I mean this from the bottom of my heart: Trump is a threat to this nation!"
Biden: "There is one existential threat: It's Donald Trump."
Biden: "Trump is a genuine threat to his nation … He's literally a threat to everything America stands for."
Biden : "Trump and MAGA Republicans are a threat to the very soul of this country."
Biden: "Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic. … and that is a threat to this country."
Tim Walz: "Are (Republicans) a threat to democracy? Yes … Are they going to put peoples' lives in danger? Yes."
Gwen Walz: "Buh-bye, Donald Trump."
Nancy Pelosi: "(Trump) is a threat to our democracy of the kind that we have not seen."
Jasmine Crockett: "MAGA in general – they are threats to us domestically."
Dan Goldeman: "He is destructive to our democracy and … he has to be eliminated."
Disgraced Harris staffer TJ Ducklo: "Trump is an existential, urgent threat to our democracy."
Liz Cheney: "Trump presents a fundamental threat to the republic and we are seeing it on a daily basis."
Steve Cohen: "Trump is an enemy of the United States."
Maxine Waters: "Are (Trump supporters) preparing a civil war against us?"
Waters: "I want to know about all of those right-wing organizations that (Trump) is connected with who are training up in the hills somewhere."
Debbie Wasserman Schultz: Trump is an "existential threat to our democracy."
Adam Schiff: Trump is the "gravest threat to our democracy."
Gregory Meeks: "Trump cannot be president again. He's an existential threat to democracy."
Dan Goldman: "Trump remains the greatest threat to our democracy."
Jake Auchincloss: "What unifies us as a party is knowing that Donald Trump is an existential threat to Democracy."
Abigail Spanberger: "Trump is a threat to our democracy … the threats to our democratic republic are real."
Annie Kuster: "Trump and his extreme right-win followers pose an existential threat to our democracy."
Becca Balint: "We cannot underestimate the threat (Trump) poses to American democracy."
Jason Crow: "Trump is an extreme danger to our democracy."
Michael Bennet: Trump is "a threat to our democracy."
Steven Horsford: "Trump Republicans are a dangerous threat to our state."
Gave Vasquez: "Remove the national threat from office."
And more….
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
As more and more information comes out about the apparent assassination attempt against President Donald Trump on Sunday, and the arrest of a suspect, Americans will need to watch that the reporting they read aligns with the facts.
That's after Time magazine claimed that the suspect had an "unclear political ideology," even as images of a Biden-Harris bumper sticker on his truck were available.
The suspect was identified as Ryan Routh, 58, with a criminal record and a history of praising Iran and lobbying for fighters for Ukraine.
After Time's statement regarding his "unclear political ideology," readers on social media delivered the facts: "Routh recently voted in person during the state's Democratic Party primary in March 2024. He also donated to Act Blue in 2019, and 2020 (a political action committee that supports Democratic candidates):"
At the Gateway Pundit was the comment, "Yesterday afternoon, as President Trump was playing the 5th hole on his golf course in West Palm Beach, FL, he was tackled by US Secret Service agents who were protecting him from the alleged would-be-assassin Ryan Wesley Routh. It didn't take long for internet sleuths to get out ahead of the intelligence agencies and the big tech censorship machine who quickly removed any trace of the incredible history of Ryan Wesley Routh, a Democrat donor and, according to the bumper sticker on his vehicle, a Biden-Harris supporter. Donald Trump Jr. shared the image of the would-be assassin's truck parked in front of his home with the caption: That's an Interesting bumper sticker on Ryan Wesley Routh's truck."
Following a second assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, both Democrats and Republicans are questioning whether more Secret Service protection is needed to keep him safe in the runup to the presidential election in November.
Trump was reported safe after shots were fired near the sixth hole at the Trump National Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Trump was golfing near the fifth hole at the time, less than 500 yards away.
Police arrested Ryan Wesley Routh after he allegedly fled the scene. Routh didn't actually shoot the AK-47 that was later found in the bushes, the shots were fired by a Secret Service agent who saw the gun poking out of the bushes.
Routh had posted about support for Ukraine and even visited Ukraine in 2022. He also donated to Democrat organizations.
His son Oran Routh said to media sources that his father hated Trump, but Routh also said the two were estranged.
The motive for trying to shoot Trump was unclear, but it would seem that most of these shooters have mental health issues and don't make a lot of sense.
Given that Routh is still alive, maybe his motive will eventually be discovered.
Trump's campaign posted about the assassination attempt, which is now being investigated by the FBI.
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) September 15, 2024
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) announced on Sunday night that the state will conduct its own investigation into the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump despite the FBI's investigation into the incident.
“The State of Florida will be conducting its own investigation regarding the attempted assassination at Trump International Golf Club,” DeSantis wrote Sunday evening in a post on the social platform X. “The people deserve the truth about the would be assassin and how he was able to get within 500 yards of the former president and current GOP nominee.”
The would-be assassin stuck his AK-47 through the bushes 300-500 yards away from where Trump was golfing before a Secret Service agent fired shots to thwart the attempt.
Unlike the previous assassination attempt in July in Butler, Pennsylvania, the would-be assassin didn't get any shots off this time despite lying in wait for Trump for 12 hours.
Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, fled the scene in a car but was later arrested after a witness took a picture of the license plate.
Routh was convicted in 2002 of possessing a weapon of mass destruction in North Carolina, but it was not immediately clear what that entailed.
The motive for the attempt wasn't clear, but Routh did post support online about the war in Ukraine and donated to Democrat causes.
DeSantis was in the running to be the Republican nominee, but was overshadowed by Trump.
He has since endorsed Trump and shown support for his candidacy. Florida has voted Republican in the last few presidential elections after increasing its Republican voter registration.
Trump was on the fifth hole when Routh was discovered by the Secret Service.
Although the previous assassination attempt on Trump exposed numerous Secret Service failures, this one seems to have been handled better even though the detail was not as robust as it would have been if Trump were president.
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw made it clear that if Trump were protected the same way as a president, the entire perimeter around the golf course would have been secured.
Members of Congress from both parties as well as the editorial board of the Washington Post called for Trump to get the same Secret Service protection as a sitting president due to the multiple attempts on his life.
“Two assassination attempts in 60 days on a former President & the Republican nominee is unacceptable,” tweeted Rep. Ro Khanna (D).
The FBI is now investigating a second assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, this time at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida.
“The FBI has responded to West Palm Beach Florida and is investigating what appears to be an attempted assassination of former President Trump,” the agency said in a statement on Sunday.
The attempt was announced earlier on Sunday that Trump was safe after shots were fired two holes away from where he was playing.
“President Trump is safe following gunshots in his vicinity,” Trump campaign Communications Director Steven Cheung said in a statement. “No further details at this time.”
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) September 15, 2024
Trump's son Donald Trump Jr. later said on his X account that a suspect had been arrested and an AK-47 was found in the bushes.
Later reports said that the shots fired were by a Secret Service agent who spotted suspect Ryan Wesley Routh in the bushes.
Routh had allegedly lain in wait for Trump for 12 hours with food and water.
So far, Routh has been charged with gun crimes, but more serious crimes could be forthcoming as the investigation continues.
The new attempt was just over two months after Trump was shot in the ear at a Butler, Pennsylvania rally.
The shot only grazed his ear, but it was less than an inch from a fatal shot to the head. Trump turned his head at the last second and avoided the kill shot.
The new attempt by Routh shows more of a motive, with Routh having posted negatively on Facebook about Trump and expressing a desire to fight the Russians in Ukraine.
Routh donated money to Act Blue, a Democrat super PAC.
Secret Service failures were blamed for the first attempt, while the second attempt was blamed on not being able to see into the bushes where the shooter was hiding.
The head of Israel’s military surveillance agency, Unit 8200, Yossi Sariel, has resigned, admitting to major intelligence failures during the deadly 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel. The decision followed an internal investigation into Unit 8200’s handling of intelligence leading up to the attack, which left nearly 1,200 people dead and 240 kidnapped, The Guardian reported.
Sariel’s resignation comes amid widespread criticism of the agency’s inability to prevent the attack despite having prior intelligence.
Sariel informed his superiors of his decision to step down after the initial investigation into the role Unit 8200 played during the intelligence and operational breakdowns. His resignation marked a pivotal moment in the ongoing scrutiny of Israel’s intelligence apparatus, which was unable to thwart one of the deadliest attacks in Israel’s recent history.
Unit 8200 is one of Israel’s most sophisticated intelligence agencies, known for its advanced technological surveillance capabilities. However, under Sariel’s leadership, the unit faced intense scrutiny for failing to act on intelligence regarding Hamas’s preparations for the 7 October assault. This attack has since become a critical turning point in Israel’s security landscape, with the death toll rising to nearly 1,200, and hundreds taken hostage.
Sariel accepted full responsibility for the unit's shortcomings, stating, “The responsibility for 8200’s part in the intelligence and operational failure falls squarely on me.” His admission was seen as a direct acknowledgment of the agency’s failure to interpret and act on detailed intelligence reports that could have potentially averted the catastrophe.
Sariel’s resignation was further complicated by revelations about his public identity, which became known due to a security mishap. In 2021, Sariel published a book under a pseudonym that advocated for the increased use of artificial intelligence (AI) in military operations. However, a digital trail from the book led to his private Google account, inadvertently exposing his identity as the head of Unit 8200.
This lapse sparked a new wave of criticism directed at Sariel, as his focus on integrating AI into military strategies became emblematic of what some described as a “technological hubris” within Unit 8200. Sariel was accused of sidelining traditional intelligence methods in favor of untested technological solutions.
Sariel’s resignation and the broader investigation into Unit 8200’s role have highlighted systemic failures in Israel’s intelligence and security apparatus. Despite having access to detailed reports on Hamas’s preparations, Unit 8200, along with other elements of Israel’s defense and political systems, failed to connect critical information that would have exposed the group's intentions.
“In the years before and months before, as well as on October 7 itself, we all failed as a political and operational system in being unable to connect the dots,” Sariel admitted. His resignation underscores the severity of the intelligence community’s missteps and the broader failures across Israel’s security and political systems.
In the aftermath of the 7 October attack, Unit 8200 played a key role in Israel’s offensive against Hamas in Gaza. The military response has resulted in over 41,000 deaths, with Unit 8200’s advanced technology, including AI-powered systems similar to those described in Sariel’s book, being utilized extensively in the ongoing conflict.
Despite the offensive and Unit 8200’s involvement in the war, Sariel’s resignation reflects the internal fractures within Israel’s intelligence community. His departure signals a broader reckoning for Israel’s military intelligence units, which have faced growing criticism for their role in one of the most significant intelligence failures in the nation’s history.
The investigation into Unit 8200's handling of intelligence reports revealed that the unit had detailed knowledge of Hamas’s movements in the lead-up to the attack. These reports, however, were not acted upon with the urgency or importance required, as prevailing assumptions about Hamas’s intentions hindered Israel’s ability to prepare for the assault.
While Sariel took personal responsibility for these failures, he emphasized that the blame extended beyond his unit alone. He pointed to the broader Israeli security and political apparatus for failing to act on critical intelligence that could have prevented the attack. Sariel’s acknowledgment of these failures highlights the widespread breakdowns that occurred across multiple levels of Israel’s security forces.
Sariel’s resignation marks the end of his leadership at one of Israel’s most technologically advanced intelligence units. Under his command, Unit 8200 was instrumental in developing cutting-edge AI technologies used by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). However, his leadership will also be remembered for the intelligence failure that allowed one of the deadliest attacks on Israeli civilians in recent history.
Former President Donald Trump sparked tremendous backlash after he mentioned at the debate with Vice President Kamala Harris that Haitian immigrants consume pets as food.
The comment sparked equal amounts of criticism and a mountain of memes and jokes.
However, according to the New York Post, city and federal authorities in Jamaica Bay in Queens are reportedly "beefing up resources" after an earlier report exposed a disgusting truth regarding animal sacrifices being made in the area.
A local councilwoman revealed new initiatives, such as installing new lights in certain areas to discourage the killing of animals for sacrificial reasons.
Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Queens) announced that the National Parks Service will install new mobile lights at "the Addabbo Bridge in the federally-managed Spring Creek Park" to deter the slaughtering of animals under the cover of darkness.
Feds, city to crack down on animal sacrifices in NYC’s Jamaica Bay after dog-carcass with snapped neck, wounded pigs found https://t.co/YF1aCYGG1M pic.twitter.com/boZke0vSxe
— New York Post (@nypost) September 14, 2024
It's certainly not a stretch to presume that some of the animals may have been consumed, given that an earlier report noted the amount of carcasses found in the area.
At least eight dead animals have been found in the area since July, sparking concern among some local residents.
The Post noted:
These have included five wounded pigs, a near-dead baby rat stuffed in a bag with chicken bones, and a dog carcass with its neck snapped.
According to NPS spokeswoman Daphne Yun, the agency will also beef up police patrols in that particular area to act as a deterrent.
"I’ve gotten in touch with my partners at both the federal and city level, and we are going to bring a new level of enforcement to the area and really crack down on this sickening behavior," Councilwoman Ariola told The Post. “Animals should not be getting tortured and mutilated for any reason. This ends now."
Many across social media suggested that they knew such stories would ultimately pop up after Trump was called a conspiracy theorist for mentioning the dead animals.
"The difference between a conspiracy theory and reality is about 36 hours," one X user wrote.
Another X user wrote, "So you're saying that thing that is definitely not happening and you're racist if you ask if it's happening is actually happening?"