The man accused of trying to assassinate former President Donald Trump at his Florida golf course has predicted a “civil war” if the Republican candidate wins the presidential election.
in a shocking letter to the Palm Beach Post From his federal prison cell, Ryan Routh, 58, warned that a second Trump term could be “the end of democracy and the beginning of a civil war.”
He also stated that Trump “won’t give up power if we all give it to him” in the letter he signed as “Alleged Trump Shooter Ryan W. Routh.”
The letter of the letter matches one Routh allegedly wrote in which he offered anyone who could “finish the job” and kill Trump $150,000.
Federal prison officials also confirmed that the return address on the four-page letter is assigned to Routh at a detention center in Miami, and his daughter later confirmed its authenticity, the Palm Beach Post reports.
Ryan Routh, the man accused of trying to assassinate former President Donald Trump at his Florida golf course, has predicted a “civil war” if the Republican candidate wins the presidential election.
Routh did not discuss his attempt to assassinate the former president in the letter, but instead implored residents of Palm Beach, Florida, not to vote for Trump.
‘Will Palm Beach County hand over the keys to our nation to the Trumps for the next century or more? How does Palm Beach view its neighbor? he asked readers.
“Palm Beach should lead the way and guide our country to hopefully choose democracy over a dictator,” Routh continued.
‘I hope you will respect your leadership role and pressure your state and country to maintain our American way of life.
‘Please help.’
The letter came just two weeks after prosecutors warned that Routh might try to contact the media.
But public defenders assigned to represent Routh have questioned his concerns about Routh’s ability to influence public opinion through the media.
“It is the government that has been disseminating information to influence the public’s perception of this case,” the attorneys argued in a court filing obtained by the Palm Beach Post.
“Only the Government, including the Department of Justice, the FBI and the Secret Service, have made public statements.”
Routh apparently wrote the letter from federal prison in Miami, where he is being held on three firearm charges, one count of attempted murder and one count of assault on a federal officer.
Federal prosecutors have said Routh was caught pointing the barrel of a rifle through the bushes near Trump International Golf Club while the former president was on the putting green on September 15.
Federal prosecutors have said that Routh, a one-time Trump supporter, was caught pointing the barrel of a rifle through the bushes near Trump International Golf Club while the former president was on the green on September 15.
It was supposedly positioned directly in line of sight of the sixth hole green while Trump played the fifth hole.
Secret Service agents immediately pulled him off course when they heard the gunshots, and a witness soon saw Routh run across Summit Boulevard toward a black Nissan Xterra parked nearby.
The witness took photographs of the Nissan Xterra and wrote down everything except the last digit of the license plate number. Using that information, local police were able to find the vehicle and arrest Routh.
In the vehicle, authorities found six cell phones, one of which “contained a Google search on how to travel from Palm Beach County to Mexico.”
Also in the vehicle were 12 pairs of gloves, a Hawaiian driver’s license in Routh’s name and a list of Trump’s public appearances in August, September and October.
The former president is now locked in a tight race with Vice President Kamala Harris on the eve of the presidential election.
Routh now faces three gun charges, one count of attempted murder and one count of assault on a federal officer.
He has pleaded not guilty and will be tried in February.
Routh could face a maximum penalty of life in prison if a jury finds him guilty on all charges.
Meanwhile, former President Trump is locked in a tight race with Vice President Kamala Harris on the eve of the presidential election.
A final New York Times poll put Trump behind Harris in four critical states: Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina and Wisconsin.
But it showed they were tied in Michigan and Pennsylvania. It also showed that Trump has a one-point lead in Arizona.
However, the Real Clear Polling average places Trump ahead of Harris nationally by 0.1 percent.
And according to betting markets, Trump has regained a slight lead over Harris with less than 48 hours until polls close after a shocking Iowa poll put him behind the vice president in the solidly Republican state.