The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has put out the bait for anyone who wants to kill Donald Trump, implying that they should do so immediately in exchange for a $150,000 reward.
Ryan Routh, the second guy this summer to try to assassinate the former president, in that case at Trump's Mar-a-Lago golf resort in Florida, wrote a letter released by the DOJ that outlines his offer to reward whomever kills the president in lieu of his own failure to do so.
"This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I am so sorry I failed you," Routh's letter, addressed to "Dear World," reads. "I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster. It is up to you now to finish the job, and I will offer $150,000 to whomever can complete the job."
Routh's letter – see the screenshot below – goes on to state that anyone, young or old, American or otherwise, is encouraged to take aim at Trump for the chance to win Routh's pile of cash.
"Everyone across the globe from the youngest to the oldest know [sic] that Trump is unfit to be anything, much less a U.S. president. U.S. presidents must at bare minimum embody the moral fabric that is America and be kind, caring and selfless and always stand for humanity. Trump fails to understand any of (this)."
I try to never be surprised but @TheJusticeDept putting out a bounty to kill Trump actually put my jaw on the floor. How the hell are we supposed to take them releasing this bounty as anything but an attempt to get President Trump killed? pic.twitter.com/3cpgdwPYt5
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) September 23, 2024
(Related: Did you know that the DOJ, in partnership with the FBI and DHS, is refusing to provide requested information about the first Trump assassination attempt in Butler?)
Trump blasts FBI, DOJ for "mishandling and downplaying" Routh's crimes
This letter was presented by U.S. Magistrate Judge Ryon McCabe as substantiating his decision to grant prosecutors' motion to keep Routh locked up rather than release him on $250,000 bail into the care of his sister, which is what Routh's lawyer had hoped would be granted.
Trump wants more, though. He is calling on Florida prosecutors to file "much more serious" charges against Routh for crimes that both the FBI and the DOJ are "mishandling and downplaying."
"OUR JUSTICE SYSTEM IS CORRUPT AND DISCREDITED, especially as it pertains to the 45th President of the United States, Donald J. Trump," Trump wrote in an emailed statement to reporters. "LET FLORIDA HANDLE THE CASE!"
Though the DOJ declined to comment on Trump's statement, federal prosecutors have signaled that they are indeed preparing to file more serious attempted-assassination charges against Routh, who could end up being locked up in prison for life.
There are more pages to Routh's letter that have not been made available to the public. These other pages allegedly contain multiple repeated admissions from Routh about his failure to kill Trump and how disappointed he is about it.
"So let me get this straight ... The Nashville shooter manifesto was so 'dangerous' that nobody could see it for fears of backlash against the LGBTQIA community. However, a manifesto that is actively recruiting and offering to pay money for a specific act to kill a former President is totally OK to publish? Wake up, America. Your government wants you dead," wrote someone on X about the scandal.
"The deep state's dog whistles are getting much more desperate and louder!" wrote another, echoing the same sentiment that the DOJ is being irresponsible for releasing even just that one page of Routh's letter to the public.
The latest news about Trump's re-run for the presidency can be found at Trump.news.
Sources for this article include:
Please contact us for more information.