We learned a few things from the FBI and acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe regarding the second assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
The FBI knew about Ryan Routh back in 2019.
Rowe said Routh never shot his gun and didn’t have Trump in his line of sight. He also confirmed the USSS is spread thin.
Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B Veltri informed the media that the FBI received a tip about Routh in 2019 about being a felon in possession of a firearm.
“Following up on the tip, the alleged complainant was interviewed and … did not verify providing the initial information. The FBI passed that information to local law enforcement in Honolulu,” said Veltri.
Veltri didn’t expand on the case, though.
The FBI has started an extensive investigation:
“Our FBI agents then attempted to interview him, and he invoked his right to an attorney,” Veltri said.Veltri said agents have obtained a video recording device, cellular devices, a vehicle, and other electronic devices located at previous known addresses while executing search warrants.The FBI’s Honolulu and Charlotte field offices have initiated interviews of several family members and former colleagues of the suspect.Veltri said the FBI’s Evidence Response Team is collecting and processing multiple evidentiary items, including an SKS rifle with a scope, the subject’s electronics, and ceramic tiles.“We’re continuing to conduct analysis, and we’ll be compiling the subjects movements in the days and months leading up to September 15th, Veltri said.Veltri said the suspect had an “active online presence” and the bureau is going through what he posted and any searches he conducted online.Veltri said that the suspect had been charged and convicted in 2002 in North Carolina for possession of a weapon of mass destruction. Law enforcement checks also revealed that from 1997 to 2010 the suspect had “numerous felony charges for stolen good.”
Rowe confirmed that Routh did not shoot his gun and didn’t have Trump in his line of sight:
The suspect accused of trying to assassinate former President Trump as he was golfing in Florida didn’t fire any shots and didn’t have a line of sight on the former president, authorities said Monday.A U.S. Secret Service agent was sweeping an area when they saw Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, armed with what he believed was a firearm and opened fire, acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe said during a news conference.“The subject, who did not have line of sight to the former president, fled the scene,” Rowe said. “He did not fire or get off any shots at our agents.”
Rowe also said agents didn’t scope out the perimeter of the golf course because Trump “wasn’t supposed to be there.”
USSS Ron Rowe: “This was an off the record movement. It wasn’t a site that was on his scheduled… It wasn’t a part of his schedule. So, there was no posting up of it because he wasn’t supposed to have gone there in the first place.”
Rowe praised the agents and local law enforcement while admitting the USSS is spread thin:
“The Secret Service operates under a paradox of zero failed missions, but also, that we have done more with less for decades,” he said. “We have immediate needs right now and we have great support.”After the first attempt on Trump’s life in July during a Butler, Pennsylvania, campaign rally, Rowe ordered a shift, focusing on the Secret Service’s methodology.He noted the agency needs more funding for new hires and additional training.“You can’t just give me funding and say ‘Hey, we’re going to make sure that everybody gets overtime,’” said Rowe. “Because the men and women of the Secret Service right now, we are redlining them. And they are rising to this moment and they are meeting the challenges right now.”He cited the past two months in which agents have helped secure the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, a visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington and West Palm Beach, Florida, and last week’s presidential debate between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.“Our folks are rising to this moment but it requires all of us to be able to have good conversations and make sure that we’re getting the Secret Service where it needs to be,” Rowe said.
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