Former President Donald Trump has accused the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of bungling their investigation of his second assassination attempt.
Though Trump’s second would-be assassin, Ryan Wesley Routh, initially faced two federal gun charges, a Monday court filing confirmed the suspect had a premeditated plan to murder the former president.
Authorities were alerted by a witness who said that Routh had left a box at the witness' residence several months earlier. The witness, whose identity has not been disclosed, stated that they had not opened the box until learning of the attempted assassination.
Inside the box, investigators discovered ammunition, a metal pipe, various building materials, tools, four phones, and several letters.
One handwritten letter, addressed to “The World,” reportedly contained the following confession: “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump, but I failed. I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster."
The letter went on to encourage others to complete the mission, offering a bounty of $150,000 to anyone who could. “It is up to you now to finish the job," the letter continued.
“The Kamala Harris/Joe Biden Department of Justice and FBI are mishandling and downplaying the second assassination attempt on my life since July,” Trump said in a statement released Monday. “The charges brought against the maniac assassin are a slap on the wrist. It’s no wonder, since the DOJ and FBI have been coming after me nonstop with Weaponized Lawfare since I announced my first Historic Campaign for the Presidency.”
The former president then recounted a long series of scandals — including claims of Russia collusion, two impeachment attempts, the raid of his home in Mar-a-Lago, and ongoing legal cases — that he referred to as “many lawless, Radical attacks against their Political Opponent, ME.”
“The DOJ and FBI have a Conflict of Interest since they have been obsessed with ‘Getting Trump’ for so long,” he continued. “It’s very difficult to trust the Biden/Harris DOJ/FBI to investigate the assassination attempts, due to Election Interference and the FAKE CASES brought against me, including their control over local D.A.s and A.G.s.”
Trump cited FBI Director Christopher Wray’s comments in July indicating that the agency was unsure if it was a bullet or shrapnel that damaged the former president’s ear at the Butler, Pennsylvania rally.
“[This is] a lie condemned by even my worst enemies,” Trump said. “What he said was disgraceful, especially since it was witnessed LIVE by millions of people, and he was forced to immediately retract.”
Trump added:If the DOJ and FBI cannot do their job honestly and without bias, and hold the aspiring assassin responsible to the full extent of the Law, Governor Ron DeSantis and the State of Florida have already agreed to take the lead on the investigation and prosecution. Florida charges would be much more serious than the ones the FBI has announced. The TRUTH would be followed, wherever it leads. OUR JUSTICE SYSTEM IS CORRUPT AND DISCREDITED, especially as it pertains to the 45th President of the United States, Donald J. Trump. LET FLORIDA HANDLE THE CASE!
In a recent interview with Fox News’ Laura Ingraham, DeSantis said federal authorities are not cooperating with the state's independent investigation.
“Our investigators were rebuffed just going to the fence line outside of Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach,” he said. “I think they’ve taken the position they don’t want the state of Florida to be involved in this.”
DeSantis added: “We have a duty to investigate this. We have a duty to bring the appropriate charges, and we also have a duty to inform the public about how this happened.”
