Assassination attempt two

Yesterday, another person attempted an assassination of Donald J. Trump. But this time the would-be assassin revealed that he must be part of a conspiracy. Who the higher-ranking conspirators might be, one can only guess. But other “useful idiots” have also revealed themselves, and shows that America has a deep – and dangerous – divide.

Details of this second assassination attempt

At about one-thirty p.m. EDT, one Ryan Wesley Routh slowly thrust the muzzle of a Kalashnikov rifle through a fence at the Trump International golf course. He was in a sniper’s nest he had literally built twelve hours before, and camped out in. An unusually alert Secret Service agent saw the muzzle, and immediately opened fire. He missed, but his shots scared Routh off. The Secret Service recovered the rifle, and two hard ceramic vests meant specifically to stop rifle bullets.

Trump was in fact on the golf course, together with one Steve Witkoff, who was playing with Trump. As he watched, several Secret Service agents bowled Trump over to the turf as the shots rang out. This afternoon he shared his thoughts:

Yesterday was a day I will never forget. I watched my very close friend Donald J. Trump be his typical strong, courageous and stoic self, concerned about his friends first before thinking of himself. That is the truest example of leadership. To the Secret Service and the Agent in Charge, thank you for your immediate action and interdiction which clearly prevented a much more terrible result. I know President Trump’s truth – which as I said at the RNC continues to march on. Now I have personally witnessed his courage under fire and that is a man who inspires me.

Witkoff shared the above in response to Trump’s Truth last night:

I would like to thank everyone for your concern and well wishes – It was certainly an interesting day! Most importantly, I want to thank the U.S. Secret Service, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw and his Office of brave and dedicated Patriots, and, all of Law Enforcement, for the incredible job done today at Trump International in keeping me, as the 45th President of the United States, and the Republican Nominee in the upcoming Presidential Election, SAFE. THE JOB DONE WAS ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING. I AM VERY PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!

This afternoon Trump shared speculation, not so much on Routh’s motives as on his most likely provocation:

The Rhetoric, Lies, as exemplified by the false statements made by Comrade Kamala Harris during the rigged and highly partisan ABC Debate, and all of the ridiculous lawsuits specifically designed to inflict damage on Joe’s, then Kamala’s, Political Opponent, ME, has taken politics in our Country to a whole new level of Hatred, Abuse, and Distrust. Because of this Communist Left Rhetoric, the bullets are flying, and it will only get worse! Allowing millions of people, from places unknown, to INVADE and take over our Country, is an unpardonable sin. OUR BORDERS MUST BE CLOSED, AND THE TERRORISTS, CRIMINALS, AND MENTALLY INSANE, IMMEDIATELY REMOVED FROM AMERICAN CITIES AND TOWNS, DEPORTED BACK TO THEIR COUNTIES OF ORIGIN. WE WANT PEOPLE TO COME INTO OUR COUNTRY, BUT THEY MUST LOVE OUR NATION, AND COME IN LEGALLY AND THROUGH A SYSTEM OF MERIT. THE WORLD IS LAUGHING AT US AS FOOLS, THEY ARE STEALING OUR JOBS AND OUR WEALTH. WE CANNOT LET THEM LAUGH ANY LONGER. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!

Witkoff agreed:

I couldn’t agree more. We went through an era where Jack and Bobby Kennedy were actually assassinated. Now there have been two attempts in the last two months on my friend’s life. That is unacceptable in this country. Donald Trump has been falsely accused, conspired against and wrongly treated. He has given his best years to public service and he should be commended for that. Let’s get out and make the sensible vote for him. Our country and the world needs him now more than ever.

No Presidential candidate, who is not a sitting President, has suffered so many attempts on his life. But Gerald R. Ford, who was a sitting President, did suffer two assassination attempts during his short term.

Routh got away from the club and as far as Martin County (Florida) on Interstate 95. Martin County Sheriff’s deputies arrested him on the highway. State Rep. John Snyder (R-86th), the sheriff’s son, posted about the arrest:

Who is Routh?

Ryan Wesley Routh has a long history of repeating extreme leftist rhetoric – and also trying to recruit mercenaries to fight in and for Ukraine. Unfortunately, by now every major social medium has shut down his accounts. But several influencers on the right, including Jeremy at The Quartering and Laura Loomer, announced that they have archives.

Routh is no stranger to law enforcement. At one time or another he has faced over 100 federal charges – including “possession of a weapon of mass destruction.” Details on that charge are sketchy, but according to one former FBI agent:

That can be radiological, that could be chemical, that could be nuclear, that could be explosive.

The worst part about Routh’s involvement is how he could have known Trump would be playing golf at that location. Susan Crabtree and Philip Wegmann report that this golf game was an “OTR” (off the record) event. In fact, Trump decided on that golf game at the last minute. So how could Routh have known? Unless someone told him. Sheriff William Snyder of Martin County speculates on precisely that. When a reporter asked the sheriff whether Routh had ties to Martin County, the sheriff answered:

The answer to my knowledge, the answer is no. I think what we’re finding out he’s not from this area… Which of course raises the bigger question, how does a guy from not here get all the way to Trump International, realize that the president, former president of the United States is golfing and is able to get a rifle in that vicinity? I think that’s the question the FBI, the Secret Service are laser-focused on today… is this guy part of a conspiracy?

The Miami Field Office of the FBI has taken over the investigation. But the Special Agent in Charge has a history of vitriolic anti-Trump posts which his superiors ordered him to delete. For what it’s worth, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) has announced that State law-enforcement agencies would investigate this matter themselves.

Trump blames media, political antagonists for second assassination attempt

Donald Trump believes he knows who is responsible for the second assassination attempt – and it’s not Ryan Routh. He might not be conversant with Sheriff Snyder’s intuitive suspicion that Routh had inside information. But he does believe that a steady drumbeat of negative remarks about him, provoked Routh. This afternoon his campaign issued a press release giving names, dates, and content of incendiary remarks against Trump. These remarks come from many political and media figures, including (without limit):

• Vice-President Kamala Harris and her boss, President Joe Biden,
• Gov. Tim Walz (D-Minn.), her running mate, and his wife,
• Reps. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas), Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.), Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), and Maxine Waters (D-Calif.),
• Reps. Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.), Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-Fla.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Gregory Meeks (D-NY.), and Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.),
• Former Reps. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) and Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.),
• Reps. Annie Kuster (D-N.H.),Becca Balint (D-Vt.), Jason Crow (D-Colo.), Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), and Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.),
• Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), House Democratic Leader,
• Del. Stacy Plaskett (D-U.S.V.I.)
• Sen. Michael Bennett (D-Colo.), and
• Lester Holt, anchorman for NBC-TV.

The remarks speak of an “existential threat to democracy” and often call explicitly for Trump’s assassination.

Whom else can we blame?

To see such incendiary rhetoric come from politicians and high officeholders is bad enough. Former Rep. Kinzinger made it worse by blaming Trump for his own attempted assassination.

Look violent rhetoric is wrong, and has no place.

But MAGA pretending they didn’t light this fire is gaslighting to the 100th power. Since Trump showed up our politics has gone to crap.

Literally just accused a group of people of eating our pets.

So stop.

As an aside: Mr. Kinzinger, we will not stop, until that group of people who have indeed eaten pet cats and dogs, and migratory geese, face prosecution for that, to the fullest extent of the law. Nor has this anything to do with provoking someone to attempt an assassination.

Having said that, neither Kinzinger nor any of his former colleagues, nor allies in the media, could have shared with Routh the details of Trump’s schedule, including the last-minute change. Someone else did that – someone inside the Secret Service, Trump’s Mar-A-Lago staff, or both. And that person, in turn, had his or her own orders – likely from overseas. From Teheran – or more likely from Brussels.

One can readily see how such rhetoric could help make Ryan Routh willing to take part in such a plot. But someone else found, trained, and equipped him, and shared with him enough of Trump’s schedule. Sheriff Snyder asked the most salient question: is Ryan Routh the patsy of a conspiracy?

CNAV believes so – and urges Sheriff Snyder to protect Routh more than the Dallas Police protected Lee Harvey Oswald. Unlike Oswald or Thomas Matthew Crooks, Ryan Wesley Routh is alive, kicking, and can talk. Trump, and the country, need him to talk.