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Prosecutors say suspect left note about Trump: 'This was an assassination attempt'

According to a court filing, a civilian witness turned over the letter to authorities.

The letter states, “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I failed you. I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster."

By: Elina Tarkazikis

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The man charged in connection to a plot against Donald Trump admitted in a letter that he was attempting to assassinate the former president, according to court documents.

Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was arrested after allegedly pointing a high-powered rifle through a fence near where Trump was playing golf at his club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sept. 15.

The handwritten letter prosecutors said was turned over by a civilian witness is addressed to the "world."

It states, “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I failed you. I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster."

Letter prosecutors say was written by Ryan Wesley Routh.

Routh apparently blamed Trump for tensions in the Middle East.

“[Trump] ended relations with Iran like a child and now the Middle East has unraveled,” the letter says.

Some prominent Republicans, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, have criticized the Department of Justice for releasing the contents of the letter, accusing it of putting Trump's life in jeopardy.

"The DOJ released a letter written by Ryan Wesley Routh offering $150,000 to anyone who could 'finish the job' on President Trump," Green said on X. "The DOJ, which is trying to put Trump in prison, is now offering a bounty on Trump’s head by releasing this. Why else would they release this?"

The civilian witness notified authorities on Sept. 18 of a box dropped off by the suspect at his residence several months prior. He reportedly felt compelled to open it after the events that unfolded at Trump’s golf course.

In addition to that letter, the box contained several other letters, ammunition, a metal pipe, various building materials, tools, and four phones, according to the Department of Justice.

Routh is currently charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. If convicted, he could face up to 15 years in prison for the first charge and five years for the second.

Investigators are still determining a timeline of the events and how Routh got within several hundred yards of the former president.