Federal prosecutors revealed new evidence this week connecting the man accused of attempting to assassinate now-President Donald Trump the second time last year to a Mexican human trafficker, alleging the man sought to flee the country with help from a smuggling network if his plan succeeded, The Daily Mail reported.
According to a Monday court filing from the Department of Justice, Ryan Routh, who was then 58, exchanged text messages with a smuggler known as "Ramiro" about taking a family of Afghans from central Mexico to the Texas border.
Prosecutors say the messages show Routh was laying the groundwork for an escape route months before he allegedly targeted Trump while he was on a golf outing in West Palm Beach, Florida.
The messages were disclosed as part of a DOJ motion opposing Routh's attempt to block the evidence from trial.
"I need to get a family from Amecameca city, south of Mexico City, to Eagle Pass, Texas. Can you take them from me? I will pay you," Routh texted in February 2024, according to the filing. Ramiro replied, asking whether the family had permission to enter the United States and requested their nationalities.
Routh responded that the Afghan family had traveled from Brazil with Brazilian visas, the filing stated.
"The border at Eagle Pass, Texas, is all I want. They can apply for asylum there," he wrote. "They would have gotten killed by the Taliban at Afghanistan, so they had to leave," he added, according to the filing.
The smuggler offered to personally transport the group for $1,800, prompting Routh to push back.
"That is way to [sic] expensive to just take them to the border. This is a humanitarian mission, dude; this family needs help," Routh replied.
The conversation appeared to stall until September 2024, just two days before Routh allegedly attempted to kill Trump. Prosecutors say Routh texted Ramiro, "I may come to visit soon."
"The point here is that Ramiro is the human smuggler and that Routh appealed to Ramiro in hatching his escape plan," prosecutors wrote in the court filing.
Routh's attorneys argue the messages are irrelevant to the core charges against him.
The newly revealed texts follow earlier allegations that Routh attempted to acquire military-grade weapons from Ukraine. Prosecutors say he used an encrypted messaging app to communicate with someone he believed could supply him with a rocket launcher.
"Send me an RPG [rocket-propelled grenade] or stinger, and I will see what I can do. [Trump] is not good for Ukraine," Routh allegedly wrote. He also sent an image of Trump's campaign plane, saying, "Trump's plane, he gets on and off daily."
Prosecutors assert that Routh spent weeks planning to assassinate the president. He allegedly aimed a rifle from a hidden position as Trump played golf at his Florida country club. A Secret Service agent spotted Routh before Trump came into view and opened fire after Routh allegedly aimed the rifle at him. Routh dropped the weapon and fled, leaving a note outlining his intentions. He was arrested shortly after.
His trial is scheduled to begin Sept. 8.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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