Suspected attempted Trump assassin begs judge to allow him to 'freeze to death in Siberia'
Ryan Routh, 59, asked to be sent to the Russian region to freeze to death as part of a bizarre request to prisoner swap with a Ukrainian soldier.
'I had wished for a prisoner swap with Hamas, Iran... or China for Jimmy Lai or one of the 40 others, or to freeze to death in Siberia in exchange for a Ukrainian soldier... so I could die being of some use and save all this court mess,' he said in the letter to Judge Cannon.
'Perhaps you [Judge Cannon] have the power to trade me away... An easy diplomatic victory for Trump to give an American he hates to China, Iran, or North Korea... everyone wins.'
Routh, who earlier this week requested to represent himself in court, also questioned why the death penalty wasn't being considered, considering his age.
'At nearly 60, a life of nothingness without love — what is the point? Why is it not all or nothing?' he said. 'Why is the death penalty not allowed?'
In the same letter, he referred to himself as 'insignificant and useless' and apologized to the court for having to 'expend' energy toward him.
He also reiterated that he wanted to represent himself as his former counsel know 'nothing of who I am to to speak for me.'
'I had wished for a prisoner swap with Hamas , Iran ... or China for Jimmy Lai or one of the 40 others, or to freeze to death in Siberia (pictured) in exchange for a Ukrainian soldier... so I could die being of some use and save all this court mess,' he said in the letter
'They do not want the case and I no longer want to listen to how horrible a person I am - I can beat my own self up; I do not need help.
'Bashing me is fine, but selling hard to my daughter that I [am] a piece of s**t goes to another level - I do not enjoy that from those that are supposed to be on my side - unfortunate.
'Best I walk alone.'
He signed the letter: 'Sorry, Ryan W. Routh.'
The letter was dated June 29, but wasn't filed in federal court until Friday.
In May, Routh's court-appointed lawyers tried to drop two of the charges against him on Second Amendment grounds.
Routh's motion was signed by three federal public defenders.
It stated that the government doesn't object to certain 'ex parte' discussions between two parties about who would represent Routh.
But the government made known its objection to any such discussions about moving the trial date or granting a continuance.
Routh has been charged with attempting to assassinate Trump at his West Palm Beach golf course last year before the presidential election. He has pleaded not guilty.
He allegedly set up a sniper hideout in a bush near the club and positioned himself with an illegally obtained SKS rifle and waited for the now-president to arrive.
But before Trump came into range, Secret Service said they found him and opened fire, causing the suspected wannabe assassin to flee.
He was later arrested that same day. Routh is expected to go to trial in September.
The Routh case is being heard in the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Florida by Judge Aileen Cannon, the same Trump-appointed judge who heard the classified documents case against him.
In addition to the assassination attempt charges, Routh is charged with owning a handgun despite being a convicted felon and with possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
His team had argued the Constitution protects his ownership rights in both cases, despite a conviction for illegal possession of dynamite.
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The National
an hour ago
- The National
Is ICE the first harbinger of a ‘secret police' in the US?
The Iceman Cometh, the 1939 drama by American writer Eugene O'Neill, has at various times been described by reviewers as set in a stark, ruthless world and a play that 'blisters with intensity'. In the eyes of some, such observations could just as easily apply to today's America, a country where, under the presidency of Donald Trump, there is an almost palpable sense of unease and potency. Today's America too is a country where that phrase 'The Iceman Cometh' has taken on an all too real and equally menacing connotation. For the ICE men of today's America – agents from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) – have become the calling card of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. US president Donald Trump has in effect created a personal army, experts warnThough ICE now occupies a 'noble' place in Trump's hierarchy of law enforcement, its detractors view it very differently. A modern-day 'Gestapo' or 'domestic stormtroopers for the MAGA agenda', say some. 'Trump's de facto private army – his security state within the state and a threat to democracy', say others. What's certainly in no doubt is that Trump has propelled ICE into America's best-funded law enforcement agency. As the Financial Times (FT) US national editor Edward Luce, recently highlighted, Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' (BBB) signed into law by the president on July 4, lifted ICE's budget to an estimated $37.5 billion a year, a sum higher than Italy's entire defence budget and just below Canada's. Writing a message of 'THANK YOU!' to the ICE workforce over the Independence Day holiday, Trump made clear that the BBB spending commitment would give the agency 'ALL of the Funding and Resources that ICE needs to carry out the Largest Mass Deportation Operation in History'. The money set aside for ICE is eyewatering. 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So just what is ICE, what exactly does it do, and perhaps more significantly, to what extent are fears over its growing power and perceived threat to democracy justified? Established in 2003, ICE is one of the agencies under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) created in 2002 in the aftermath of the September 11 terror attacks. Initially, the DHS's focus was counterterrorism. But soon, the presence of certain foreign groups began to be framed as a national security issue. DHS encompasses two law enforcement directorates: Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). ERO is charged with enforcing US immigration laws and has 6100 deportation officers. HSI has about 6500 special agents who conduct transnational criminal investigations and do not usually participate in domestic immigration operations. ICE was also created alongside Customs and Border Protection (CBP). CBP controls the borders, while ICE operates inside the country and it's this operation across America that has become the focus of controversy. According to the agency's own website, ICE, along with its ERO officials, are tasked with identifying, arresting, detaining, and removing immigrants without authorisation in the US. Back during his 2024 presidential campaign, when outlining his vision for deportations of undocumented migrants, Trump said he would focus on expelling those with criminal records. But since entering office, this has rapidly widened to include anyone without legal status, ICE officers, often masked and not wearing uniforms or displaying badges, have now been arresting people outside courtroom hearings, during traffic stops in workplace sweeps, and even from hospitals. The agency's aggressive tactics are striking terror throughout America's immigrant communities, especially in Democrat-run cities. 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The Guardian
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- The Guardian
Ukraine war briefing: Kim Jong-un voices ‘unconditional' support for Moscow as Russian foreign minister visits
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The Guardian
3 hours ago
- The Guardian
Ukraine war briefing: Kim Jong-un voices ‘unconditional' support for Moscow as Russian foreign minister visits
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