A newly released video has revealed just how close Ryan Wesley Routh, an alleged would-be assassin, came to targeting former President Donald Trump during a round of golf on Sunday afternoon.
The incident occurred at Trump’s golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, where Trump was playing alongside real estate investor Steve Witkoff. At approximately 1:30 PM, shots were fired, prompting immediate action from the Secret Service to neutralize the threat.
The video shows that Routh, armed with a rifle, managed to breach the perimeter of the golf course, coming alarmingly close to the former president.
Routh’s plan involved pushing the muzzle of his rifle through a fence line that bordered the golf course, giving him a clear shot.
According to law enforcement, Routh was positioned about 300 to 500 yards away from Trump when Secret Service agents spotted him and opened fire to stop him before he could carry out the attack.
Routh was subsequently subdued and taken into custody.
What remains unclear is how Routh knew that Trump would be golfing in West Palm Beach on that specific day.
Although the former president’s schedule is typically kept private, there are growing questions about whether Routh gathered information from public sources or insider knowledge.
Investigators are currently trying to determine how Routh was able to prepare for his attack with such precision.
Further details from the Justice Department reveal that Routh had set up a sniper nest in the shrubbery along the perimeter of the golf course approximately 12 hours before the incident. This suggests a high level of premeditation and planning.
Shockingly, Routh remained undetected for the entire duration, raising concerns about a potential breach in security measures.
The area he exploited was a vulnerable part of the property used by photojournalists and paparazzi over the years to capture images of Trump.
The incident has raised significant concerns about how Routh, a person flagged by federal agents after a recent trip to Ukraine, was able to evade detection for so long.
Following his return to the U.S., Routh was on the radar of federal agencies, but no further action was taken by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) under President Biden’s administration.
This oversight has come under scrutiny, especially given the fact that DHS is the same agency responsible for overseeing the Secret Service, which ultimately allowed Routh to set up his sniper’s nest undetected for 12 hours.
WATCH:
https://twitter.com/KarluskaP/status/1836769131003011349?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1836769131003011349%7Ctwgr%5Ec21ad69f02a62652f7bec001bce490261c25ddc7%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fredstatepundit.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D349084action%3Dedit
The close call has led to serious questions about the effectiveness of security protocols surrounding former presidents.
Although Trump is no longer in office, he remains a highly prominent and polarizing figure, making him a potential target for such threats.
The incident serves as a stark reminder of the risks that public figures face, even in seemingly controlled environments like a private golf course.
As the investigation unfolds, authorities are looking into whether Routh had any connections to extremist groups or whether he acted alone. Additionally, there are growing calls for a review of the security lapses that allowed him to get so close to Trump without being detected.
The Secret Service, meanwhile, is being praised for their swift response in neutralizing the threat before it escalated further, but the incident has undoubtedly sparked a wider debate about the adequacy of security measures in place to protect former presidents.
