Ryan Wesley Routh, the 58-year-old man who allegedly attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump on Sunday, told the New York Times in 2023 about his efforts to help Ukraine fight against Russia’s invasion.
On Sunday, after Routh’s identity was confirmed as the suspected assassin, the New York Times published an interview from 2023 profiling his Ukraine activism. Following Russia’s invasion in 2022, Routh wrote on social media, “I AM WILLING TO FLY TO KRAKOW AND GO TO THE BORDER OF UKRAINE TO VOLUNTEER AND FIGHT AND DIE.”
The New York Times revealed that Routh’s activism on Ukraine ran deep to the point that he met with the Helsinki Commission in Washington, DC, a bipartisan commission that includes high-profile names like Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Thom Tillis (R-NC). Per the report:
In a telephone interview with The New York Times in 2023, when Mr. Routh was in Washington, he spoke with a self-assuredness of a seasoned diplomat who thought his plans to support Ukraine’s war effort were sure to succeed. But he appeared to have little patience for anyone who got in his way. When an American foreign fighter seemed to talk down to him in a Facebook message he shared with The New York Times, Mr. Routh said, “he needs to be shot.”
In the interview, Mr. Routh said he was in Washington to meet with the U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, known as the Helsinki Commission “for two hours” to help push for more support for Ukraine. The commission is led by members of Congress and staffed by congressional aides. It is influential on matters of democracy and security and has been vocal in supporting Ukraine.
Sean Davis, CEO and co-founder of The Federalist, said on Sunday that there should be a full investigation on Routh’s access in Washington.
“There needs to be a full investigation of all the Washington officials and reporters the second would-be Trump assassin has interacted with over the last four years, including Malcom Nance, the entire Vindman clan, and everyone associated with the Helsinki Commission,” said Davis.
During his interview with the Times, Routh talked about some of the more extreme measures he entertained on transporting soldiers to Ukraine, even illegally from Pakistan and Iran. As part of his profile bio on the messaging app Signal, Routh wrote, “Civilians must change this war and prevent future wars.” His WhatsApp bio read, “Each one of us must do our part daily in the smallest steps help support human rights, freedom and democracy; we each must help the chinese.”
