$150,000 reward offered for anyone who allegedly targeted Trump gunman
WASHINGTON — The man accused of trying to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a private Florida golf club stalked the Republican presidential candidate for a month and made a note to anyone who could, federal prosecutors said Monday. A $150,000 bonus was offered to the person who “did the job.”
Federal prosecutors detailed how Ryan Ross left a handwritten note criticizing Trump’s Middle East policies, specifically ending U.S. participation in the Iran nuclear deal.
“This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump, but I failed you,” the note read, according to court documents. “I tried my best and used all the courage I could muster. . Now it’s up to you to do the job; I’ll give $150,000 to anyone who can do the job.
Prosecutors said cellphone records showed Rouse was near “Trump International and the former presidential residence at Mar-a-Lago” from August 18 to September 15, the day of the assassination attempt.
After Rouse was taken into custody, law enforcement officers who searched his car also found a “handwritten list of dates in August, September and October 2024 and locations where the former president had been or was expected to be.” ”. Court filing.
The FBI is investigating the incidentAs an apparent assassination attempt, following first assassination attempt Trump suffered an ear injury in Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump uninjured at Florida golf club, US Secret Service It was confirmed that Rouse did not fire the weapon.
However, Florida Republican Attorney General Ashley Moody Challenging FBI Jurisdiction Serves as the lead agency for the investigation.
In a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray, Moody noted that because Trump is a Florida resident, the Sunshine State “understandably wants to investigate violations of its own laws, including attempted murder.”
Moody also urged the FBI and Justice Department not to invoke U.S. regulations that suspend state and local jurisdiction over the FBI and instead allow Florida authorities to obtain evidence from the shooting.
“To be clear, I believe it would be a serious mistake for the federal government to invoke this provision, and I urge you to cooperate with the state’s investigation rather than attempt to obstruct it,” she wrote.
Moody’s gave Wray until Friday to clarify whether the federal government had invoked the provision, Title 18, United States Code, Section 351(f).
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis also believes Florida should conduct its own investigation. He signed an executive order last week The matter was turned over to the Office of the State Attorney, which Moody will oversee.
Trump issued a lengthy statement late Monday criticizing the Justice Department and FBI, accusing the agencies of “mishandling and downplaying the second assassination attempt on my life since July.”
“If the Department of Justice and FBI cannot work honestly and without bias and hold aspiring assassins accountable to the full extent of the law, Governor Ron DeSantis and the State of Florida have agreed to lead the investigation and prosecution ,” Trump said in a statement. “The charges in Florida will be significantly more serious than those announced by the FBI.”
The new court documents were filed ahead of Rouse’s Monday appearance in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. last week, Rouse was charged Possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and obliterating the serial number on the firearm, according to court records. He faces up to 20 years in prison.
