Records Reveal Would-Be Trump Assassin Was Emailing the Biden Administration

Emails obtained through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit show that Ryan Routh, later convicted of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump, contacted the Biden-Harris administration’s State Department in what appeared to be an effort to seek assistance recruiting foreign fighters for the war in Ukraine, raising new questions about what federal officials knew about his activities and whether any follow-up occurred.

The records were released following litigation filed by the Center to Advance Security in America (CASA) and obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

🚨SCOOP: Would-be Trump assassin Ryan Routh tried — and seemingly failed — to get the Biden State Department to aid in his effort to recruit foreign soldiers for the war in Ukraine, emails obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation show

The records, which were released as a… pic.twitter.com/Kqfj9zEi9K

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) December 16, 2025

The documents show Routh reaching out to State Department officials in 2023 with claims that he was involved in organizing foreign soldiers for combat in Ukraine.

Routh was convicted for attempting to assassinate President Trump at his West Palm Beach golf course in September 2024.

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The incident occurred just two months after another gunman’s bullet grazed Trump’s ear during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Despite concerns within the federal government about Americans returning from foreign conflict zones, Routh does not appear to have been investigated prior to the attempted assassination.

Politico reported in September 2024 that the Department of Homeland Security had launched an initiative in 2022 aimed at identifying Americans who might become violent after returning from Ukraine, but Routh was not flagged under that effort.

Routh had previously drawn attention for his activities and statements.

In 2023, he self-published a book titled “Ukraine’s Unwinnable War,” which included language that appeared to suggest Iran was “free to assassinate Trump.”

He was also featured in a March 2023 New York Times article about Americans traveling to Ukraine to volunteer in the conflict.

Concerns about Routh were raised well before the assassination attempt. According to a Wall Street Journal report published in September 2024, another American who encountered Routh in Ukraine warned U.S. authorities in June 2022, telling a Customs and Border Protection official that Routh was a “ticking time bomb.”

CASA Director James Fitzpatrick said the newly released records show Routh actively trying to communicate with the State Department.

“Through aggressive FOIA litigation, CASA has uncovered Ryan Routh’s attempts to communicate with the Biden State Department,” Fitzpatrick told the DCNF.

“Several unanswered questions remain regarding these communications,” he said.

“We still don’t know whether the Biden administration responded in any substantive way to Routh and the contents of those communications – the American people deserve answers here and CASA will continue to fight through this litigation to shed as much light on Routh’s officials communications as possible.”

One of the emails, dated March 23, 2023, shows Routh making sweeping claims about his alleged involvement in coordinating fighters.

In that message, Routh wrote that his team was “already supplying background checks from the US military through Representative Barry Moore of Alabama,” and claimed there were “5600 soldiers ready to be transported from Pakistan to a neighboring country of Ukraine and bussed into Ukraine to the front lines to fight.”

Rep. Barry Moore’s office denied providing any such assistance. Moore’s communications director, Benjamin Martin, said the congressman had no direct contact with Routh.

“A staffer in our D.C. office took a meeting with Routh after he visited without an appointment and asked to speak with someone,” Martin told the DCNF.

“The staffer determined our office should have no further contact with Routh and referred him to the State Department for any potential assistance. Congressman Moore has never interacted with Routh, and our office did not respond to any further outreach.”

In another email dated Oct. 29, 2023, Routh contacted then-U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink and Defense Attaché Garrick Harmon, claiming that one of his associates had already communicated extensively with embassy staff.

“Your staff has spoken with [redacted] at great length and most recently had a meeting where he was asked to provide the execution details of the project as well as accounting of how funds would be allocated and spent and he failed to submit those documents to you,” Routh wrote.

“I can be back in Ukraine at a moment’s notice and arrange what you need. Because [redacted] did not fulfill his obligation he is ashamed to give me any contact information since he dropped the ball.”

According to the records released to CASA, both emails received automated replies.

The documents do not indicate that any State Department official followed up directly with Routh.

After Routh’s arrest for the attempted assassination, Ukrainian military units publicly denied any ties to him.

Routh’s sentencing is scheduled for Wednesday.

During his trial, he represented himself and was repeatedly interrupted by the judge for straying from relevant issues.

In court filings, Routh requested to be imprisoned in a state that allows assisted suicide and suggested he could be included in a future prisoner exchange.

“Do not let me take my own life and it have zero benefit for humanity or mankind,” he wrote in an Oct. 29 filing.