Ryan Wesley Routh, the man accused in the second attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, has previously said he regrets voting for Trump in 2016. Some media outlets have taken his words at face value.
In journalism, however, the rule of thumb used to be: if your mother says she loves you, check it out. Likewise, if an accused would-be assassin with a long criminal rap sheet says he voted for the guy he’s alleged to have aimed his gun at, check it out.
In this case, that is not a simple task. The available evidence does not seem to verify that Routh voted for Trump at all, and it is clear his criminal history far predates his alleged assassination attempt.
Routh was arrested this week for allegedly pointing a gun through a fence onto the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, where Trump was playing gold only a few hundred yards away. Records show Routh, 58, has been a solid Democrat for years. Records show he has lived much of his life in North Carolina, and voting records show he often voted there.
