(Ken Silva, Headline USA) In the wake of the second assassination attempt against Donald Trump that occurred on Sept. 15, a Secret Service agent who spotted the gunman and immediately fired at him was lauded for his quick reaction.
“The agent’s hyper-vigilance and the detail’s swift action was textbook,” Secret Service Acting Director Ronald Rowe said at a press conference later that week.
While Trump’s agent may have reacted swiftly, he may not have been the best aim. According to the House Task Force investigating the Trump assassination attempts, the agent was as close as five feet away from alleged gunman Ryan Routh, and he fired six times at the suspect—missing them all.
“The agent first noticed the suspect, later identified as Ryan Wesley Routh, and then noticed the barrel of Routh’s gun sticking through the fence line. The special agent, who may have been as close as five feet away from Routh, immediately responded by firing shots toward the suspect,” states the Task Force’s final report, released Tuesday.
“It is believed six shots in total were fired; however, final ballistics are pending an ongoing FBI investigation.”
Now HERE'S an interesting part from the House Task Force's final report on the Trump assassination attempts: The agent who opened fire on Ryan Routh did so from as little as 5 ft away—missing all 6 shots 🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
Routh fled in his vehicle and was apprehended about 45… pic.twitter.com/riggFyqsXa— Ken Silva (@JD_Cashless) December 11, 2024
The Task Force’s report didn’t specify that all six shots were fired by the agent, but officials have said Routh never shot at Trump or the agent—implying that all the shots came from the agent.
Routh fled the scene in his vehicle and wasn’t apprehended for another 45 minutes in Martin County. Law enforcement was able to track him because a bystander photographed his license plate when he fled.
The proximity of Trump’s Secret Service agent to Routh was one of the Task Force’s only new factoids about the second assassination attempt. The report said the FBI and Secret Service haven’t provided records about the case.
“The Secret Service is continuing to conduct its mission assurance review of the assassination attempt in West Palm Beach, Florida, the contents of which have not been shared with the Task Force,” the report said.
“The FBI provided no documents in response to the Task Force’s request and provided only a single status briefing on September 25,” the report added.
Routh faces life in prison for his alleged attempt on Trump’s life. His lawyers want him to go to trial next December, while prosecutors want the trial to take place earlier.
Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.
