More than a year before his self-proclaimed assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at a West Palm Beach, Florida, golf course, Ryan Routh concerned onlookers over his attempts to recruit former Afghan military and intelligence personnel to fight in Ukraine.
In May 2023, Routh gained access to encrypted chat rooms where evacuation volunteers shared safety warnings and information about legal pathways to the United States for Afghan allies left behind after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. While volunteers in the chats were sourcing food, housing, and medical care for their charges, Routh arrived with the promise of much-needed cash for Afghans’ service.
As Routh made more contacts inside the close-knit evacuation community, word of his recruitment efforts made its way to the nonprofit group Operation Recovery. On May 26, 2023, Operation Recovery issued a press release to “caution our community against engagement in military actions … such as the current situation in Ukraine,” which could “potentially jeopardize one’s ability to secure a U.S. immigration status in the future.” At the time, Operation Recovery did not explicitly name Routh as the source of its concerns.
In a Friday press release shared with the Washington Examiner, Operation Recovery mentions that a subsequent community-wide notice from June 2, 2023, named Routh and made all evacuation volunteers aware of his “fraudulent scheme.”
Operation Recovery executive director Ian Patterson told the Washington Examiner that Routh “didn’t interact with Operation Recovery, but it came through our channels that he was operating out there.” Patterson explained that spreading the word about Routh was important because “in our Afghan mission, our whole point has been and always will be to protect those that … have a right to come to the United States, and to get them here in a timely fashion and make sure they’re given the life that they were promised by our government.”
Routh also asked congressional staff to support his endeavors. Rep. Jill Tokuda’s (D-HI) communications director, Kristine Uyeno, confirmed to the Washington Examiner that Routh sought Tokuda’s “assistance with efforts to recruit Afghan volunteers for Ukraine.” Uyeno explained that the “office made it clear we did not advocate a position on his efforts and urged him to direct his requests to the official and proper channels.”
A WordPress site purportedly belonging to Routh, Fight for Ukraine, promises pay of $1,200 per month “for all ages, genders, and skill levels” who join the fight. Routh’s site places his manufactured morality above the strictures of law. “Each one of us is responsible for the outcome of this war, as our every single action must stand for humanity and show kindness, caring, selflessness, altruism, empathy, generosity, and all of the moral goodness that this battle is about,” Routh wrote.
In imploring people to join the cause, Routh urged volunteers not to “call your home country embassy to seek approval to join the fight, simply get on a plane and come to Ukraine and join us.” Routh explained that, after arrival, “everyone must slowly be vetted and you must prove loyalty. … No one should ever let paperwork or red tape hinder their desire to fight for freedom, humanity, and basic human rights. It is the most honorable and dignified sacrifice anyone can make to support their fellowman.”
The Washington Examiner asked the State Department, the FBI, and the Department of Homeland Security whether they received reports about Routh’s Afghan recruitment efforts. Neither the FBI nor the Department of Homeland Security provided responses to these inquiries. In a Thursday press briefing, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the department has found “no record” of communication between organizations concerned about Routh and the American Embassy in Ukraine.
“The State Department is a big place, so that’s why I said I can’t rule out that someone didn’t have communication with somebody somewhere in the State Department, but we, as of yet, have found no record about anyone, any individual or organization, communicating with us about [Routh],” Miller said.
If information had been given about a citizen acting “in a way that was a threat to others” abroad, Miller said the State Department would have referred the matter to law enforcement.
It is not clear whether Routh could be charged for his recruitment schemes, which some equate to human trafficking.
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Routh faces federal charges as a felon in possession of a firearm and for possessing a firearm with a destroyed serial number. Routh may face additional state charges. USA Today also reported that the Justice Department is “likely considering” an additional federal charge for an attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate.
Routh is being held without bail awaiting trial.
Beth Bailey (@BWBailey85) is a freelance contributor to Fox News and the host of The Afghanistan Project, which takes a deep dive into nearly two decades of war and the tragedy wrought in the wake of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.