Lawmakers in North Carolina are condemning the acts of a man who voted in the state’s primaries in March and is under investigation for an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in Florida on Sunday.
“We need answers, and we need accountability – the status quo simply will not suffice,” U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop, R-N.C., posted to social media.
Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, voted in North Carolina’s Super Tuesday primaries in March, according to the publicly available State Board of Elections information. He’s the lone person arrested in Florida following the shooting with an assault-style rifle at Trump’s golf club.
Routh is registered as unaffiliated, the largest voting bloc in the state. He chose a ballot for Democrats on March 5. The database shows choices during primaries, and participation records. Before this year, Routh last voted in the state in 2012.
Routh identified himself as being from North Carolina in social media video that came to light on Sunday. In that, he told Newsweek Romania he’s recruiting fighters to defend Romania.
Routh was a student at North Carolina A&T in Greensboro in the 1990s. He has employment and business dealings in Hawaii, according to LinkedIn.
“I’m grateful to hear that President Trump is safe following reports of gunfire in his vicinity,” Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, also with ties to Greensboro, posted to social media. “While we await further information from the authorities, please join Yolanda and I in prayer for President Trump, his family, and our entire nation.”
Early Monday morning, Robinson – Republican candidate for governor – was the highest elected state politician to comment publicly through press release or social media.
By the slimmest of measurements, Trump survived an assassination attempt in Butler, Pa., on July 13 while at an outdoor campaign rally. He participated in the Republican National Convention the ensuing week, hit the campaign trail in Grand Rapids, Mich., a week to the day later, and has since had a bulletproof shield in front of him at limited outdoor campaign events.
On Sunday, he was playing golf at a club he owns in West Palm Beach, Fla.
“Political violence is a threat to our democracy – there is no place for this in America,” U.S. Rep. Deborah Ross, D-N.C., posted to social media.
Both United States senators from North Carolina, Republicans Thom Tillis and Ted Budd, on social media expressed relief for Trump.
“Grateful for the quick response from law enforcement who responded and apprehended the suspect,” Tillis wrote.
In addition to Ross, U.S. Reps. David Rouzer, Chuck Edwards and Dr. Greg Murphy used “thankful” and “relief” to describe their reactions.
“Grateful for law enforcement who acted swiftly so no one was harmed,” Edwards posted to social media.
Murphy wrote on social media, “Sadly enough, there are deranged individuals in this world and threats of violence against public officials are despicable.”
