A NY Times reporter who previously interviewed the individual involved in the Trump assassination attempt was not taken aback by the incident.
Thomas Gibbons-Neff found it surprising yet not entirely unexpected that Ryan Routh, the failed Trump assassination suspect, was not charged with attempted murder.
A New York Times reporter was not taken aback when he learned that a man he interviewed in 2023 was accused of attempting to assassinate former President Trump on Sunday.
Journalist Thomas Gibbons-Neff stated on MSNBC on Monday that while it was surprising to learn that Routh was the suspect in the thwarted shooting, it was not entirely unexpected.
Gibbons-Neff, a foreign correspondent for the Times, spoke to Ryan Routh, the Trump shooting suspect, last year for a story on foreign fighters and volunteers in Ukraine. The report, published on March 25, 2023, briefly detailed Routh's work as a pro-Ukraine activist who attempted to recruit Afghan soldiers who fled the Taliban to fight for Ukraine.
Routh was described as a "peculiar character" by Gibbons-Neff, similar to other U.S. volunteers interviewed for the story.
The suspect, with an extensive criminal history, appeared overwhelmed and highly motivated to assist, according to the reporter.
On Sunday, Gibbons-Neff published a first-person account of the interview and its circumstances in the Times.
Routh was reported to have discussed purchasing corrupt officials, forging passports, and taking any necessary measures to get his Afghan cadre to Ukraine, but he lacked a viable plan to achieve his objectives. At one point, he suggested arranging a U.S. military transport flight from Iraq to Poland with Afghan refugees willing to fight, according to Gibbons-Neff.
"I shook my head, but the tone in Mr. Routh's voice said otherwise. He was going to back Ukraine's war effort, no matter what," he added.
The reporter on MSNBC described Routh's commitment to aiding Ukraine and his desire to transform himself.
"Being in Ukraine during Russia's invasion is not something to be underestimated. I use the term loosely, 'drinking the Kool-Aid,'" he said.
Routh may have had good intentions, but he also has a criminal record, the reporter stated.
Did Gibbons-Neff have any concerns about the Trump assassination attempt suspect's state of mind when he spoke with him last year, as asked by MSNBC host Ana Cabrera?
The reporter replied, "His state of mind was reminiscent of many people in that sphere, and I could relate to it."
On Sunday at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Fla., Secret Service agents prevented an assassination attempt on the former president by shooting Routh, who had poked a rifle through a hole in the fence about 300 yards ahead while the president was golfing. Routh escaped before being apprehended.
Planet Chronicle' Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.
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