One enduring question has come up several times since the Secret Service stopped a second assassination attempt on Donald Trump at his own golf resort. How did the assassin know Trump would play golf that day? By all accounts, that decision got made shortly before Trump went to the first tee.

The answer came this morning in new court filings from prosecutors. Ryan Wesley Routh didn't have advance knowledge of Trump's schedule. He just got lucky after a month of stalking the golf course. 

"Lucky," in this context, is perhaps a term of art:

A 58-year-old man accused of trying to assassinate former President Donald J. Trump acknowledged in a prewritten note that he had planned the attack — and even predicted his failure, offering $150,000 to anyone who could “complete the job,” according to a federal court filing on Monday.

The man, Ryan W. Routh, staked out the grounds of Mr. Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach, Fla., for a month before the episode, the filing said. He positioned himself outside the fence at the sixth hole of the course on Sept. 15, before a Secret Service agent scouting one hole ahead of the former president’s group spotted him and the barrel of his gun.

That raises all sorts of questions for the Secret Service. How did Routh stake out the grounds of a course owned and frequently used by Trump for a month without detection? Another question that got raised at the time remains even more valid now: How did they let Trump get on the course that morning without thoroughly checking the entire perimeter? Today's filing in court states that the agent that spotted Routh did so by driving the perimeter, but not until Trump was in potential range of a scoped rifle:

While the former President was on the 5th hole, the Agent cleared the area along the 6th hole. Specifically, the Agent rode in a golf cart along the chain link fence that separated the 6th hole from Congress Avenue and Summit Boulevard.

Acting USSS Director Ronald Rowe practically dislocated his shoulder patting himself on the back after this incident. However, it appears once again that the Secret Service didn't take its protection assignment seriously enough to do a full perimeter check before Trump got on the course at all, not even sending an infrared-capable drone to check for people hiding in the bushes and treelines. Now we know that Routh apparently had routinely positioned himself for the opportunity to assassinate the former president, and no one had ever noticed him until the risk became far too acute.

That, however, is only part of the story. Routh had worked on the assassination attempt for months, to one degree or another. Shortly after his arrest, someone tipped off the FBI about a package that Routh had left with them "several months" earlier. A letter in the box declared his intent to kill Trump -- and an offer for anyone willing to follow up if he missed:

On September 18, 2024 , law enforcement was contacted by a civilian witness who stated that ROUTH had dropped off a box at his residence several months prior. After learning of the September 15, 2024, incident at Trump International, the witness opened the box. The witness stated the box contained ammunition, a metal pipe, miscellaneous building materials, tools, four phones, and various letters. One handwritten letter, addressed to “The World, ” stated, among other things, "This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I failed you. I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster. It is up to you now to finish the job; and I will offer $ 150,000 to whomever can complete the job." 

The letter went on to explain that Routh wanted to kill Trump because he "is unfit to be anything, much less a US president. U.S. presidents must at bare minimum embody the moral fabric that is America and be kind, caring and selfless and always stand for humanity."

Be caring and selfless, or ... I'll kill you? That's a funny way to "stand for humanity." Of course, expecting rational thought from a political assassin usually is a fool's errand. 

What this shows is how lucky we have been to avoid disaster, twice. We still don't know much about Thomas Wayne Crooks, who managed to actually shoot Trump in the ear before getting killed by a counter-sniper from local law enforcement. We have learned enough about Routh to start demanding answers as to why he was even on the loose at all, let alone allowed to haunt Trump's resort golf course for a month without anyone noticing. 

And that brings us to the final question: Who else and what other threats have been missed?

Addendum: The Department of Justice filed this as a factual proffer to prevent the court from allowing Routh bail. It probably presages more charges; so far, Routh has only been charged with two firearms offenses. The letter and the stalking make a very good case for attempted assassination, of course, but the US Attorney is probably still waiting for the grand jury to return that indictment -- or perhaps we'll see it today when Routh appears in court again.