Left: Donald Trump playing golf at Turnberry golf course during his visit to the UK in May 2023. 71992040 (Press Association via AP Images). Right: Ryan Routh speaks about what he was doing in Ukraine (Newsweek Romania).
The Department of Justice says that two people helped Donald Trump assassination suspect Ryan Routh — the man accused of attempting to shoot the president last year at one of his golf courses — illegally obtain a weapon “on his behalf,” specifically the SKS rifle that he allegedly brought to Trump International Golf Club, according to prosecutors.
Trump”s DOJ filed a motion Tuesday asking U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who is overseeing Routh’s case, to admit into evidence messages authored by Routh’s former employee Tina Cooper, who pleaded guilty on Monday in North Carolina for conspiring with Routh to help get his hands on the weapons. Text messages show how he allegedly asked her to “go shopping for me” before the September 2024 assassination attempt.
In her plea agreement, Cooper admitted that she knew Routh had previously been convicted of a felony and was prohibited from possessing firearms.
Prosecutors say Cooper was also assisted by Ronnie Oxendine, who had crossed paths with Routh professionally over the years, and that Oxendine was the one who actually obtained the gun and gave it to Routh on Cooper’s behalf. Oxendine pleaded guilty on June 10 to being in possession of an unregistered firearm.
Cooper told investigators that Routh asked her to illegally obtain the firearms as “protection” for his son, according to prosecutors.
“Between July and August 2024, the defendant [Routh] enlisted his longtime employee, Cooper, to obtain firearms for him,” the Tuesday motion says.
“Cooper agreed and conspired with the defendant and her current boss, Ronnie Jay Oxendine, to sell and dispose of a firearm to a prohibited person they both knew (Routh),” according to prosecutors. “Oxendine sold the SKS firearm to Routh at the request of Cooper. Routh told Oxendine (in Cooper’s presence) that he would remove the serial number from the gun so it could not be traced to Oxendine. Routh paid $350 to Oxendine for the rifle. And he paid $100 to Cooper for arranging the deal.”
Love true crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life crime stories delivered right to your inbox.
The government says Cooper’s efforts “did not end there,” with her going so far as to give him instructions and tips about the SKS after he sent her photos with questions about it and allegedly agreeing to help him get his hands on another weapon.
“Defendant [Routh] and Cooper continued to correspond about acquiring a .50 caliber sniper rifle for Routh,” the motion alleges. “This prompted Cooper to text Oxendine the following, on August 23: ‘Ryan said u got a 50caliber for sale.'”
Oxendine responded, “I wish I had a 50 caliber rifle.”
The next day, Cooper informed Routh that the .50-caliber was not available at the moment through Oxendine, but that she could possibly get it elsewhere.
“Go shopping for me,” Routh allegedly texted Cooper.
“I am going to do that,” she replied.
Over the course of the next week, prosecutors say the pair discussed the price of the .50-caliber rifle, with Routh allegedly wanting to get it “on the street” for $2,500.
“Not only did Routh pay Cooper for her participation in the scheme and direct her to continue ‘shopping’ for guns on his behalf, Cooper was also actually charged in North Carolina with conspiring with Routh to illegally obtain a firearm for him,” the motion alleges. “Consequently, her statements during in and furtherance of their conspiracy to acquire firearms for a prohibited person are admissible.”
The request comes as Routh is looking to kick his public defenders to the curb, filing a motion Tuesday for a sealed hearing to terminate his counsel. The document says prosecutors will let the judge determine the “appropriateness” of holding a hearing to terminate Routh’s representation, so long as it doesn’t delay his trial schedule.
“On July 8, 2025, defense counsel conferred with the government regarding their position on such a hearing,” the motion says. “The government advised: the United States defers to the Court about the appropriateness of conducting some or all of a hearing ex parte regarding the Defendant’s representation, except to the extent a continuance of the trial date is in any way a consideration. If moving the trial date is a consideration at all, the United States objects to any ex parte discussion of that topic and objects to any continuance.”
Cooper’s connection to Routh made headlines in September 2024 after The Independent interviewed her as a “former employee” of his who worked for his contracting company, United Roofing, when he was arrested in 2002 after a police standoff for carrying a concealed weapon and possession of a weapon of mass destruction for an automatic firearm that he was caught with.
“I don’t understand what’s going on with him,” Cooper told the outlet. “What drives people to do stupid s— in this day and time? I mean, come on now.”
