Two individuals have confessed to supplying a rifle to Ryan Routh for his plot to assassinate President Donald Trump, and federal prosecutors reveal they tried to cover it up afterward.
At a Glance
- Tina Cooper and Ronnie Oxendine pleaded guilty to gun trafficking charges related to providing a Chinese SKS rifle to alleged would-be Trump assassin Ryan Routh.
- Cooper acted as the middleman, collecting $100 for arranging the $350 sale of the rifle that Routh allegedly planned to use to kill Trump.
- After Routh’s arrest near Trump’s golf club, Cooper admitted to lying to FBI agents and instructed Oxendine to delete incriminating communications.
- The assassination attempt came just weeks after Trump was shot at a Pennsylvania rally, raising serious questions about multiple threats against the President.
- Cooper and Oxendine face up to 15 and 10 years in prison, respectively, while Routh has pleaded not guilty and awaits trial in September.
A Conspiracy to Arm an Assassin
In a disturbing case that highlights the real-world consequences of violent political rhetoric, two individuals have pleaded guilty to illegally supplying a firearm to the man charged with attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump. According to federal prosecutors, Tina Cooper and Ronnie Oxendine provided a Chinese-made SKS rifle to Ryan Routh, a convicted felon who could not legally purchase a firearm. Cooper acted as a middleman, arranging the $350 sale and taking a $100 cut.
Court documents reveal Routh’s intentions were hardly subtle, as he allegedly discussed removing the rifle’s serial number and inquired about acquiring a sniper rifle. Despite these red flags, Cooper and Oxendine proceeded with the sale.
A Cover-Up Born of Fear
The conspiracy unraveled after Routh was arrested in September 2024 near Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach with the loaded SKS rifle. Realizing the gravity of their actions, Cooper and Oxendine attempted to orchestrate a cover-up. Cooper admitted to investigators that she lied to FBI agents and deleted files “out of fear of criminal consequences for her involvement in the attempted assassination attempt.” She also instructed Oxendine to deny any knowledge of the plot.
Both ultimately provided “inconsistent stories” to investigators before pleading guilty to firearms charges. Cooper now faces up to 15 years in prison, and Oxendine faces up to 10 years.
A Pattern of Threats the Media Ignores
This assassination plot did not occur in a vacuum. It came just weeks after Trump survived a shooting at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, that left him wounded and a rally attendee dead. Court documents in the Routh case suggest his motive was linked to fears that Trump would negatively impact the war in Ukraine.
The fact that a former president and current candidate faced two separate assassination attempts within weeks of each other—one nearly successful—is a deeply alarming trend. Yet these events have received comparatively little sustained coverage from the same media outlets that breathlessly report on every perceived “threat to democracy.” When assassination plots against political leaders are not treated as a national crisis, it signals a dangerous flaw in our public discourse.
