Was a Biden administration member photographed with the Trump assassination attempt suspect?

Donald Trump’s presidential campaign has taken a new twist with the arrest of Ryan Wesley Routh. The 58-year-old was apprehended by Secret Service agents as he tried to flee after being spotted with an AK-47 rifle near the former president’s golf course. The suspect, who already has a criminal record, is suspected of attempting to commit an assassination attempt.

Could Routh have ties to the current US government? That’s what Mike Crispi suggests online. A political activist from New Jersey, this member of the Republican Party and avowed supporter of Trump fervently supports Donald Trump’s candidacy for the White House. On his X account, the person concerned posted in recent days a photo of the suspect alongside chef José Andrés, a man he presents as a “member of the Biden-Harris administration.”

Appointed to head a federal agency

Mike Crispi does not provide any information to locate or date this photo. However, research allows us to give credence to its authenticity and to rule out the theory of a montage. First of all, it is possible to identify precisely the place where the photo was taken. Characteristic elements of Independence Square in kyiv are recognizable, which points us towards Ukraine.

Archives attest to Ryan Wesley Routh’s presence on site in the spring of 2022, spanning the months of April and May. A trip that the fifty-year-old had highlighted on his X account, but which is also confirmed by images filmed by Agence France Presse in the Ukrainian capital. Is this when the two men were photographed? It is quite likely, especially since chef José Andrés had filmed himself at this precise time in the middle of kyiv. His trip to the site took place over at least twelve days, during the second half of April 2022.

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While a bundle of clues makes a meeting between the two men two years ago credible, it nevertheless seems misleading to present the chef as “a member of the Biden-Harris administration”. Founder of the NGO World Central Kitchen, which has been trying for a decade to provide food aid to populations in disaster areas around the world, this Spaniard by birth who has become a naturalized American does not belong to the Democratic government currently in power. Asked by TF1info to find out about his possible links with Ryan Wesley Routh, he has not yet responded to our requests.

In March 2022, the White House announced in a press release that President Biden had just appointed a series of officials to head federal agencies. José Andrés’ name was then put forward since he was propelled to the co-direction of the “President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition (PCSFN)“, a federal advisory committee that aims to promote healthy eating and physical activity for all. This is not a ministerial position, nor is it a function that could be likened to that of a secretary of state.

A proximity, but also a freedom of tone

The American institution headed by José Andrés is financed by public funds, while the choice of its director is decided – as we have seen – by the White House. An obvious link with power, but which does not make the head of the PCSFN a member of the Biden administration. The Council, on its website, emphasizes that it is “composed of athletes, physicians, fitness and nutrition professionals, and entrepreneurs appointed by the President and serving in an advisory capacity to the Secretary of Health and Human Services”.

While José Andrés displays, due to the functions he occupies, a certain proximity to the current American power in place, he also maintains a certain freedom of tone. A few months ago, press articles across the Atlantic echoed the chef’s criticisms targeting Joe Biden and his Democratic allies. The cause? American policy in Gaza, as well as the perpetuation of violations of humanitarian laws.

Do you want to ask us questions or submit information that you don’t think is reliable? Don’t hesitate to write to us at [email protected]. You can also find us on X: our team is there behind the account @verif_TF1LCI.