DJ Trump must be pleased his attacker was such a poor shot.
This recent attempt on his life proves, when anyone can obtain an automatic rifle everyone is at risk, even those with a Secret Service detail to protect them.
Trump said today ‘It’s incredible that such an act can take place in our country’ which some might consider further evidence of cognitive decline considering his continued support for the NRA.
The shooter was obviously an amateur. Trump’s head was such an enormous target at close range a pro’ could never have missed with five or six shots. A top class sniper could hit a target the size of Trump’s head at 500m and his body at 1000m given the right weapon, ammunition, view and weather conditions.
World leaders might be accused by the more cynical among us, of a lack of sincerity when making ‘diplomatic’ statements about the attack but hey-ho, they really don’t have much choice do they? I certainly do not condone this attack, but I think it is essential to examine the reasons for such acts. Trump will have to take into consideration how his extremist views prompt extreme passions, that provoke easily influenced people.
Combined with easy access to weapons an attempt to ‘save the world’ is simple, people have motive, opportunity and most importantly the means. The MAGA rhetoric and Project 2025 is going to encourage further attempts from like-minded individuals in the coming months. Fear, frustration at the continued failures of the US legal system to hold Trump to account, simply add to the likelihood of copycats taking the dead assassin’s place.
More glass and steel will be erected, perhaps the Secret Service will raise their game, but when a dedicated individual is prepared to sacrifice everything for his or her beliefs against a target that needs to be in the public domain (or play golf) opportunities will arise. A principle target needs to be lucky every time. Trump was lucky – this time. A future assassin only needs to be lucky once.
Many pundits will criticise the Secret Service, such claims are profoundly unfair. They cannot be everywhere, cover every open window, check every tree or putting green, even though they do try to do achieve exactly that. With a client who has to be in the public domain there is no such thing as 100% safe. No one can be more aware of this today than Trump himself.
Those of a historical bent might draw up memories of Claus Von Stauffenberg and the effects of a different failed assassination attempt.
Trump, as a consummate showman will use this for self-promotion, but his audience have ultra-short memories. October might have been preferable.
Who Dares Shares
Robin Horsfall
Comment: These are the words of Robin Horsfall, a retired British soldier. They came to me this evening through Linkedin. He’s been in the Parachute Regiment and 22d SAS. He’s had five tours in North Ireland, was in the Falklands War and was on the SAS hostage rescue operation at the Iranian Embassy. He qualified as a Royal Marines Sniper Marksman in 1982. After retirement he served as a bodyguard for several notable individuals. He also earned a degree in English Literature and Creative Writing. Does that not sound familiar?
His words here are wise, measured and speak of a lifetime of professional soldiering. He could have been conjured up from a reading of Kipling’s “If.” He’s published several books. I already like him. https://robinhorsfall.co.uk
TTG
I like his writing. May order one or two of his books. But he speaks from experience about big heads. He obviously has one himself considering the self promotion on his website.
Apart from the 3rd paragraph where he informs us that it was an easy shot, I don’t see the relevance of his military background.
The user employed an automatic rifle? That’s news to me…
The rest just sounds like typical leftist talking points trying to appear moderate. Sounds like you TTG.
Only the tone is moderate though. The arguments are as radical and inflammatory as could be, bar personal insults.
Essentially, Trump is an extremist that had it coming. Still has, and others will try, and it will be his fault and no one else’s.
By extension, everyone that supports Trump must also be an extremist, as it is not plausible that, by now, people that support him are somehow still deceived. So they will have it coming too.
There’s your “wisdom” without the pretentious rethorical trappings of the appearence of moderation.
Have you ever considered the possibility that you may be wrong at all? And that, if that were the case, by designating Trump as an extremist, you are putting yourself squarely in that category? Because, by now, just like Trump supporters can’t remain deceived by Trump, so can’t his detractors. You are either right or wrong.
But, if you’re wrong, then you are the extremist. Will you agree that, if that’s the case, you will have it coming too?
A Portuguese Man,
Well that’s a truly Talmudic argument. Trump as an extremist? I don’t see that. He’s purely transactional and always has been. It’s his rhetoric that’s extreme and often quite violent.
100%. I dont think Trump has ANY core values. He was a pro choice Democrat rubbing shoulders with Bill and Hillary not that many years ago.
Trump’s values are whatever garners him support and adulation.
Sir, I find your argument about Trump as an extremist and violent. Can you kindly give me instances of Trump comparing Mrs. Clinton or Joe Biden to Hitler? (By the way they both often compared him to that Hitler character). Of course Trump did call Mrs. Clinton and Biden as being crooked, (By the way Mrs. Clinton did profit from the Federal Office, the case of destroyed cleaned Hard Drive in Mrs. Clinton case and the suppressed evidence of existence of Hunter’s Lap top). Sir can you kindly show me an example of a politician who didn’t vilify his political opponents. Thanks
Muralidhar Rao,
I specifically said Trump was not an extremist. I said, “Trump as an extremist? I don’t see that. He’s purely transactional and always has been. It’s his rhetoric that’s extreme and often quite violent.”
Some examples:
Lock her up
Calling for shoplifters to be shot and for Mark Milley, the CJCS, to be executed for treason.
Calling his political enemies vermin
The poisoning the blood of our country rhetoric
Warnings of a coming bloodbath
Characterizing illegal immigrants as not people, not humans, and “animals
Sir I apologize for my inappropriate statement which implied that you suggested Trump was an extremist. Honestly I misinterpreted your statement. My sincere apologies to you. I am not a died in wool Trumpista but a reasonable American patriot who tries to be a critical thinker.
Regarding his exteme rheteric:
Lock her up : Was she guilty of cleaning her hard drive which was under Congressional subpeona? What would be the result if any of us did such an act? Why is the double standards?
Calling for shoplifters to be shot and for Mark Milley, the CJCS, to be executed for treason.: Did the General publicly state that he called the General of Chinese General to assure him that no attack was imminent? Was he authorized to make such a call? Is that insubordination?
Calling his political enemies vermin: Plese tell me when the media and the Hollywood celebrities like Cathy Gafford walking around with a replica of severed head of the commander in chief, how should he react?
The poisoning the blood of our country rhetoric
Warnings of a coming bloodbath : When the society is put under severe with massive vaccine mandates and their strict enforcement compared to lack of any enforcement when the BLM was burning down cities.
Characterizing illegal immigrants as not people, not humans, and “animals : True that it is not very diplomaticor humane but I think it was taken out of context where as he said that there were lots of people released from prisions which would include rapists, murderers etc. Thanks. Regards
Muralidhar Rao,
Apology accepted. Enjoy the punt videos.
Muralidhar Rao,
Trump might or might not be an extremist, but he has been playing one since the day he started running for office.
“Lock her up : Was she guilty of cleaning her hard drive which was under Congressional subpeona? What would be the result if any of us did such an act? Why is the double standards?”
No double standard there. We don’t lock anybody up doing that without building a case and then prosecute them. Extremist rhetoric.
“Calling for shoplifters to be shot and for Mark Milley, the CJCS, to be executed for treason.: Did the General publicly state that he called the General of Chinese General to assure him that no attack was imminent? Was he authorized to make such a call? Is that insubordination?”
We don’t shoot people for shoplifting. And we don’t kill generals for insubordination (only dictators do that). We court marshall and let the military court decide. Violent rhetoric.
“Calling his political enemies vermin: Plese tell me when the media and the Hollywood celebrities like Cathy Gafford walking around with a replica of severed head of the commander in chief, how should he react?”
Trump should be magnanimous and ignore the crazys. Calling people vermin is stupid and extreme.
“Warnings of a coming bloodbath : When the society is put under severe with massive vaccine mandates and their strict enforcement compared to lack of any enforcement when the BLM was burning down cities.”
Bloodbath is a violent rhetoric. No laywering excuse or bothside argument would explain it away.
“Characterizing illegal immigrants as not people, not humans, and “animals : True that it is not very diplomaticor humane but I think it was taken out of context where as he said that there were lots of people released from prisions which would include rapists, murderers etc.”
Only extremists would characterize illegal immigrants as not people. Calling them outlaws would suffice. That’s racist and hateful.
Robin Horsfall: “Trump will have to take into consideration how his extremist views prompt extreme passions, that provoke easily influenced people.”
A Portuguese Man: “Essentially, Trump is an extremist that had it coming. Still has, and others will try, and it will be his fault and no one else’s.”
TTG: “Trump as an extremist? I don’t see that. He’s purely transactional and always has been. It’s his rhetoric that’s extreme and often quite violent.”
Have to say that given what Horsfall actually says A Portuguese Man’s paraphrasing is on point, and yours is not.
After all, A Portuguese Man was talking about Horsfall’s opinion of Trump. Your opinion of Trump is therefore irrelevant.
And note that Horsfall was talking about Trump’s “views”, not about Trump’s “rhetoric”, and those are indeed two different things.
(BTW, while a person’s rhetoric can be “extreme”, I fail to see how a person’s rhetoric can be “violent”. Sticks and stones ‘n’ all that).
Yeah, Right,
If you’re happier to consider Trump an extremist, by all means do so. I don’t.
OK, I’m beginning to suspect that you are deliberately misunderstanding my point.
I’m saying that HORSFALL considers Trump to be an extremist, and because of that HIS article is worthless.
Everyone’s transactional with nearly their whole life. I suppose the only area where that falls down is when you’re dealing with someone you love.
Trump’s problem is not that he’s transactional, it’s that he ALWAYS tries to weasel out of his end of the deal. He doesn’t pay, he lies, he sues, he’s basically one of the cheapest bastards you’re ever going to lay eyes on, and after he gets whatever he wants done, he’s gonna try and stiff you.
But, if you’re wrong, then you are the extremist. Will you agree that, if that’s the case, you will have it coming too?
Could you explain? Someone should or will target TTG?
Considering your two last paragraphs :
If I designate you as a Portuguese turcopolier pilgrim suffering from Trump-Adoration-Symptom, am I putting myself “squarely” in the category of a Southern European with signs of TAS?
Or only if I stop deceiving myself and witness the good Trump brought not only to America and the world at large, for instance Portugal?
And now please tell me what will happen to us, or to TTG, if we don’t all declare our love-devotion and surrender to the truly elected and now reelected president of America the most beautiful, beautiful place in the world. 😉
The comparison with the failed German attempt on Hitler’s life (Von Stauffenberg) is marvelous. I suppose that was an “act of God” too as some nitwits say.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20_July_plot
(It was 7 days short of being exactly 80 years ago – the attempt on Trump).
4,980 people were executed in addition to the 4 who were killed by the bomb. Obviously God wanted it that way. How many millions were killed between July 20 1944 and VE day? I don’t know but we’ll add that to god’s account too.
F&L
Interesting parallel, though,
Are we sure the war will stop after Hitler’s death?
From D-Day on, Hitler’s erratic decisions were an aid to Germany’s enemies. A Germany free of this handicap might well have been more resilient.
The answer is complex and, in any case, hypothetical. We must remember that the perpetrators were patriots without an ounce of defeatism.
d74,
Quite so. Speaking of parallels Here’s a dramatic photographic recreation of exactly how close a call it was for Dandy Don on the 13th of July. If I recall correctly Hitler’s life was spared in part due to a last moment adjustment to the position of the valise carrying the explosives.
https://x.com/marionawfal/status/1813626264957440282
There were three attempts in 1939. I only was aware of only the one in Munich. But 1939 would have been great indeed:
In 1939, a time bomb concealed inside a pillar in the Bürgerbräukeller was set to go off during Hitler’s Beer Hall Putsch address on 8 November. The bomb exploded, killing eight people and injuring 57,[7] but Hitler had cut short his speech and had already left. A carpenter, Georg Elser, was arrested, imprisoned for 5 1⁄2 years, and executed shortly before the end of the war.[5]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_attempts_on_Adolf_Hitler
But yes, Hitler too seems to have had lots of help from heaven. 😉
TTG,
“Dangerous rhetoric”
Like demanding NATO allies pay for their own defense? How dare he! Like saying Ukraine should investigate Burisma? How dare he! There’s plenty of others. But mentions of Claus Von Stauffenberg were not in any way an implication that HITLER is Baaaaack and somebody ought to try to take him out, but don’t miss. Tell that to GCHQ’s Christoper Steele, he only tried character assassination. Paid for by Hilary Clinton and supported by all those career professionals. Look where that attempted assassination got the UK.
“…criticize the Secret Service, such claims are profoundly unfair”
Yeah not having anyone actually secure the on building with perfect view of the speaker’s stage 150 yards away is an error an expert (not Mr. Horsfall of course) might make. Please don’t criticize the “secret service”. Not at all, just the corrupt woman leading the organization and her boss, the man who’s been calling his opponent an existential threat to democracy for years.
And in case you missed it:
“…Fear, frustration at the continued failures of the US legal system to hold Trump to account” That sounds like a suggestion that someone ought to up the ante on Chuck Schumer’s “you’ll reap the whirlwind” comments to a certain USSC Justice. I’m sure that’s not what the foreign sniper meant though, not at all. Now if you just ask permission from His Majesty’s government on what you might say as an American I’m sure the rulers of old will be happy to tell you. Kind of like they are doing in the country that is paying this mans retirement check.
He can also go stuff himself.
I agree, Fred.
Note also that TTG is wrong to focus on Trump’s “rhetoric” in relation to Horsfall’s opinion-piece in light of this: “the continued failures of the US legal system to hold Trump to account”
I can not read that and believe it to mean that Horsfall is decrying the US legal system’s failure to police Trump’s rhetoric. Even a pompous twit like Horsfall must know that Trump is entitled to right of free speech.
Personally, I find Horsfall’s opinion-piece to be appalling. It is all but encouraging other losers to take a shot at Trump, and it dog-whistles that when they do it will be Trump’s own fault because the orange-haired dude just refuses to toe the line.
Another Redcoat critical about our 2nd Amendment. ::rolleyes:: ::tuneout::
Nope. Sit down old man.
The secret services job is to stay left of bang. They recruit and pick from the cream of the crop. They have an unlimited secret budget, legal authority to peer into medical records and shut down transportation of major metropolitan cities, weld shut man hole covers, tag people of interest with special codes in NCIC, and have unlimited resources throughout the federal, state, local LE, military, and national security apparatus. They can move a mountain. Once bang happens, they fucked up. What you saw on TV was their Attack on Principle (AOP) drill. If AOP happens, they are right of bang and simply a reactionary force to the attacker seizing the initiative. They follow a concentric rings of protection as all security should. The inner ring is about a distance with a two second reactionary gap and all the preceding rings span out beyond direct fire range. They have the manpower and authority to expand their footprint or preemptively strike before the event by simply removing an attackers ability gain the advantage of surprise. The shooters hide on top of the building had already been marked an area of concern well ahead during their advance because it had a direct line of site to the podium. It was outside the event so it was left up to the local PD to secure the roof. Instead of having countersnipers or a footprint on the roof, the local PD wrote it off when they used the building as a staging building and instead had countersnipers -inside- the building. They should have had someone on the roof or controlled access. The Redcoat doesn’t realize this. The shooter was a person of interest 30 minutes before bang. People saw him climbing the roof minutes before and alerted LE too. There were too many catastrophic failures.
This was like watching a surreal Keystone Kops skit. The local PD fucked up and some of the responsibility falls on USSS. It should never have happened. Period.
-Condottiere CPP, PSP, CPO, CPS, PPS
I am just a one man band with board certifications in security management and physical security, $50k (out of pocket) in executive protection training from four of the top most recognized schools and protective driving training from two of the most recognized driving schools, state LE executive protection training, and FLETC physical security, protective driving, and dignitary protection training. The USSS have a whole apparatus of teams that do this with real world experience and better tools. I know they didn’t miss the vulnerability. This would be my lowly idiot 45 second pre-advance in my underwear in the comforts of my living room before placing boots on ground, Google Earth.
Vantage point from the podium (the “X”)
https://earth.google.com/web/@40.85814012,-79.97079282,412.7892603a,173.76896372d,35y,-0.2542264h,88.0000579t,0r
Vantage point from the shooter (the hide)
https://earth.google.com/web/@40.85592505,-79.97020371,423.28067861a,289.40971347d,35y,170.7467359h,89.99997847t,0r
That SAS Redcoat can go stick his beret and dagger hat pin up his old hairy ass. You’re not taking our AR-15s.
Bongino is saying his source told him it was a security lapse. There was supposed to be security on the building. It had nothing to do with a “slope”. I don’t know the truth but having served myself in combat arms around snipers I am leaning towards incompetence.
As for this old British Soldier, if we could not obtain rifles in the US we would be a British colony. We also could not defend ourselves from the current invasion of criminal illegal aliens and inner city violence. I wonder what his thoughts are the the rising crime and murder in his country due to the illegal alien invasion?
“Many pundits will criticise the Secret Service, such claims are profoundly unfair. They cannot be everywhere …”
This is profoundly misguided.
Trump was shot from a rooftop 130 yards from where he was speaking, a perfect sniper’s perch.
What could be more of a direct threat to Trump than that?
Shame on Horsfall for not recognizing that basic reality.
Keith Harbaugh,
I do agree Horsfall is cutting the Secret Service too much slack with that statement. Maybe it’s a symptom of British reserve.
“British reserve”…
If you don’t know, mumble.
That’s what he does. No new facts.
Given that there were several security services on site, I’d like to know if a central authority received the information and coordinated everything accordingly?
I have my answer, from a not-so-old French soldier, Colonel and Doctor of History.
According to him, there was no authority or coordinator on site. The various services involved were acting independently. The information, which was renewed – a man on the roof – was lost in a black hole.
In my opinion, it was a complete failure due to the lack of a central authority. My opinion, not his, French reserve.
The Brit adds no value.
He says the shooter was a lousy shot. That is unknown. If Trump hadn’t moved his head, slightly at about the same moment the shooter squeezed the trigger, Trump would be dead. Now, an experienced shooter would have aimed center of mass, in which case being off, for whatever reason, by an inch or two still would have still resulted in a kill. Military trained snipers typically do not aim for the head unless it’s the only target available. Leith suggested, on the previous thread, that the shooter could have been aiming center of mass and missed so badly that he nicked an ear. It’s a possibility, of course. However, not a reliable assumption.
Furthermore, I haven’t seen any reports as to whether or not the rifle had a scope, or if the shooter was using iron sights (peep sights that are part of the AR platform). The Brit assumes he had a scope. Not even infantry troops qualifying ‘expert’ can reliably make a head shot with iron sights at 300 yards, let along at 500 to 1000. Shooting at 1000 yards takes a lot of skill even with the best of rifle/ammo combinations. Many trained snipers miss at that range; many avoid shooting that far out, limiting shots to 800 yards or less.
As for an automatic rifle, it simply wasn’t. It was semi-auto. So what either way? If the shooter had been using a bolt action high powered rifled with a scope (like the counter snipers) maybe he would have made a better shot. Again we don’t know if he missed only because Trump turned his head at the last second, because he was rushed by the police officer poking his head over the roof, wind, or other reasons. Once that first shot failed to kill Trump, the window of opportunity ended. Trump was down behind the podium (which is armored) and covered by USSS agents. Speed of follow-up shots is irrelevant as far as killing Trump is concerned. Would a bolt action v semi-auto have a difference with regards to the collateral casualties? Maybe. It’s possible the shooter would have been taken out before he fired additional shots into the crowd.
His excuse making for the Secret Service is pathetic. Yeah, they can’t be everywhere at once – which is why they should prioritize the most obvious potential sources of a threat; like the exact spot the shooter actually was.
Long and short – as someone already said, this is just another redcoat taking an opportunity to bash the US (sore loser and cheap shot) and who doesn’t seem to understand as much about security details, guns and shooting as he should. Probably a deep state troll performing his function.
TTG – I looked him up. Very good record and devotes time to looking after Falklands veterans. Does public speaking so used to to not ruffling feathers. I imagine therefore he was just being tactful about what looks like a security lapse.
Larry Johnson looks at the possibility of the shooter being mistaken for one of the protection team. Could the incident be just a result of failure of communication between the local Police and the Security detail?
…………………..
Came across this journalist a while back but discarded him because he seemed too colourful, even apocalyptic, for a useful factual account to be got from him. But a chance reference on MOA took me back to him and I remembered your mortarman who was able to “walk” his shots wherever he wanted. This man seems to have had much the same skills.
https://maratkhairullin.substack.com/p/and-to-wash-yourself-with-a-pure
EO,
I don’t know what Larry said and don’t care to listen to him. The likelihood is that whatever his opinion, a pig’s fart contains more useful information.
Modern communications systems are simple, effective and easy to use. You have a gizmo on your chest with a little button you can push to speak and you have briefed names/call signs for all the teams on the detail and you have established designations for the various sectors and features in them, like buildings. It goes something like this, “Romeo this is Juliet. There’s a man with a rifle on the roof of building 4. Is he yours?”. There. That took 15 seconds, or less. “Juliet, this is Romeo. We do not have a man on the roof. I say again, no team member on the roof”. We are now at less than 30 seconds since the rooftop kook has been observed. Now a prearranged two-word code goes out to all USSS personnel, and they surround Trump and get him the hell off the stage. Meanwhile, the counter sniper team zaps the rooftop kook. This is SOP for a security detail in the modern world.
Eric Newhill,
I agree. There’s video of him being quickly hauled offstage in Nevada in 2016 when someone thought they saw a gun in the audience. The Secret Service didn’t stop to ask Trump that time. They grabbed him and moved him.
Eric – yes, as Yeah, Right observes, if there was any doubt or confusion at all Trump should have been got out of the way. Whether the shooter was thought to be local police or not, the mere fact that he had not been on the roof and then suddenly was should have rung alarm bells.
In any case the possibility of someone masquerading as part of the protection team and thus being able to get into a firing position must be a possibility that is planned for. Taking that into account must be done else anyone would be able to breach security.
So they have to know know who’s where and why, That they did not in this case indicates poor liaison, plus sloppiness or over-confidence on the part of whoever had the job of keeping track of where the various components of the protection team were stationed.
It was a very big protection team. They spend their lives in this line of work. I imagine they’re all so used to things running like clockwork they got over-confident.
Old British soldier, my ass. For a. start; nobody, no matter who they say they are, no. matter what. their experience, is going to hit any target accurately. at 150. yds without a. weapon that is. zeroed to their eye and on which. they have practiced with the same. ammo. in the same. firing position and geometry. Period. The type. of. rifle. doesn’t matter. much at that. range.
Secondly, this. guy. fired. from an. open. observable position. We. know that because a policeman shot and killed him. Question, why hadn’t the SS covered that spot?
This guy appears a classic “lone. wolf” that needs to be confirmed. if there is a link to someone, then that person is either dead. or on the run..
walrus,
The shooter had the weapon at the range the day before, so I’m pretty sure it was zeroed to him. He bought 50 rounds the morning before the shooting so he may not have practiced with the same lot he used for the shooting.
I can shoot less than head sized groups at 150 yds with a borrowed SKS with unknown surplus ammo. I sure as hell couldn’t shot an ear at that range with that rifle. But the bottom line is that Trump was lucky.
Yes, Trump was lucky. What bothers me is that so was the shooter.
Studies have concluded that, despite movies and novels to the contrary, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to assassinate a leader who is taking the simplest of precautions. There were seventeen attempts on Hitler !
So my question is; exactly HOW did the shooter get so lucky? He was in a location that should have been denied to him; at a time when the target was both visible and relatively stationary and he was not detected until after he had taken his shot. As far as I am concerned, three strikes – you’re out! I can tell you exactly how the report into the protection detail will read……..
We will discover, wait for it…… , that surprise, surprise, the agent in charge was the dumbest guy in the whole Secret Service; that he had been counseled about his behavior, that he had marital problems, etc., the agents in the detail were the dumbest in the service who had also been repeatedly counseled for drug use, behavior, etc. The plan they had created was flawed, but they didn’t follow it anyway, but awwww sucks! They just messed up… exactly like Geoffrey Epstein’s jailors messed up!
These guys were selected to fail, and fail they did. The Secret Service must not be given a second chance or they will deliberately fail again.
walrus,
I would guess that the Secret Service team assigned to Trump was not the cream of the crop. I can imagine how bad the detail now assigned to RF Kennedy is.
walrus,
“These guys were selected to fail, and fail they did”
It’s called preparing the battle space. The Democratic Party giving the Republic the best leadership possible. And the party loyalists are all still upset because Trump hurt their feelings with mean tweets.
TTG,
“Locker her up”. (from your response above) Isn’t that what we do with people convicted of crimes? Did he, in four years in office, do any of those things you so feared? No. He didn’t even locker her up. Perhaps you should read transcripts of what he said rather than getting your news off the same old hoax repeating networks.
Fred,
He said all those things. He never had his AG press charges against Clinton so he certainly wasn’t going to lock her up, nordid he execute Milley. It was just part of his extreme, often violent, rhetoric.
Stephen Bryen’s Opinion
https://asiatimes.com/2024/07/was-there-a-second-shooter-new-acoustic-evidence/
TonyL,
It came out today that the shooter searched for pictures of both Trump and Biden on Saturday morning. It may not have mattered to him who he shot, as long as he shot someone. Trump just happened to be in the area that day.
TTG,
“Trump just happened to be in the area that day.” ? How much denial are you in to come up with that hogwash?
Fred,
Do you think his rally was some God-ordained destiny?
TTG,
As long as we are insulting one another let me ask the obvious: Do you think, like Biden, that Trump, who already served four years as president, is an existential threat to the United States?
Fred,
I was just thinking about that yesterday. Trump was President for four years and America still stands. I don’t think he’ll destroy the country with another four years. I’m not so sure about the throngs of true believers he’ll bring with him this time. Strangely enough, I think Trump would temper his “flying monkeys” if their actions start to cause widespread chaos and collapse.
TTG,
Looking at it from the kid’s point of view, yes, I think it’s possible that ‘God’ was one driver of the assassination plan. Crooks’s mother is Jewish. On October 27, 2018, a white nationalist attacked the Tree of Life synagogue at the center of Jewish life in Pittsburgh. His name was Bowers. Bowers, at one point, said he was targeting HIAS, which the synagogue strongly supported, as being dangerous, an organization that believes that there is a moral and even a legal obligation of nations to take in millions of refugees. This responsibility overrides national laws. Bowers, who believed genocide was necessary against the Jewish people to protect the American white race, made some comments about the millions of climate migrants coming up from Central America across undefended American borders as being one reason for his actions. If you look at the website of HIAS you see that Trump and his border wall and anti-immigrant plans are regarded as dangerously extremist. As I see it, they want national borders gone. There is a terrific tension not only in the US but also in Europe over massive immigration, legal and otherwise. It is the issue of the day, which, if considered in the context of climate collapse, means that one might imagine an inevitable breakdown of society into warlord-ruled areas of like-minded climate migrants who live in militarized cantons behind barbed wire fences and watch towers at points north with good water supply. And one might put this in the context of a series of racist attacks around the country such as the Dylan Roof attack on the Emanuel AME church in Charleston in 2015 and quite a few others. You could see a pattern there. And I would guess that in the Crooks family, there was far more distressing knowledge of what had happened in the Tree of Life synagogue than outsiders would know, perhaps people who had been hunted down and murdered there were known personally. In short, I think that to Thomas Matthew Crooks there was a great danger of a civil war in the United States and that Trump was a fascist who would lead white nationalism in a violent and racist reaction against the current ‘progressive’ direction of the country and towards a destruction of the Constitution and the Jewish people. So yes, ‘God’ has a lot to do with this assassination attempt. I am reminded of the murder of Huey Long. Also of Mir Aimal Kasi, who also stepped up to the plate.
Tidewater,
Sounds like a decent plot for an action/disaster film, but I think you’re reading too much into this particular assassination plot.
TTG,
Perhaps everyone on the left should think about what the democratic leadership is doing to “Democracy”.
It is the left’s billionaire donors, elected elders, and media allies who are scheming to remove the sitting president and recipient of 14 million democratic primary votes from the campaign ticket, and from office. That is the left’s defenders of “Democracy” in action.
Fred,
They’re not trying to remove a sitting president. They’re trying to remove the presumptive nominee for the next presidential election. Since Biden already won the primary votes necessary to become the party’s nominee, only he can release those votes to someone else.
TTG,
14,000,000 Americans voted in the democratic primary. The “They” who are removing the candidate voted for by millions, and who is perfectly capable of fulfilling the duties of the office of president, are Plutocrat donors and (how appropriate) a Gang of Four led by elderly Nancy and aging Chuck you’ll reap the whirlwind Schumer.
That is not defending “Democracy”, it is betrayal of democratic voters and the American people.
TTG,
I hope you’re right…
TonyL,
To quote Chris Rock: “What happened to crazy?”
I vaguely recall the guy who put a bullet in Reagan did so because Jody Foster refused his request that she be his date at his high school prom, or something like that. “It” happens.
Got a hunch the local PD was delegated to secure that building and some beat cops decided sitting in chairs inside it qualified, as opposed to standing at post, maybe in the sun, around the building.
Pardon?
The President’s schedule is available on his web site.
The shooter would have known that the President spends his day shuffling between his basement and his boudoir, with the occasional detour to be photographed sitting behind the Resolution Desk.
It was Trump or it was nothing.
Yeah, Right,
Biden was last in Philadelphia and Harrisburg on 8 July and in Detroit on 12 July. But Trump’s open air rally was much closer and more convenient.
TTG,
I watched a brief interview with a former classmate of the kook, who said that the kook only liked to talk about two subjects; politics and math. Apparently, he was very sure of himself on both topics and very argumentative if anyone questioned his opinions. This further confirms my diagnosis of autism and probably some personality disorder(s).
Anyhow, the former classmate stated that the kook hated ALL politicians. That is likely an attitude that he riffed off of his Libertarian farther – and one that demonstrates a glimmer of insight and intelligence. Unfortunately, as an autistic person with at least a touch of antisocial disorder and narcissism that attitude toward politicians translated into social norms violating action.
How hard would it be to identify this type of personality/attitude combination on social media and push it to do the extreme? Pretty damn easy, actually. But bit he didn’t have a social media profile? BS. Maybe he just used a different name. The investigation is still in the earliest of stages. Someone like that would most likely be driven to discuss his political views on-line.
Also, it seems that his parents had notified the police earlier the day of the shooting that their son had gone missing, along with the rifle. Notifying the police indicates that the parents didn’t think he was simply going to the range. It will be very interesting to learn what the parents said to the police. If they told the police they were worried that he was headed for the Trump rally, then I would say “case closed”. The Biden USSS allowed the shooter to have a shot. I’m not interested in could have been this, might have been that alternatives at that point. Excuses like, “They’re just really incompetent” stop cutting it at some critical mass of f’-ups.
Quite possibly he was rebelling against his father. Or he had zero love-life or both.
F&L,
The more info coming out about this shooter, the more I’m convinced he was one messed up dude without any particular agenda, political or otherwise.
TTG,
A neighbor is now saying there were no political signs on the front yard, ever. So no Trump sign.
I agree that was, essentially, one messed up dude. However, he is exactly the kind of messed up dude that could be turned into someone else’s assassination drone.
I said he would have an online presence in gaming chat rooms and now it is coming out that he did. There needs to be a very thorough investigation into his conversations and contacts to see if some other party was pushing his buttons. The FBI must not be permitted to conduct that work in secret.
Has George Galloway lost his marbles or is he simply addicted to hate? I only watched the first 4 minutes but he’s sure that 7-13-24 was a deep state op. And there was a second shooter – not a shred of evidence. I think he’s nuts. Simple question. The mass shooting phenomena that we know so well, unfortunately, of which there are many. Question: How many shooters per mass shooting?
It’s ALWAYS a single shooter as far as I know.
US Secret Service and the sloping roof. George Galloway.
https://youtu.be/jWhZ81X_suo
F&L,
“It’s ALWAYS a single shooter as far as I know.”
We cannot be certain at the moment. Let’s see the evidence collected at the site. See Stephen Bryen’s opinion link I posted above.
Well, not John Wilkes Booth unless we wrongly imprisoned or killed some people
What good would a second shooter be? You get one shot at the Prez and that’s it before he is behind his bullet proof podium and covered by secret service agents.
So Crooks is an unlucky shot and the second guy is what? A can’t hit the broad side of a barn shot? Galloway has been doing too many drugs with Oliver Stone.
Some fanciful musings
Behind the sloping roof is the bigger taller barn with windows.That would be the perfect hide to shoot from,the sloping roof could be a distraction
The distance from window to podium is about 160m.
With good conditions and a scope an ear nick is possible.
More fanciful musings
Also the guy on the roof was shot from the back.Had some missing teeth from what i could tell.
The Guy On the Roof…Matthew…Also HadThree overseas Encrypted Accouts…Germany..New Zealand..Belgium..
Scenario…If He Had Done a CONTACT..OFFER
of Service…to any..Like Oswald did at The Russian
Embassy in Mexico…
.And It WAs Intercepted …And Relayed To
The American Caspers in DC…And The
Wheels Spinned ..the eggs of Doom layed,,
That Would explain Exactly Why and How Security Broke Down…With Malice and Prejudice
Eh….Just another Bone.. CSI Style…
Jill and Kamala in the same State ..Same Day…Drew Away Any Xtra SS Trump Might Have..gotten…What a Coincidence…..Why Were They There…Jill an Hour Away….
…The Whole Matter is Messy…Reminds me of the Bin Laden Family Being in NY…on 9/11….(To Watch the Event Up Close)….and No LEO/Secret Service in Dallas to Secure the Book Store..Gaing Exposure…JackRuby..then walked Right into The Police Basement …..aand Shot Oswald…
The Shooter at Trumps Ralley..Was ID.d as a Potential Threat 3 Hours Before He Shot..But The SS Let Him Walk out on Stage..Exposure..For that Line of Sight..
Why..Shooter Bought New Bullets That Day..Still Almost Did it…Didnt He..1MM..
The Shooter had a Detonator on the roof Beside Him…Bombs in His Car..? The
get away Diversion…?,,,,,But..This is a Sgt Schultz Investigation…”I Know Nothing..”
But…Maybe It was Iran..They Say..Trained This Kid at a Secret Range..in a Corn Field in Iowa…Give the Media a Big Box of Chocolates..Laced with Stupid Pills..
TTG…You Seem to Be More Dialed in Major…The Colonel Would be Pleased..
Jim,
Iran wasn’t involved in this shooting. Iran was just another threat against Trump. They still want revenge for the killing of Soleimani. All that threat meant was that the security detail for Trump was supposedly dialed up. If that was dialed up security, I’d hate to see what not dialed up security looks like.
The shooter scouted out the site the day before and had some kind of explosives, maybe tannerite, in his car. It maybe that he planned to detonate his car as a diversion after the shooting. I don’t think he intended to die.
I don’t think the Secret Service could stop Trump from going on stage even with the sighting of an apparently unarmed person of interest. They could recommend, but not demand.
TTG,
Oh yeah sure, of course, that unreasonable, crazy narcissist Trump. Can’t tell him anything even if it’s for his own good.
The fact is that Trump events have been postponed due to security concerns. They could have at least asked him, don’t you think? I don’t think the previously postponed events resulted in the arrest of anyone with a weapon. They were merely concerns and Trump complied with the delay until all clear.
Diversion?
Maybe, but also maybe a White Heat, Cody Jarrett “Top of the World, Ma!” moment . . . .
“According to the sources, the timeline presented in the briefing was as follows
5:10 p.m. Crooks was first identified as a person of interest
5:30 p.m. Crooks was spotted with a rangefinder
5:52 p.m. Crooks was spotted on the roof by Secret Service
6:02 p.m. Trump takes the stage
6:12 p.m. Crooks fires first shots”
ABC news report.
The conduct of the USSS under DEI leadership and (Democrat) President Joseph Biden is a disgrace. Now he ‘cough cough’ has Covid. He’ll only be removed as candidate to save the party’s down ballot candidates, they won’t remove him from office. Which is an even greater disgrace.
So, a full ten minutes of confusion about who the hell is up on that roof and they STILL let Trump go out there?
I keep harping on about this, but that to me is the most damning evidence against the Secret Service operations center.
I get that in the confusion the agent in charge won’t give his snipers permission to fire: he doesn’t want to risk a Secret Service sniper shooting a Police sniper.
I get that.
But the very fact that they are arguing about who the f**k that dude on the roof is should have meant that Trump wasn’t allowed on the stage until this question is cleared up.
“Sorry, Mr President, we are seeking clarity on a security situation. We’ll let you know when you can take the stage”
It is utterly OUTRAGEOUS that they allowed him to go up to the podium even though (a) they knew someone was up on that roof and (b) they could not confirm the identity of that person.
YR,
I agree with you 100%. You are right hone in on that particular failure. There is no excuse for it. Keeping Trump off the stage until the question about who was on the roof was a very low risk/high reward option – and it is standard operating procedure.
Trump’s POV would likely have been like to that of Henry V:
“The fewer men, the greater share of honour.
God’s will! I pray thee, wish not one man more.
By Jove, I am not covetous for gold,
Nor care I who doth feed upon my cost;
It yearns me not if men my garments wear;
Such outward things dwell not in my desires.
But if it be a sin to covet honour,
I am the most offending soul alive.
No, faith, my coz, wish not a man from England.
God’s peace! I would not lose so great an honour
As one man more methinks would share from me
For the best hope I have. O, do not wish one more!
Rather proclaim it, Westmoreland, through my host,
That he which hath no stomach to this fight,
Let him depart; his passport shall be made,
And crowns for convoy put into his purse;
We would not die in that man’s company
That fears his fellowship to die with us.”
Just got back to hotel from Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.
“The MAGA rhetoric and Project 2025 is going to encourage further attempts from like-minded individuals in the coming months. Fear, frustration at the continued failures of the US legal system to hold Trump to account, simply add to the likelihood of copycats taking the dead assassin’s place.”
If that is the accusation, that “project 2025” is to blame?? Legal system?? Gotta be kidding me. What I saw tonite was pretty much unity in the GOP grass roots on the convention floor.
I say “old British soldier” is totally out of touch with “Make America Great”. From what I saw tonight (and assume tomorrow) is a sea-change in GOP. Patriotism is being wrapped around the American working class.
scott s,
That’s what party conventions do. They are wildly enthusiastic, unifying and patriotic affairs and have been for a very long time.
And Russian armourers reportedly painting “this one’s for Trump” on those long range bombs while the Azov types regret the shooter missed. Zelensky and the Europeans in a flat spin now Vance is down for VP, and long faces among the neocon faction in Washington.
Though Biden’s decision not to allow deep strikes had cut the ground from under their feet already. No more escalation. Too risky. For us, never mind the other seven billion. Somewhere, maybe deep in the bowels of the Pentagon, straight reality has shouldered the make-believe aside. Project Ukraine has been abandoned.
It was never a runner, that project. From February 24th 2022 on the puzzle has been why it was ever thought to be. Russian intentions and actions were as clear as day from then on. No puzzle there. Just a few loose ends to be tidied up when we know more afterwards. But what were the Western politicians up to, hoping they could get away with such an enterprise? Could be we’ll never know for sure. It was a strange mix of triumphalist hubris and spectacular incompetence the historians will be attempting to disentangle for ever.
Strange too, living through such a time. So strange, for an Englishman, suddenly finding himself living in a country of mindless suckers. Or were my fellow countrymen, my fellow Europeans too, in truth just suckers? It was so easy, getting us howling for Russian blood. Too easy. What lies deep in the European psyche for nearly all of us to be so ready for such primitive and unthinking hate?
Strange too, watching the project crumble. From the first wild hopes of dismembering the RF itself. To the more limited hope of killing as many Russians as possible. Repulsive because the hate did not go as far as risking our own lives killing Russians. We sat comfortable at home letting the Ukrainians to do it for us. They were the ones to be fed into the killing fields. Not us.
And now the project has crumbled further. The blood sacrifice of Ukrainians is to be prolonged if possible until the next election is over. Tens of thousands more must die to give some politicians in the States a chance of avoiding the electoral defeat that’s likely coming their way anyway. And, maybe, because the necessity of saving face outweighs those countless unconsidered lives. For us.
We’re seeing in Gaza too that terminal moral blindness of the West. What are crushed bodies and wrecked families to us? Ukrainian, Palestinian, Russian – a mere video screen spectacle. A satisfying Hollywood spectacular as we dutifully chant our songs of hatred. It is well that it is being put out of the power of the West to maintain so dishonourable a hegemony, now we have discovered it’s too risky, not for them, but for us. How squalid, that it should take that discovery to check the mayhem.
It is well, too, that that shot at candidate Trump was fumbled. Those Russian armourers spoke truer than they knew. We have been well taught, in Europe, to hate that man. So most of us do because we’re good at hate. But when I read the prosaic content of the recent Bloomberg interview I do not think I am wrong in seeing, in that monumental figure bloodied but defiant on that stage in Pennsylvania, the last hope of sanity for the West. Maybe others will read it that way too. I hope enough do.
From what I’m seeing in the Media (even from ardently pro-Russian voices) there is more realization of the damage the Ukrainians have done (and are increasingly doing) to Russian Logistics.
The key to being a truly effective Artilleryman or not is not just being able to kill things; it is knowing what to kill and when.
Good fighters, lousy Generals. The Milley/Cavoli/ Radakin trio should be cashiered and Zaluzhnyi along with them. Wasting good troops on what are no more than PR offensives. Appalling way to use them. Krinky I suppose the worst example but there are plenty others. Too many.
On artillery, I’ve seen Russian officers praising the professionalism and skill of Ukrainian units but that was a year or so ago and I don’t know if they’re still good. My impression for what it’s worth is that most of what’s left of the Ukrainian army, or at least the regulars, is still formidable and determined and has fight left in it. And that’s how the Russians like it. Easier to dispose of them, poor suckers, when they’re up close or near.
The more advanced stuff we do the target selection and the ISR and technical work. Usually remotely. Questions to be asked there. Also questions to be asked why Ukrainian ammunition that is reckoned to be in short supply is still being used for hitting civilian areas instead of being used entirely on military targets.
But looking at the US and European press, what I see of it, we in the West are still in make-believe mode. The picture of the war they’re selling us is not the picture on the ground. Never has been.
There are lots of things to be concerned about.
Here is another one:
” ‘At What Cost’:
Guard Chief Argues Border Mission
Is Getting in the Way of Warfighting”
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2024/07/18/what-cost-guard-chief-argues-border-mission-getting-way-of-warfighting.html
Keith Harbaugh,
Perhaps the border mission should become one of the National Guard’s missions. Or NG billets could be transferred to the Border Patrol. A wall will only do minimal good unless it is watched.
Another question, would drones, sensors (GSRs, and acoustic or motion sensors) and quick reaction forces be more effective and cheaper than a wall?
John Minehan,
That was tried with the virtual fence and it didn’t work. Unless you have enough people capable of dealing with border crossers, all the drones, sensors and walls will not be effective
Just an observation:
Defending the southern border against anyone who might want to cross it is one thing.
Fighting high intensity war against peer competitors is quite another thing,
requiring specialized equipment and training.
Not hard to see the difference in training requirements.
Keith Harbaugh,
Yes, both missions require specialized training, but as Infantry, we also trained in support of GARDEN PLOT. Training for border operations will be different from both standard Infantry operations and GARDEN PLOT operations, but definitely doable. A lot of the skills are transferable, reading the terrain, identifying avenues of approach, observation and surveillance, patrolling, even establishing defensive perimeters and camouflage and concealment.
A lot of this is IPB, Collection Planning and Recon/Counter Recon skills common across the spectrum of conflict.
It might make sense to have ICE intel folks observe a JRTC Rotation or (at higher levels) a COIN/LIC-oriented BCTP or a MEFEX . . . .
The “peaked roof” issue is a reminder that “one man’s ‘no go terrain’ is another’s ‘high-speed avenue of approach'” is not just a Korean issue anymore.
Both conspiracy theorists and the news media need training on “terminal (or not, in the lethality sense) of munitions.”
Trump got amazingly (but plausibly) lucky here.
My understanding is that the Secret Service has had this division of labor with local authorities since the 1990s. However, the fact that it works so well with larger, better funded, better trained local agencies tends to obscure the need for the Secret Service to maintain an exacting liaison and insure that everyone is one “common survey.”
You don’t need to tell the NYPD or the LAPD “how to suck eggs.” With a force the size of the one here, you might have to . . . .
It’s being reported now that the shooter did recon of the rally site for days, including flying a drone over it. This guy was more sophisticated than originally assumed. He outsmarted the USSS. Safe to assume that his rifle was zeroed for the distance of the shot and that Trump would be dead if not for a slight turn of the head.
Eric Newhill,
He supposedly played a video game involving presidential assassinations. If so, that’s some decent training. You can learn to do damned near anything by watching YouTube videos. Plus, although being a weird bugger, he was also intelligent.
TTG,
A videogame on Steam that involves assassinating presidents. Where’s the DOJ and the EU shutting that one down? Next thing you know we’ll be told it was a setup by Trump. I can hear the conversation now: “Just wing my ear kid. And yes, the Secret Service will shoot you, but you’ll be famous! It’s for the good of the country.”
Let’s hear another one.
Fred,
How a videogame like that could stay up more than a few days is beyond me. It does show that big brother is not near as omnipresent as some people think. Immediately after the shooting there was a lot of talk about this being a setup by the Trump people. There’s still some true believers who believe that claptrap. It is ridiculous, almost as ridiculous as a Biden administration assassination attempt.
TTG,
Biden’s best just pulled the best off security detail and let events happen. With an extra helping of DEI. Couple that with a sloped roof and you get disaster for one political party.
TTG,
I guess it’s useless to ask why the hell there is a video game involving presidential assassinations.
I’m not a gamer in the least bit, but my understanding is that all of these online games have some kind of chat rooms. I think the FBI and USSS need to have a careful look at the conversations occurring in the chat room for that game and start paying other gamers/potential shooters a visit. I guarantee there will some worth the effort. Who knows what kind of twisted little cult organically developed in a space like that?
Also, I’m not a conspiracy theorist in the least bit, either. That should be evident by my consistent stance – over years – that the official explanations for events like the Kennedy assassinations and 9/11 are accurate and as complete as possible. That said, the possibility that someone infiltrated the game’s chat room and worked on pushing the shooter’s buttons (and others as well?) must be explored.
The chat room infiltrator could be anyone; from a psychopathic private citizen, to the Iranians or Russians, to Hillary Clinton. I’m not suggesting anyone in particular, just that the possibility exists and needs to be explored – for the sake of justice and for the sake of eliminating additional threats via this unique vector.
Eric Newhill,
I’m sure you know the internet is full of depraved crap that far worse than a presidential assassination game. The stuff is just too damned easy to find. I think it’s a major reason for our society going to hell in a handbasket. Any impressionable kid can get ahold of it, never mind the jaded, depraved old bastards.
Those chat rooms could be infiltrated by anyone. I build and led a unit to do intelligence work in those dark corners of the internet. It was quite effective, but we saw some weird shit out there. The FBI types I knew working child porn couldn’t stay in that job very long. The experience took a toll on them.
TTG,
I think I already stated that, IMO, the internet generally is contributing to the decline of our society, but, yes, all of the extreme trash available on it is especially damaging to children and adults alike. The old sick bastards are the outliers that have always been lurking among us. The children, on the other hand, are growing up thinking that the old sick bastards’ thoughtscape is normal.
It seems that we are in agreement about the chat room associated with this depraved assassination game. Whoever picked up the team after you moved on is probably already exploring who was active there and what was occurring.
People like the Brit are focused on the gun. That is a misdirection. In this instance, a single shot hunting rifle could have been used with lethal results. It’s the ideology, the means of reinforcing it and the will to act on it that need to be examined.
Eric Newhill,
Nah, my unit wouldn’t handle this. We stayed with the non-US internet primarily in foreign languages. This would be the FBI’s domain, maybe even the Secret Service.
TTG,
Makes sense. You guys weren’t domestic LEOs.
IMO the shooter was adept at using the “dark net”. That’s where he obtained the bomb making knowledge, assuming the bombs were viable devices. FBI should be able to get into that activity eventually. That’s when a lot will be learned. Of course the FBI may not share with the public and, even if they do, the public has no trust in the FBI. So far Trump has been very good at not spawning conspiracy theories. Hopefully, he remains responsible and let’s the investigation run its course before speaking about it.
Eric Newhill,
I wonder if he talked with other members of that shooting club he and his father belonged to. I first thought about the bomb material was tannerite.
TTG,
If it were my investigation, I’d leave no stone un-turned. Got to ask around the gun club too, though I tend to doubt gun enthusiasts would be ok with a plot to kill Trump. Maybe he talked about killing Biden there.
I’m still unsettled by the idea that the shooter knew to hide the rifle by that particular building. Sure, he recon’ed the site earlier. How did he know that there wouldn’t be USSS or LEOs on top of it or around it later in the day when he returned to do the shooting? How did he pick the one perfect line of sight building that, for some strange reason, wasn’t secured? Hiding the rifle there earlier, which is now what is being said happened, makes his choice of sniper hides even more serendipitous. I’m not prepared to settle on fool’s luck right out of the gate.
Eric Newhill,
No need to mention Trump or Biden to discuss the mechanics of an assassination. Between first person shooter games and a community of gun enthusiasts, I can’t think of a better way for a moderately intelligent 20 year old weirdo to learn what he had to learn.
TTG,
Well, I’m sorry, but must disagree re; Trump or Biden. What if a Peter Strzok was running the security detail? Where would a Strzok draw the line?
If you were Trump would you bet your life on it?
See
See
“Way Beyond Sketchy – Local Butler County SWAT Team Says Trump Secret Service Detail Did Not Communicate with Them Before Shooting”
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2024/07/28/way-beyond-sketchy-local-butler-county-swat-team-says-trump-secret-service-detail-did-not-communicate-with-them-before-shooting/
“Putting further fuel on the possibility of an intended collapse of security,
the local Butler County SWAT team is now telling the public that
Secret Service officials never met with them,
nor provided secure communications channels between the SWAT members and the Secret Service.
The SWAT team had no way to tell the USSS of the threat they saw moving toward President Trump.”
Talk about pointing fingers!
I have no idea where the truth lies, who is right and who is wrong,
but we should note the disagreement.
Is there a way of reconciling the claims?
Were any agreements in writing, or video recorded?
Anyhow, see
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2024/07/30/congress/anger-over-local-law-enforcement-in-butler-trump-shooting-secret-service-00171815