Several Previously Unreported Major RNC Security Incidents Raise Safety Concerns

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After police officers assisting with security at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee responded to a reported fight roughly one mile from the main RNC venue, ultimately shooting and killing a suspect who drew a knife, additional security incidents more directly impacting the convention were reported that raised concerns about what, exactly, is going on at the margins of the convention’s secure perimeter.

On Tuesday evening, Fox News Channel’s Bill Melugin reported that authorities tasked with monitoring the secure perimeter around several blocks of the downtown area “stopped a suspicious man wearing a ski mask” a few blocks away from the venue containing the convention stage. The 21-year-old man was arrested and found to be carrying an “AK47 pistol, a full magazine, & a Scream mask in a large backpack.” The individual’s plans remain unknown as of now, but local authorities told Melugin that the arrestee “did not have a legal CCW permit.”

(Read more from “Several Previously Unreported Major RNC Security Incidents Raise Safety Concerns” HERE)

Conservatives Raise Questions After Secret Service Reveals Alleged Iranian Plot to Assassinate Trump

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Conservatives on social media expressed deep skepticism on Tuesday after the U.S. Secret Service agency revealed it had ramped up security for former President Donald Trump after it had learned in recent weeks that Iranians planned to assassinate him.

The news comes on the heels of the attempted assassination of Trump during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, though the timing may be coincidental. National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson insisted that authorities had “not identified ties between the shooter and any accomplice or co-conspirator, foreign or domestic.”

The Secret Service indicated that it had recently uncovered a possible Iranian threat against Trump and “added protective resources and capabilities to the former President’s security detail” as a precaution, said spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi. The agency has also repeatedly warned the former president about the inherent dangers of outdoor campaign rallies in general.

Iran, authorities claim, is still seething from Trump’s assassination of Qasem Soleimani in 2020, when Trump was still in office, but many conservatives on social media have questions about the latest reports regarding the foreign adversary.

Many, for example, suggested federal agents may be using the supposed Iranian plot as a pretext for another war. (Read more from “Conservatives Raise Questions After Secret Service Reveals Alleged Iranian Plot to Assassinate Trump” HERE)

Nikki Haley, Ron Desantis — Who Opposed Trump in the Primaries — Strongly Support Trump in Rousing RNC Speeches

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Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis — who opposed former President Donald Trump in the primary races — threw their support behind Trump in back-to-back, rousing Republican National Convention speeches Tuesday night.

Haley — who stayed in the primaries the longest against Trump — told the RNC crowd she wanted to make “one thing perfectly clear: Donald Trump has my strong endorsement, period!” The audience loved the moment and showered her with cheers and applause.

The former South Carolina governor — who also served as United Nations Ambassador under Trump for part of his term in office — added that America is “at a critical moment” and “will be badly worse off” if Democrat President Joe Biden is reelected — and Americans must vote for Trump “for the sake of our nation.”

The Associated Press, citing Haley spokesperson Chaney Denton, reported that Haley hadn’t been invited to the convention. But the AP said that changed when Haley was added to the list of speakers Sunday — one day after Trump survived an attempted assassination during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Indeed, Haley said at the RNC that Trump asked her to speak “in the name of unity.” (Read more from “Nikki Haley, Ron Desantis — Who Opposed Trump in the Primaries — Strongly Support Trump in Rousing RNC Speeches” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

Police: Officers Shot and Killed a Man Near the RNC

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In a dramatic incident near the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Milwaukee, five Columbus, Ohio, police officers shot and killed a man wielding two knives. The officers, part of a security detail for the convention, acted decisively to protect an unarmed individual from imminent danger, according to Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman.

The incident occurred just blocks away from the RNC, adding to the already heightened security presence in the city. Chief Norman detailed the event in a news conference, stating that the man, identified as 43-year-old Samuel Sharpe, refused police commands and charged at an unarmed man with a knife in each hand. “These officers, who were not from this area, took it upon themselves to act and save someone’s life today,” Norman said.

Body camera footage released by the police shows the tense moments leading up to the shooting. Officers on bikes are seen discussing their patrol before one exclaims, “He’s got a knife.” The video captures multiple officers shouting, “Drop the knife!” as they approach the two men standing in the street. When Sharpe advanced toward the unarmed man, officers opened fire.

Linda Sharpe, a cousin of the deceased, voiced her grief and anger, saying, “They came into our community and shot down our family right here at a public park. What are you doing in our city, shooting people down?” She described her cousin as living in a tent encampment across from King Park, a longstanding feature of the neighborhood known for its social service clinics and shelters.

David Porter, a friend of Samuel Sharpe and also homeless, expressed his frustration, suggesting that local Milwaukee police might have handled the situation differently. “If MPD would have been there, that man would still be alive right now,” Porter said.

The Columbus Division of Police, along with Milwaukee officials, emphasized that the shooting was not related to the RNC itself. The officers involved were part of a bicycle patrol that happened to witness the altercation. Despite the controversy, Chief Norman defended their actions, stating, “This is a situation where somebody’s life was in immediate danger.”

The Columbus Police’s special unit in Milwaukee, designed to improve police-community relations, had been visible in guiding peaceful protests earlier in the week. Their presence now, however, is under scrutiny following the fatal shooting near King Park.

Fmr Volunteer Firefighter Chief’s Widow Confirms Call With Trump After Snubbing Biden

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The widow of slain former volunteer fire chief, Corey Comperatore, confirmed she had a call with former President Donald Trump after rejecting President Joe Biden’s call, according to The New York Times.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Helen Comperatore stated she spoke to the former President, noting Trump told her he would call again within the “days and weeks ahead,” according to the outlet. The Daily Caller News Foundation was unable to access the post at the time of writing.

“President Trump called me to share his condolences. He was very kind and said he would continue to call me in the days and weeks ahead. I told him the same thing I told everyone else. He left this world a hero and God welcomed him in. He did not die in vain that day,” Helen wrote.

Comperatore’s sister, Kelly Comperatore Meeder, additionally confirmed to the NYT that members of their family had spoken with representatives of the Trump campaign Monday night. The conversation between Comperatore’s widow and the former president comes after she disclosed that she had refused to speak to Biden, stating to the New York Post that her “husband was a devout Republican and he would not have wanted me to talk to him.”

Comperatore Meeder confirmed the refusal to speak to Biden to the NYT on Tuesday, blaming the anger toward Trump on being sown by Biden and media outlets which ultimately led to the rally attack. (Read more from “Fmr Volunteer Firefighter Chief’s Widow Confirms Call With Trump After Snubbing Biden” HERE)

Notice Anything Different About Trump’s Secret Service Detail?

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Former President Donald Trump walked out at the RNC convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Monday with a bandaged ear and an all-male Secret Service detail following his attempted assassination on Saturday in Pennsylvania.

The former president walked out surrounded by the “A-Team” of secret service who all happen to be males, presumably following the scrutiny that was put towards their fellow female agents, as seen in a tweet by the account DC Draino.

(Read more from “Notice Anything Different About Trump’s Secret Service Detail?” HERE)

Rudy Giuliani Appears to Trip, Fall on Convention Floor at RNC

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Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani appeared to trip and fall into seats on the floor of the Republican National Convention (RNC) on Tuesday.

Video footage posted to X showed Giuliani walking in the aisle between the rows of chairs alongside several people when he tripped and fell into some chairs.

Several people nearby quickly rushed over to assist Giuliani and help him up off the ground.

Taylor Popielarz, a National Political Reporter for Spectrum News Washington D.C. wrote in a post that Giuliani “seemed to be OK” and had been “holding an Osmo camera and continued filming” after he was helped back to his feet.

“For the record: the seating floor is a few inches lower than the red carpeted walkways,” Tia Mitchell, a Washington Correspondent with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote in a post. “Everyone has been falling off. Now Giuliani was apparently walking in a straight line, so I get the questions. But just providing context as to why he fell completely down.”

(Read more from “Rudy Giuliani Appears to Trip, Fall on Convention Floor at RNC” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

What Many on the Left (And Some on the Right) Are Warning About JD Vance

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The San Francisco Standard. [JD] Vance isn’t just a friend of Silicon Valley’s worst billionaires; he is their creation. Peter Thiel, the billionaire tech investor turned digital defense contractor, enabled his entire political career.

It was Thiel who, in 2017, hired Vance to work at his Mithril Capital firm (Mithril is a metal featured in “The Hobbit”) and later invested heavily in Vance’s fund Narya Capital (Narya is a ring in “The Lord of the Rings”). Thiel then donated more than $15 million to Vance’s Senate campaign and personally escorted Vance to Mar-a-Lago to patch over his former “Never Trump” stance.

Before Thiel announced that he was taking a break from democracy, he introduced Vance to David Sacks, his old PayPal Mafia colleague. Sacks promptly donated $1 million to a pro-Vance Super PAC and hosted a fundraiser for him. Sacks and Vance later worked together to organize Trump’s only San Francisco campaign fundraising event, aimed at nudging the candidate to further embrace and deregulate cryptocurrency. Thiel has reportedly made more than $1.8 billion from Bitcoin and other currencies.

Of course, this wouldn’t be the first time Thiel and his cronies have tried to buy an outsize role in Trump’s legislative agenda. After all, it was Thiel who rescued Trump’s 2016 campaign with a $1.25 million donation a week after the “Access Hollywood” tape, in the apparent hope of gaining influence in a future administration. . .

But [JD Vance] is perhaps best known today as co-founder of surveillance tech company Palantir (named after a crystal ball in—what else?—“The Lord of the Rings”). The company makes intelligence-gathering tools for the CIA and the NSA. Even more fun, it builds software that directs drones and artillery strikes to shorten the “kill chain” in war zones around the world.

(Read more from “What Many on the Left (And Some on the Right) Are Warning About Jd Vance” HERE)

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JD Vance Said Dinner With Elite CEOs Fueled His Political Evolution

By Business Insider. A month before former President Donald Trump tapped Sen. JD Vance to be his running mate, the Ohio Republican — and Trump-critic-turned-loyalist — cited a 2018 dinner meeting with CEOs as a turning point in his political evolution.

In an interview with The New York Times published in June, Vance explained a bit about how he came around to Trump and how his politics evolved.

Vance told the outlet that in 2018, he was invited to an event hosted by the Business Roundtable, a nonprofit lobbyist group made up of CEOs. It had been about two years since Vance entered the national stage when his memoir “Hillbilly Elegy” — which offered an explanation for the embrace of Trump-like views among the white working class — shot to the top of The New York Times bestseller list.

Vance said he was seated next to a CEO of a major hotel chain at dinner whom he described as a “caricature of a business executive, complaining about how he was forced to pay his workers higher wages.” . . .

Vance told the Times the CEO then turned to him and said, “Well, you understand this as well as anybody. These people just need to get off their asses, come to work and do their job. And now, because we can’t hire immigrants, or as many immigrants, we’ve got to hire these people at higher wages.” (Read more from “JD Vance Said Dinner With Elite CEOs Fueled His Political Evolution” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Why Did a Nursing Home Aide Try to Kill Trump? the Unanswered Questions From the Rally Shooting

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In the two days since Donald Trump’s right ear was grazed by a gunman’s bullet at a Pennsylvania campaign rally on Saturday, a complete picture of the 20-year-old suspect is yet to emerge publicly—and details of what led up to the stunning event remain unclear.

Thomas Matthew Crooks had no criminal record, no known history of mental illness, and “was not known to the FBI prior to this incident,” the bureau said. The nursing home dietary aide’s family is working with investigators, who say they have not discovered any evidence of Crooks’ involvement with a broader plot, but are still treating the unsuccessful assassination attempt as a potential case of domestic terrorism.

In an email on Monday to The Independent, administrator Marcie Grimm of the Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, said, “We are shocked and saddened to learn of his involvement as Thomas performed his job without concern and his background check was clean.”

Crooks, who was shot dead on a rooftop near the rally site by a Secret Service sniper, is a registered Republican who donated $15 to a Democratic voter-turnout group several years ago, public records show. His father, a licensed behavioral therapist, is a Libertarian. His mom, also a behavioral therapist, is a Democrat. Speaking to The Independent, Crooks’ uncle said he had “no idea” what might have inspired his nephew to take up arms against a major presidential candidate.

The FBI, which has primary jurisdiction over the case, has so far received more than 2,000 tips from members of the public, according to Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek of the bureau’s Pittsburgh Field Office, who said investigators continue to search for answers to the myriad questions that remain. (Read more from “Why Did a Nursing Home Aide Try to Kill Trump? the Unanswered Questions From the Rally Shooting” HERE)

Building Where Gunman Was Found Was Officer Staging Area

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The building where gunman Thomas Crooks scrambled onto the roof and opened fire was the staging area for the local police tactical team doing overwatch of the crowd, two law enforcement officials told ABC News.

Sources previously told ABC News that the building had been swept, but investigators are trying to determine whether roof access had been properly locked down.

The gunman gained roof access without a ladder, according to a source briefed on the preliminary findings. (Read more from “Building Where Gunman Was Found Was Officer Staging Area” HERE)