Insane: Sniper Took Picture of Trump Rally Shooter, Saw Him Use Rangefinder Before Assassination Attempt, Source Says

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A sniper from a local tactical team deployed to assist the U.S. Secret Service at former President Donald Trump’s rally on Saturday took a picture of the gunman and saw him looking through a rangefinder minutes before he tried to assassinate the former president, a local law enforcement officer with direct knowledge of the events told CBS News.

The sniper was one of three snipers, members of local tactical teams, who were stationed inside the building that the shooter used in the attack, the officer said. The operations plan had them stationed inside, looking out windows toward the rally, scanning the crowd. The details about the three snipers were first reported by the local news outlet BeaverCountian.com.

One sniper inside spotted the gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, outside and looking up at the roof, observing the building and disappearing, according to the officer who spoke to CBS News. The sniper observed Crooks as he returned to the building, sat down and looked at his phone. At that point, one of the local snipers took a picture of Crooks.

Next, the local sniper observed Crooks looking through a rangefinder, an instrument routinely used by marksmen to determine the distance of a target, and he immediately radioed to the command post, according to the local law enforcement officer. The local sniper also attempted to send the photo of the gunman up the chain of command.

The command post, according to multiple law enforcement officials, served as a central hub to streamline communications between U.S. Secret Service and the local officers from nearby state and county police forces. It is unclear if the command post received the alert. (Read more from “Insane: Sniper Took Picture of Trump Rally Shooter, Saw Him Use Rangefinder Before Assassination Attempt, Source Says” HERE)

RFK Jr Apologizes After Leaked Phone Call in Which Trump Seems to Offer Deal

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The independent presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr apologized to Donald Trump on Tuesday, after Kennedy’s son posted video and audio of a call between the two men in which Trump made bizarre remarks about vaccines and babies, as well as appearing to offer Kennedy some sort of political deal.

“When President Trump called me I was taping with an in-house videographer,” Kennedy said. “I should have ordered the videographer to stop recording immediately. I am mortified that this was posted. I apologize to the president.”

The call was apparently made before Trump and Kennedy’s later meeting on Monday at the Republican national convention in Milwaukee, reportedly to discuss the possibility of Kennedy endorsing Trump.

The recording was posted online by Kennedy’s son, Bobby Kennedy III, with the message: “I am a firm believer that these sorts of conversations should be had in public. Here’s Trump giving his real opinion to my dad about vaccinating kids – this was the day after the assassination attempt.” . . .

In posting the recording, Bobby Kennedy III also suggested Anthony Fauci, formerly Biden’s chief medical adviser, should be in prison; appeared to suggest his father should have been Trump’s running mate on a “unity ticket” rather than “JD ‘fire all the unvaccinated nurses’ Vance”, the Ohio senator named on Monday; and implied Republicans and Democrats were subordinate to Pfizer, a multinational vaccine producer. (Read more from “RFK Jr Apologizes After Leaked Phone Call in Which Trump Seems to Offer Deal” HERE)

Federal Judge Orders Release of John Strand From Jan. 6 Prison Term

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John Strand, a former model and actor who went to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 to protect Dr. Simone Gold of America’s Frontline Doctors, was ordered released from prison July 15 in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court decision stymieing use of a 20-year felony obstruction charge.

United States District Judge Christopher Cooper granted Strand’s second motion for release since February — just weeks after a Supreme Court ruling strictly limited the obstruction of an official proceeding charge leveled against Strand and 354 other Jan. 6 defendants.

Gold, Strand’s friend who served a 60-day prison sentence on a misdemeanor count of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, praised Strand’s integrity after learning of the release order.

“He was offered a single misdemeanor plea,” Gold said in an interview with Blaze News. “He said, ‘I’m going to walk into the fire.’ He walked into the fire. He never regretted it. I mean, he’s a full-on hero in an age when we need heroes.”

Strand, 41, of Naples, Fla., will have to finish his 12-month sentence on four Jan. 6 misdemeanor charges, which puts his release date on July 24. Strand was originally sentenced to 32 months in prison. (Read more from “Federal Judge Orders Release of John Strand From Jan. 6 Prison Term” HERE)

Would-Be Trump Assassin Thomas Crooks’ Family Includes ‘Hardworking’ Big Sister Who’s ‘Real Friendly’ — as Feds Still Search for Motive

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Details are beginning to trickle out about the family of would-be Trump assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks — as federal investigators struggle to determine a clear motive for the attack that shocked the nation. . .

A neighbor of Katie Crooks, Thomas’ sister, described her as a “hardworking” woman who juggled two jobs who moved into their apartment building in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, with the help of her brother three years ago.

“The person who helped her, I couldn’t tell if it was a male or a female,” the neighbor told the Post of his initial reaction to Thomas, 20.

“A couple of days later I asked if it was one of her siblings and she said it was her brother. The one who shot Trump… He was real scrawny,” he added.

The neighbor noted that Katie’s father, Matthew Brian Crooks, appeared to be too heavy to help her move and instead opted to drive the moving truck while Thomas helped his sister settle in. (Read more from “Would-Be Trump Assassin Thomas Crooks’ Family Includes ‘Hardworking’ Big Sister Who’s ‘Real Friendly’ — as Feds Still Search for Motive” HERE)

Biden Teases Kamala Harris ‘Could Be President of the United States’ in Trump-Bashing NAACP Speech

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President Joe Biden said Tuesday that Vice President Kamala Harris “could be president of the United States” while addressing the NAACP’s annual convention — as fellow Democrats try to convince him to step aside ahead of the Nov. 5 election.

“She’s not only a great vice president, she could be president of the United States,” the 81-year-old president said of Harris, 59, who would be best-positioned to replace him if he decides to retire.

Biden gave no indication, however, that he would do so — telling the crowd that he had a plan for the first 100 days of a second term including signing voting-rights legislation “come hell or high water.”

The incumbent repeatedly attacked Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in his remarks — despite calling on Americans to “lower the temperature” of the campaign in a rare Oval Office address Sunday, after Trump, 78, was wounded Saturday in an assassination attempt.

“Donald Trump’s presidency was hell for black America,” Biden exclaimed at one point. (Read more from “Biden Teases Kamala Harris ‘Could Be President of the United States’ in Trump-Bashing NAACP Speech” HERE)

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)