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Security Failures and Conflicting Accounts Surround Assassination Attempt on Trump

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Emerging details from the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a rally on Saturday reveal significant security failures and conflicting accounts between the U.S. Secret Service and local law enforcement. These discrepancies are raising serious concerns about the effectiveness of the security measures in place to protect the former president.

In a Monday interview with ABC News, U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle acknowledged that local police were inside the building from which the shooter fired but admitted no personnel were stationed on the rooftop. Cheatle justified this decision by citing the “sloped” nature of the roof, which she claimed made it unsafe for officers. However, security experts and former Secret Service agents have criticized this explanation as inadequate and indicative of a major oversight.

“Let’s just say the local law enforcement officers [and] the Secret Service agree that it’s just not safe to keep someone up there for a couple of hours,” former Secret Service agent Anthony Cangelosi told the Daily Caller News Foundation (DCNF). “Then the question is, well, how do we maintain its integrity otherwise? It’s not like you just throw your hands up and say ‘can’t do that.’”

Cangelosi emphasized that there was no “justifiable reason” for failing to secure the roof, suggesting alternative solutions such as using another platform or placing an officer on a lift. Similarly, Peter Yachmetz, a retired FBI agent and security consultant, pointed out that the shooter had been moving around on the supposedly unsafe roof prior to the incident, highlighting the inconsistency in the security measures.

Law enforcement reportedly spotted the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, on the roof 30 minutes before he fired shots, according to WPXI. Despite this, no action was taken to secure the area. A witness described seeing Crooks climbing onto the roof and attempting to warn a police officer, only to be met with confusion.

Former Secret Service agent Tim Miller expressed his frustration, stating, “The reality is, regardless of the spin, that particular roof should have been under constant surveillance and or posted.”

Cheatle stated that the Secret Service was responsible for the inner perimeter of the rally site, while local law enforcement was tasked with securing the outer perimeter. However, conflicting accounts have emerged regarding the positioning of local forces. A local law enforcement official told The New York Times that officers were in an adjacent building, not the one Crooks fired from.

CBS News reported that three snipers were stationed inside the building from which Crooks fired. One sniper reportedly saw Crooks using a rangefinder shortly before he fired and radioed the command post. However, the Butler Township Police Department has declined to confirm this report, citing an ongoing FBI investigation.

Butler County Sheriff Michael Slupe has refrained from offering additional comments, stating that there are too many questions and too many fingers being pointed. He confirmed that his deputies performed their duties and went above and beyond in assisting after the shooting began.

Slupe previously told CNN that an armed Butler Township officer had encountered Crooks before he fired at Trump but retreated down a ladder when Crooks pointed his gun at him. Slupe acknowledged a security failure but stressed that “there is not just one entity responsible.”

Pennsylvania State Police confirmed they had no members inside the building or staging in it. Lieutenant Adam Reed stated that approximately 30 to 40 troopers assisted with securing the inside perimeter but were not responsible for securing the building from which the shooter fired.

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via flickr

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)

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)

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)

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)

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

Model Amber Rose at RNC: ‘Media Has Lied to Us About Donald Trump’

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Democrats and left-wing media have lied to the American people about former President Donald Trump, model and actress Amber Rose proclaimed during her speech at the Republican National Convention on Monday night.

Rose — known as a “Slutwalk” feminist activist (which she has since distanced herself from in a TMZ interview), pro-abortion advocate, and self-avowed atheist, who has had romantic relationships with various rap artists — shocked Hollywood and her followers when she endorsed Trump in May. Rose was subsequently tapped to speak at the RNC in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to provide her unique perspective in a shifting political landscape where many feel abandoned by the Democrat Party.

At the RNC, Rose spoke about her journey from defiant liberal to Trump supporter — a transition she credited to her father, who served over 20 years in the military and was in the audience supporting her.

“I’m no politician and I don’t wanna be, but I do care about the truth. And the truth is that the media has lied to us about Donald Trump. I know this because for a long time I believed those lies. So I’m here to set the record straight,” Rose said. “The first person I knew who supported Donald Trump was my father. I was shocked. My entire family is racially diverse. And I believe the left-wing propaganda that Donald Trump was a racist. My father said, ‘No, he’s not Amber. What are you talking about?’ And when I insisted, he said, ‘prove it.’ So to prove my father wrong, I did my research and looked into all things Donald Trump.” (Read more from “Model Amber Rose at RNC: ‘Media Has Lied to Us About Donald Trump’” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

‘Extreme and Reckless’: China Trashes U.S. Political System After Failed Donald Trump Assassination

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China’s state-run Global Times on Sunday proclaimed that the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump proved American politics have become “extreme and reckless,” with “less room for moderates.”

The Global Times took a moment to congratulate Chinese dictator Xi Jinping for sending his “sympathies” to Trump, as the Chinese Foreign Ministry reported. This report was curiously vague, and Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian adamantly refused to answer questions on Monday about exactly what Xi said or how he conveyed the message, but state media dutifully saluted their leader for his compassion.

With that done — and after a brief regurgitation of U.S. mainstream media reports about the details of Saturday evening’s attempt on Trump’s life — the Global Times launched into a lengthy tirade about “political violence” in America and how the shooting, once again, proved Chinese authoritarianism is a more stable and peaceable system.

Renmin University professor Diao Daming told the Global Times:

This indicates that political violence has been a persistent element in American history. On the other hand, the fact that such malicious incidents still occur at political rallies attended by former president, despite security measures, highlights the ongoing rampant gun violence issue in the U.S. and the seeming “intractability” of the problem.

(Read more from “‘Extreme and Reckless’: China Trashes U.S. Political System After Failed Donald Trump Assassination” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr