Massive Secret Service Failure Led To Nearly Successful Assassination Of Donald Trump

 When looking at the circumstances in favor of Thomas Matthew Crooks, the identified alleged suspect in the attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Butler, PA, it's hard to see how the guy failed.  Almost every Secret Service security protocol seems to have been ignored, allowing Crooks easy access to a perfect shooting position and plenty of time to acquire a bead on Trump's podium.

The rooftop used by Crooks was a mere 140 yards away from the event with a clear line of sight to the right of Trump.  Those familiar with precision shooting know that any shot within 300 yards is considered easy for a moderately trained rifleman.  With the right caliber an expert can hit a torso sized target consistently at 1000 yards or more.  At 140 yards any amateur should be able to hit a pie plate-sized target with little difficulty, even without a magnified optic. 

The Secret Service is supposed to secure all obvious "sniper perches" well before the arrival of a protectee - Meaning, nearby rooftops and buildings are supposed to have a security presence in place along with drone surveillance.  In the case of Butler, PA, this was apparently not done.  SS snipers were only present on the building right behind the venue stage.

The lack of a security presence at the building across the field made it possible for the would-be assassin to brazenly jaunt to the location and climb to the rooftop with his rifle in broad daylight.  The SS traditionally uses concentric "circles of security" going out hundreds if not thousands of yards when preparing a location for protection.  Watch the video below for insight on how meticulous the Secret Service is supposed to be when preparing an area to prevent assassination attempts.

The idea of Crooks being able to get that close with an elevated position on the stage is unthinkable.  Another fail was the lack of sight obstructions put in place near the stage.  The Secret Service is supposed to erect barriers to block the line of sight from potential shooting locations.  Again, this was not done. 

Finally, there's the dismal lack of response time.  Witnesses outside the event report that they saw Thomas Crooks climbing to the building rooftop with his rifle at least three minutes before he started shooting.  They claim they tried to warn police and Secret Service agents to no avail.  

"How could you have somebody on the rooftop?" said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise - a victim of political violence, after the shooting. "There are reports that people watched him climb up the roof and even alerted authorities, and we're going to be looking into that."

Meanwhile, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer on Saturday night demanded immediate answers from the Secret Service as to how it failed to prevent the assassination attempt.

"I have already contacted the Secret Service for a briefing and am also calling on Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to appear for a hearing," Comer said on X. "The Oversight Committee will send a formal invitation soon. There are many questions and Americans demand answers."

As Just the News notes, warning signs about the Secret Service were there months before the Trump assassination attempt.

Back in May, Congress requested a briefing with the Secret Service, after several incidents allegedly raised internal concerns over the quality of its trainings.

A petition within the Secret Service has reportedly been circulating because of the incidents and called for a congressional investigation into the agency, according to Comer.

One incident saw a Secret Service agent assigned to Vice President Kamala Harris allegedly attack her superior and other agents. The unnamed agent also exhibited other "concerning" behavior, according to her colleagues.

Luckily for Trump, Crooks seems to have had terrible aim and he was not smart enough to shoot from a covered position which would have offered him protection and allowed him even more time.  Unfortunately, the shooter's stray bullets hit at least three bystanders in the crowd, leaving one dead and two in critical condition.  The security failure in this situation is so complete that former Secret Service agents are admitting it publicly and calling for an investigation into how this could have happened.

The motive for Thomas Crooks' actions is not yet known.  Reports claim the 20-year-old Bethel Park resident was registered to vote as a Republican, yet, he also donated money to Democrat run organizations in 2021, including ActBlue and the Progressive Turnout Project.  

As we warned only two weeks ago, Democrat rhetoric has been increasingly violent after the Supreme Court decision on Trump's prosecution immunity.  Many Democrat representatives and activists openly suggested Trump could (or should) be assassinated in response to the ruling.  The media's fear mongering over the "imminent destruction of Democracy" should Trump prevail might not be directly related to the shooting attempt, but it certainly doesn't help.  In the wake of the failed assassination many have still taken to social media to argue that the shooting was "staged", while others complained that the shooter missed his target.             

Regardless of one's position on Trump, this kind of political vitriol should be considered poisonous.  It can only lead to more violence in the future. Again, the shooter was given every opportunity; Democrats almost got what they have long wanted.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/massive-secret-service-failure-led-nearly-successful-assassination-donald-trump

Foreign Leaders React To Trump Shooting: 'Clear To All Outside Observers Life In Danger'

 World leaders have decried and condemned the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump and have issued expressions of solidarity. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for example, expressed what many are feeling, saying on X Sunday that he was "shocked" by the attempt on Trump's life. "We pray for his safety and speedy recovery," after the bullet clipped his ear.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi Prime Minister "strongly condemned" the "attack on my friend" Trump. "Violence has no place in politics and democracies. Wish him speedy recovery," he posted on X. Among the more interesting statements was issued by Argentina's President Javier Milei, who quickly blamed the "international left" for what he called a "cowardly assassination attempt".

"In panic of losing at the polls, they resort to terrorism to impose their backward and authoritarian agenda," said the populist leader, despite little official info on the shooter's motives at this early point.

China’s President Xi Jinping expressed his "compassion and sympathy" in a brief official statement and urged the world to reject violence as a political solution.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's office also said it "strongly condemns any forms of political violence," and expressed its condolences to the family of the spectator who was killed in the shooting, according to official media. The statement noted that Putin does not intend to call Trump, however.

But spokesman Dmitry Peskov interestingly went on to describe that the "atmosphere that was created by this administration during the political struggle… around Trump has led to what America has faced today." Peskov went on to say the following: 

“After numerous attempts to remove Trump from the political arena with the help of legal tools, courts, the prosecution, attempts to politically discredit and compromise the candidate, it was clear to all outside observers that his life was in danger,” the presidential spokesperson stated. 

Below is a partial list of the reactions of additional leaders from across the world, compiled by Al Jazeera...

* * *

Albania

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said on social media platform X that it was “distressing” to witness Trump being shot while speaking at a rally and to hear an attendee had died.

“This is a tragedy for the democratic world,” he said.

Australia

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the shooting as “concerning and confronting”, expressing his relief that Trump was safe.

“There is no place for violence in the democratic process,” he added.

Austria

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said on social media platform X that he was appalled by the attempt.

“Political violence has no place in our society! My thoughts are with all the victims of this attack!” he said.

Brazil

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said the shooting “must be strongly condemned by all defenders of democracy and political dialogue”.

Canada

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was “sickened” by the shooting.

“It cannot be overstated — political violence is never acceptable. My thoughts are with former President Trump, those at the event, and all Americans,” he wrote.

Chile

President Gabriel Boric expressed his “unqualified condemnation” of the shooting.

“Violence is a threat to democracies and weakens our life together. We must all reject it,” said Boric.

China

China’s President Xi Jinping expressed his “compassion and sympathy” to Trump, a spokesman said, following the assassination attempt.

“China is closely following the situation surrounding the shooting of former President Donald Trump,” a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said in a statement.

El Salvador

El Salvador’s presidential palace said President Nayib Bukele condemned “the assassination attempt”.

“There is no place for violence in a democracy,” the President’s office said in a press release posted on X.

Estonia

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas posted on X saying she was shocked by the shooting and that her thoughts were with the victims. “Political violence in any form has no justification,” she wrote.

European Union

Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, said he was “shocked” by the news of the attack.

“Once again, we are witnessing unacceptable acts of violence against political representatives,” he wrote on X.

France

French President Emmanuel Macron wished Donald Trump a “speedy recovery”, calling the assassination attempt on the former US president “a tragedy”.

“This is a tragedy for our democracies. France shares the shock and indignation of the American people,” Macron said on social media platform X.

Hungary

Prime Minister Viktor Orban said his “thoughts and prayers” were with Trump “in these dark hours”.

Iraq

Masrour Barzani, the prime minister of the Kurdistan region of Iraq, condemned the attack on X “in the strongest terms,” saying his thoughts are with the victims of “this senseless act of terrorism.”

Italy

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she was “following with apprehension” updates from Pennsylvania and wished Trump a speedy recovery.

She also expressed her hope that “in the following months of the electoral campaign, dialogue and responsibility can prevail over hate and violence”.

Japan

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also spoke out against political attacks, saying, “We must stand firm against any form of violence that challenges democracy.”

He wrote on X, “I pray for President Trump’s speedy recovery.”

NATO

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said he was “shocked” by the assassination attempt of Trump, stressing that “Allies stand together to defend our freedom and values”.

“I wish him a speedy recovery and my thoughts are with those affected. I condemn this attack. Political violence has no place in our democracies. NATO Allies stand together to defend our freedom & values.”

New Zealand

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said he was shocked by the attack on Trump. “No country should encounter such political violence,” he wrote on X.

Philippines

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said he was greatly relieved to hear that Trump was safe after the assassination attempt against him.

“Together with all democracy loving peoples around the world, we condemn all forms of political violence. The voice of the people must always remain supreme,” he wrote.

Poland

Poland’s President Andrzej Duda said the attempted assassination was a “moment of shock not only for America, but also for the entire free and democratic world”.

In a posting on X, Duda “thanked God” for having “saved the life” of Trump and expressed hope that he would “recover all his strength soon”.

Sweden

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said his country condemned “the terrible attack” and his thoughts were with the victims and their families.

South Korea

South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol said on X that he was appalled by “the hideous act” of political violence. He added the people of Korea stand in solidarity with Americans.

Slovakia

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who survived an assassination attempt himself in May, condemed the shooting in a Facebook post. He drew direct parallels between the two incidents, suggesting that the attack on Trump was the result of a campaign by his political opponents.

Taiwan

President William Lai Ching-te said his thoughts and prayers were with Trump and wished the former president a swift recovery.

“Political violence of any form is never acceptable in our democracies. I offer my sincere condolences to the victims affected by the attack,” he said.

Turkey

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the assassination attempt on X, offering his good wishes to Trump, his family and supporters.

He said he believed “the investigation into the attack will be conducted effectively” so as not to undermine the US elections.

United Kingdom

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Sunday he was “appalled by the shocking scenes” at the rally and offered Trump his “best wishes”.

“Political violence in any form has no place in our societies and my thoughts are with all the victims of this attack,” the British leader wrote.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/foreign-leaders-react-attempt-trumps-life-clear-all-outside-observers-his-life-was-danger

'US FTC probing DaVita, Fresenius Medical, Politico reports'

 The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is investigating healthcare providers DaVita and Fresenius Medical Care over allegations that the companies have been illegally thwarting smaller competitors, Politico reported on Saturday, citing three people familiar with the matter.

The investigation, which began earlier in the year and is in the early stages, focuses partly on how difficult the two companies that dominate the U.S. dialysis market have made it for physicians who work in their clinics to start new businesses or leave for their rivals, Politico said.

The FTC is examining the business model of the two companies, and is looking at whether non-compete agreements the companies make doctors sign hampers efforts by competitors who would want to make it easier for patients undergoing dialysis to be treated at home, according to Politico.

Politico said the non-compete agreements that are under investigation concern nephrologists, who specialize in treating Kidney disease.

The FTC, DaVita and Fresenius Medical did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Politico report.

More than 500,000 people in the United States are on dialysis, a process of mechanically cleaning blood usually done three times a week. Diabetes is the most common cause of kidney failure.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/us-ftc-probing-davita-fresenius-131616635.html

Haven Rush, ‘Trump Trades’ on Investor Minds After Shooting

 

• Traders are bracing for a volatile open for markets on Monday
• Uncertainty would burnish appeal of US dollar, yen and gold

Investors will initially favor traditional haven assets and perhaps lean into trades most linked to former President Donald Trump’s chances of winning the White House after he survived an assassination attempt, according to market watchers.

Currencies begin trading at 5 a.m. in Sydney when the US dollar could get a boost, along with other refuges from market volatility like Japan’s beleagured yen, the Swiss franc and gold. Bitcoin rose above $60,000 in the wake of the attack.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-07-14/haven-rush-trump-trades-on-investor-minds-after-shooting

'Reuters take: After Trump shooting, presidential race will change dramatically. And possibly violently'

  In a country already on edge, the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump has enraged his supporters, paused the Democratic campaign and raised fears of further political violence in the run-up to November's election.

Trump's Republican allies painted him as a hero on Saturday, seizing on the image of him with his ear bloodied and fist raised, appearing to mouth the words "Fight! Fight! Fight!"

Whereas Trump has regularly used violent language with his followers, advisers and allies of the former president flipped the script on his Democratic opponent President Joe Biden, saying it was the demonization of the Republican presidential candidate that led to the assassination attempt.

"Today is not just some isolated incident. The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs. That rhetoric led directly to President Trump's attempted assassination," U.S. Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio, a top candidate to be Trump's running mate, said on X.

Biden moved quickly to try to defuse the situation, denouncing the attack as unacceptable political violence and pulling election ads attacking Trump.

"There's no place in America for this kind of violence. It's sick," Biden told reporters.

The motivation of the shooter is not yet known. The suspect, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, was a registered Republican, according to state voter records. He previously made a $15 donation to a political action committee that raises money for left-leaning and Democratic politicians.

In the short term, the attack will likely boost Trump's appearances in Milwaukee this week at the Republican National Convention as he accepts his party's presidential nomination, fortifying the sense of grievance and estrangement his supporters already feel toward the nation's political class.

Within hours of the shooting, Trump's campaign sent out a text asking voters to contribute to the campaign. "They're not after me, they're after you," the message read.

Billionaires Elon Musk and Bill Ackman also swiftly endorsed Trump. "I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery," Musk said on X, the social media site he owns.

Chris LaCivita, the co-manager of Trump's campaign, said on X that "for years and even today, leftist activists, Democrat donors and now even Joe Biden have made disgusting remarks and descriptions of shooting Donald Trump ... it's high time they be held accountable for it ... the best way is through the ballot box."

LaCivita was apparently referring to recent remarks by Biden made in the context of asking his supporters to focus on beating Trump rather than his own performance. "So, we're done talking about the debate, it's time to put Trump in a bullseye," said Biden, who has always condemned any political violence.

Item 1 of 2 Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump is assisted by the Secret Service after gunfire rang out during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania, U.S., July 13, 2024. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo

[1/2]Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump is assisted by the Secret Service after gunfire rang out during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania, U.S., July 13, 2024. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

POLITICAL ATTACKS

The U.S. is grappling with the biggest and most sustained increase in political violence since the 1970s. Of 14 fatal political attacks since supporters of Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in which the perpetrator or suspect had a clear partisan leaning, 13 were right-wing assailants. One was on the left.

Despite being a former president, Trump has campaigned as an outsider insurgent, complaining that he has long been targeted by the federal "deep state" and Biden's administration to prevent him from reclaiming power.

He has typically employed violent, degrading and even apocalyptic rhetoric while doing so, warning of a "bloodbath" if he is not elected and saying immigrants in the United States illegally are "poisoning the blood of our country".

Some Republicans were already agitated by his continued stoking of the fire.

"If the country wasn't a powder keg before, it is now," said Chip Felkel, a Republican operative in South Carolina who has opposed Trump.

Brad Bannon, a Democratic strategist, said the shooting could benefit Trump politically because it feeds into his campaign narrative that the country is off-track.

"The attempted assassination creates sympathy for Trump," Bannon said. "It also confirms the idea to voters that something is fundamentally wrong in this nation, which is an idea that drives support for him."

Trump in May was found guilty of engaging in a scheme to cover up an affair with a porn star, a conviction that did little to alter the race and suggested supporters of both sides remain entrenched in their positions.

Biden has dealt with a debate within his own party over whether he should step down as the Democratic candidate because of concerns that he is no longer fit for the job. He says his doctors have told him he is in good shape. Trump has benefited in some polls from Biden's disastrous debate performance last month, but others show the race to be even.

Many voters have already been alienated by both Biden and Trump. The chaos that surrounds the candidates may contribute to voters feeling that the nation's problems are unfixable and the gulf between the parties cannot be bridged.

U.S. Representative Steve Scalise, a Republican who was shot by a gunman in 2017, told Fox News that violent election rhetoric needed to stop.

"All it takes is one person who is just unhinged to hear that and go out and act on it and think that's their signal to go take somebody out," he said.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/attack-trump-could-spark-further-us-political-violence-2024-07-14/

Democrats are staging a coup by the elite’s elite

 For some time, Democrats have been the party of the elite; now, even that is not enough. 

As party brass scramble to oust President Biden, America is witnessing an attempted coup by the elite’s elite. Gone is any pretext that this is the “demos” or the people, governing. Today’s Democratic Party is about the aristocracy ruling. 

Democrats are indisputably the party of America’s elite. The evidence is omnipresent. The top echelons of academia, media, entertainment, sports and corporate America all are overwhelmingly Democratic. The policies these groups embrace — bigger government, higher taxes, environmental extremism, DEI, open borders, pro-Palestine, and more — are all Democratic priorities. 

Democrats have sought to hide their obvious diversion away from the people and to the elite. They continually flash for those willing to look their historical roots in Jefferson and Jackson — even as they now renounce these men. Rhetorically, they wrap themselves in “for the people,” a phrase with which former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) frequently closed her missives to Democratic members. But sometimes, reality’s obviousness is simply too much to escape. 

For the Democratic elite, such too has become President Biden’s performance. Jarring as Biden’s debate performance was, even more so was the Democratic elite’s response to it: They turned en masse and on a dime. 

Truthfully, what Biden showed on the debate stage with Trump was nothing Americans hadn’t seen or heard countless times in innumerable settings. And of course, there were the rumors (including his oral testimony to special counsel Robert Hur). On the debate stage, there were gaffes (Biden has called himself a gaffe machine) and shambling. 

But for most of us, like the children in the “Emperor Who Wore No Clothes,” the monarch was no more naked than we had seen him before. Our shock came from the benighted “adults,” Democratic elites, finally seeing it — or at least, finally admitting it. 

The true revelation of Biden’s debate was the unmasking of the Democratic elite. For six decades, the Democratic Party has ostensibly dispersed power from its leaders to its followers. Primaries’ dominance in selecting the party’s presidential nominee has grown, often in leaps (notably from 1968 to 1972 and then after 2016 with the curtailment of super delegates’ voting powers) but always consistently.

The process worked for the party, especially its elite. It was part of the rhetorical cover: as the party diverged from the American people, it turned over more of its power to its own people.  

But beneath this patina, the party’s leaders usually got their way: Hillary Clinton beat Bernie Sanders in 2016; Biden salvaged a too-left candidate contingent in 2020 and dispatched their “bete noire” simultaneously. 

The process was ratcheted to an even higher level in 2024. The path was greased for Biden, there was no Sanders challenge from the left, and Biden was virtually unanimously chosen by the delegates. Even the official nomination was made virtual in order to accelerate it. 

After all, the process had worked for the Democratic elite. That is, until it didn’t.

What became clear was that Biden was not going to beat Trump. Since his State of the Union speech, he had gained no traction and little if any ground against Trump. Despite administration giveaways (still more student loan forgiveness, aggressive environmental regulations, and more) surrogate appearances, huge campaign spending — even a New York felony conviction — Biden trailed not just in the all-important battleground states, but nationally too. 

So, after all of Biden’s actions failed, the Democratic elite presumed to take their own. They sought to orchestrate — and thereby control — what they feared most. Rather than allowing Trump to beat Biden in November, they would do it preemptively. By undercutting Biden, they would present him with a fait accompli.

Their opposition has mounted. Their defenses of him have lacked enthusiasm. (Pelosi’s “it’s up to the president to decide if he is going to run” is a hollow example: saying that a candidate who is being pushed to withdraw over questions of cognitive ability can also decide his fate is more than slightly disingenuous.)

The Democratic elite running from Biden is running to the “smoke-filled room” of yore — only this time without the smoke and without the room. Here they desire to pick the nominee in full view in broad daylight and in public. They are because they fear that the candidate they cleared the way for, for whom they covered, is going to lose and take them with him.

The Democratic elite created all of this: Biden never had a modicum of presidential success before 2020. Ultimately, they, not him, will be held responsible. Now having deemed that he cannot win, they are seeking to take matters into their own hands — and out of the delegates’.  If unable to win, they will ensure he is unable to run.

It has long been clear that the Democratic Party is not about “democracy,” about the people ruling — after all, the threat they seek to thwart is an unmistakably populist threat. It is now no longer even about the elite ruling. It is about the elite’s elite ruling.  And they are now so desperate that they no longer care who knows.  

J.T. Young was a professional staffer in the House and Senate from 1987-2000, served in the Department of Treasury and Office of Management and Budget from 2001-2004, and was director of government relations for a Fortune 20 company from 2004-2023.

https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/4768827-democratic-elite-coup-biden/mlite/