This is a special section of our Global Outlook Report covering the historic attempted assassination of former President and 2024 Presidential nominee Donald J Trump. These are the headlines and links to the stories revealing how the assassination attempt was initially reported, as well as the immediate consequence of the assassination attempt, and up-to-date links on the fallout, including the end of the Biden campaign and the beginning of the Kamala campaign.
ED.NOTE: We will be providing an in-depth report on the Trump assassination attempt and the Biden drop-out in the SEPTEMBER 2024 Issue. The October 2024 Issue will be a special election-focused issue.
THE INITIAL COVERAGE – On Sunday, July 14, 2024, a 20-year-old man named Thomas Cooke managed to get in a choice sniper position to be able to open fire on former President Donald Trump at a rally in Butler, PA. Trump’s head movement appears to have saved him from certain death as the bullet ripped through his ear. One participant was killed, and two others were critically (now stable) wounded.
Since that moment, President Joe Biden has withdrawn from the 2024 race, Kamala Harris was coronated the new nominee without a primary, and the media appears desperate to bury this historic story altogether, lest Trump become too human to the American people.
RFK Jr.’s Secret Service protection ends after suspended campaign
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who suspended his third-party presidential bid last week and endorsed former President Donald Trump, has lost his Secret Service protection following the decision to leave the race, his campaign said.
“Mr. Kennedy no longer has USSS,” Stefanie Spear, Kennedy’s press secretary, told CBS News.
In remarks in Phoenix on Friday, Kennedy said he was backing Trump because he could see no viable path to the White House. And although he said he wasn’t “terminating” his campaign — remaining on the ballot in some noncompetitive states — he pledged to remove his name from states where he could be a spoiler. Kennedy was on the ballot in more than 20 states when he suspended his White House bid.
President Biden directed the Secret Service to afford protection to Kennedy after the assassination attempt against Trump in July. Kennedy’s campaign had long requested the protection for the independent presidential candidate — an issue that was especially acute for Kennedy, whose father and uncle were assassinated in the 1960s.
First outdoor Trump rally since assassination attempt: Why Asheboro?
The Republican ticket sees North Carolina as pivotal for the election, according to local political analysts.
The state as a whole is already important: The UVA Center recently moved the state from Republican to a toss-up this week. It now joins a list of Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona and Nevada: states that will “almost certainly” decide who wins the race, experts said.
In 2020, Trump won Randolph County by 78%.
Watch our interview with Wake Forest University professor John Dinan above to learn more.
Also at the rally, our team noted portable storage and moving vans blocking off the event. There were several law enforcement officers patrolling the area, too.
Video from Trump rally released by Butler Township police available on Eagle’s YouTube channel in its entirety
Body camera and dash camera footage taken by the Butler Township Police Department at the campaign rally for former President Donald Trump on July 13 is now available in its entirety via Butler Eagle’s YouTube channel.
The complete videos, acquired via a right-to-know request earlier this month, were posted Wednesday, Aug. 21 with editing only done to blur graphic scenes and remove foul language in the audio.
The 12 videos were released by the local police department on Aug. 8. Some of the videos were blurred prior to their release to the Eagle.
Washington Post was one of the first to use what became the leftist-approved label of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, calling it a “Trump rally shooting” to subliminally have Trump’s rallies associated with violence. The hope is to trick the willing-to-be-tricked that the political violence witnessed is the fault of the man who was shot, which is comparable to blaming a rape victim for being raped because “she was asking for it.”
Al Jazeera, a representative of an Islamist ideology that seeks to destroy the American republic, echoes the same type of careful language to assure no sympathy is garnered for the enemy they share with the Progmerican left, Donald J Trump.
Mother Jones took two shots at titling the news event, and both times show their allegiance with the shooter, and their blind hatred of the former President.
Trump shooter Thomas Crooks had encrypted messaging accounts in Belgium, Germany, New Zealand
Trump rally gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks used encrypted messaging accounts on various platforms located in Belgium, New Zealand and Germany, according to a member of a congressional task force investigating his assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump.
Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.), one of 13 lawmakers tapped to serve on the House bipartisan task force, told reporters at a Wednesday press conference at the Trump Hotel Chicago that the “overseas accounts” piqued his suspicion immediately regarding the shooter’s motives.”
“Why does a 19-year-old kid who is a health care aid need encrypted platforms not even based in the United States, but based abroad – where most terrorist organizations know it is harder for our law enforcement to get into?” asked Waltz.
Attempted Trump assassin Thomas Crooks trained at same gun range used by DHS
Attempted Trump assassin Thomas Crooks practiced shooting at his preferred gun range the day before the Department of Homeland Security conducted a training there — just two months before he opened fire at the former president’s rally.
Crooks, 20, visited the Clairton Sportsmen’s Club in Pennsylvania on May 22 around 3:10 p.m., where he practiced alone at the rifle range, according to a club logbook obtained by Sen. Chuck Grassley’s (R-IA) office.
The very next day, beginning at noon, DHS conducted a “police training” at the range with at least three people, club records show.
Clairton’s rifle range where Crooks would have practiced is 200 yards long — more than enough space for him to practice the 150-yard shot he would take at Trump on July 13, wounding the former president and killing a bystander.
It is unclear whether DHS regularly held trainings there, or if the May 23 visit was an uncommon occurrence.
The plot continues to thicken regarding Thomas Crooks:
Matthew Crooks is interested in guns and has sold firearms to family members in the past, the source told the Mail. “The FBI still very much has questions about how much they knew and how [Thomas Crooks] slipped through the net,” the individual said.
Quinn Logue specializes in both criminal and civil law, including wrongful death and personal injury, according to its website.
Crooks attempted to assassinate Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13. The 20-year-old, who shot Trump in the ear, also killed attendee Corey Comperatore and injured two others. Crooks was shot dead by a sniper at the scene.
The FBI is still investigating how Crooks was able to carry out the shooting from a rooftop near the rally stage. The FBI briefed Trump on their investigation earlier this month, revealing that they still don’t have a clear motive, ABC News reported. However, Crooks may have targetted Trump just because he was the next big-name politician to come to Pennsylvania.
Why would-be Trump assassin Thomas Crooks remains an infuriating enigma weeks after shooting
However, it’s clear from congressional hearings — and the details that have emerged from FBI briefings with lawmakers — that investigators still have no satisfying answers for why Crooks targeted Trump.
The glacial pace of new information coming to light has been frustrating for Crooks’ neighbors, who are still waiting for answers after the shocking discovery that they were living next to a killer who plotted to murder a leading candidate for president.
“I would love to know what really happened and what Thomas’ motivation was,” neighbor Kelly Little, 39, told The Post.
“Domestic terrorism is very real. We deserve to know what happened, but I don’t know if we’re ever going to get a straight answer.”
The FBI seized a laptop, two cellphones and multiple hard drives and flash drives from Crooks’ house.via Chuck Grassley’s Office
Little said their calm suburban street has grown quiet again after being thrust into the center of a media and police firestorm last month.
“It’s been weeks since police were here. There’s nothing happening, no police activity,” she said, noting that although local cops drive by occasionally, there are no officers stationed there long-term.
Crooks’ parents have been keeping to themselves since the shooting, which neighbors said was pretty much par for the course even before the events at the Trump rally in Butler.
Rep. Mike Waltz Who Is Investigating Trump Assassination Attempt Reveals Thomas Crooks Acted With Help From Foreign Entity
Republican Rep. Mike Waltz told the Daily Mail that Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old accused of trying to assassinate former President Donald Trump, might not have acted alone.
The Congressional task force’s ongoing investigation has raised significant concerns about possible foreign involvement in the attack.
Rep. Waltz stressed that the motivations behind Crooks’ actions are still uncertain, hinting that a foreign entity or another third party might be involved.
“I don’t understand, and I don’t have any answers yet to help me understand how the [Secret] Service and DHS came out so quickly and said – and I think the FBI as well, but I’ll have to check that – and said, he operated alone,” Waltz told Daily Mail at Trump Tower in Chicago on Wednesday.
Waltz told The Post Wednesday that he does not believe the agencies have been able to dig up enough information on the 20-year-old gunman to determine for certain that he did not have help planning and carrying out the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, last month.
“We’ve heard both the Secret Service and the FBI kind of phrase it in different ways — that everything they’ve seen he acted alone and that they have yet to find any co-conspirator,” Waltz (R-Fla.) told The Post in an exclusive interview following an FBI briefing Wednesday.
New Thomas Crooks Video Appears to Show Him Hours Before Trump Shooting
In a chilling development, newly uncovered footage appears to show Thomas Matthew Crooks, the would-be assassin of former President Donald Trump, wandering around the site of the Butler, Pennsylvania rally just hours before his deadly attack on July 13, 2024.
The video, which has surfaced on social media platforms, was reportedly captured by a small business owner selling patriotic hats at the event. The merchant, who has not been identified, made the startling discovery while reviewing their footage from that fateful day.
The TikTok video, which has since gone viral, is captioned with an ominous message: “Terrifying moment… Looking back at my videos from the PA Butler Trump rally on 7/13/24… we were there just trying to sell our patriotic hats…”
The footage then transitions to a slow-motion clip of a man believed to be Crooks, with text overlay stating, “Captured a video of Thomas Matthews Crooks at 4:26pm, before the assassination attempt occurred.”
THE HISTORIC SS FAIL – Here is how the conservative and MSM press covered what appears to be critical security failures that led to the assassination attempt, starting with might be the very symbol of incompetency from FBI Director Christopher Wray, who sought to lessen the dramatic impact of an attempted assassination on a former President.
Trump rally counter-sniper Ben Shaffer gives damning verdict on FBI ‘evidence tampering’ after assassination attempt
A SWAT counter-sniper who was working the Trump rally in Pennsylvania where a gunman opened fire has issued a damning verdict on the FBI‘s alleged evidence tampering.
Washington Regional SWAT counter-sniper Ben Shaffer admitted that it was ‘absolutely’ concerning that the roof of the AGR International building where gunman Thomas Matthew Crook, 20, was cleaned quickly after the July 13 assassination attempt.
Shaffer then went on to acknowledge that Crooks should have been elevated from a ‘person of interest’ to someone ‘who would have warranted some type of investigatory detention’ by agents because he was using a range finder.
BOMBSHELL: Secret Service Headquarters Ordered Agents NOT to Request Additional Manpower for Trump Rally
As more details emerge about the Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, the situation is looking increasingly troubling for the Secret Service.
On Friday, Senator Josh Hawley revealed troubling new information from a Secret Service whistleblower, indicating that agency headquarters had explicitly instructed agents not to request additional personnel for the event, knowing such requests would be immediately denied.
It’s almost as if the Secret Service senior staffers wanted President Trump dead and buried. How can he place any trust in the agency going forward?
Forgotten radios and missed warnings: New details emerge about communication failures before Trump rally shooting
The day before the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, a tactical team of local police officers set aside radios for their Secret Service partners so the two agencies could communicate during the former president’s July 13 campaign rally.
But those radios were never picked up….
Standing over the gunman’s dead body minutes later, a local police officer who responded to the initial warning expressed frustration that his own radio calls about a man on the roof seemed to go unheeded by the other officers.
“That’s what I was f**king calling out bro, f**king ‘On top of the roof,’” the officer said, according to body camera footage. “We’re not – we on the same frequency?”…
Details about the forgotten radios were included in a recent report from Rep. Clay Higgins, a Louisiana Republican member of the congressional task force investigating the events of that day. Higgins claims that a county emergency services commander had “personally reminded” Secret Service counter-sniper teams to pick up their assigned radios at a command post located at the Butler County Fairgrounds. “It didn’t happen,” according to Higgins’ report.
That detail was confirmed to CNN by Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger.
“I can confirm that the Butler County ESU team made radios available to the Secret Service and that they were not utilized by the Secret Service,” Goldinger said in a statement. While it’s unclear if Secret Service would have gotten the warning about a man on the roof had they picked up the radios, Goldinger said, “It is safe to assume that if a holder of an ESU radio was paying attention, they would have received the call.”
Sen Johnson: FBI ‘Dragging Feet’ on Trump Assassination Probe
The Secret Service and FBI are “basically dragging their feet” on the Senate bipartisan probe into the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, Sen. Ron Johnson told Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.”
The Wisconsin Republican, who is part of the bipartisan investigation, said the agencies are “stonewalling us.”
“We have gotten some transcribed interviews, but the documents we request are heavily redacted [and] they’re delivered the day of the interview,” he said, explaining that this means that they can’t really even “be used to conduct the interviews effectively.”
Trump assassination attempt sparks investigation of Secret Service DEI policies: ‘Compromised its mission’
A non-profit group has launched an investigation into the Secret Service’s Diversity Equity and inclusion (DEI) policies in the wake of the attempted assassination of former President Trump last month.
Mountain States Legal Foundation, (MSLF) a Colorado-based organization, says it is looking into how the controversial policy may have led to security being dangerously lax at Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where Thomas Matthew Crooks managed to scale the roof of a nearby building and fire off eight shots with one bullet grazing the right ear of the former commander-in-chief. One attendee, Corey Comperatore, was fatally struck, while two others were also hit and suffered serious injuries in an event that could have plunged the nation into a political crisis.
MSLF says its investigation is examining how DEI impacted the elite agency’s hiring, retention, and promotion. Critics of DEI say the policy elevates those of a certain sex or ethnicity over those who may be more qualified, thus the best person for a particular job may not get the role, thereby lowering standards overall.
Secret Service Records Reveal DEI Is Prioritized for All Agency Employees in ‘Every Action, Every Day’
Judicial Watch announced today it received 311 pagesof U.S. Secret Service (USSS) records that show the Secret Service has made it a top priority that “diversity and inclusion is not just ‘talked about’ – but demonstrated by all employees through ‘Every Action, Every Day.’” [Emphasis in original]
The records show the Secret Service, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), demands that 12 percent of its workforce be composed of “persons with disabilities,” and that it is the policy of the Secret Service to provide equal employment opportunity without regard to such non-merit factors as “disability (physical or mental).”
Judicial Watch obtained the records in a FOIA lawsuit against DHS for records relating to an incident in April at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland in which a Secret Service agent assigned to protect Vice President Kamala Harris got into a scuffle with colleagues(Judicial Watch v. Department of Homeland Security(No. 1:24-cv-01705)).
According to an April 24 report by the Washington Examiner, a Secret Service agent was removed from her duties after physically attacking the commanding agent in charge and other agents who tried to subdue her.
Holt, Shaffer to Newsmax: Secret Service Failures Go Beyond DEI
Americans deserve a thorough federal investigation into the Secret Service security failures that led up to the shooting of former President Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania last month, retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Blaine Holt told Newsmax, Friday.
In an appearance on “The Chris Salcedo Show,” Holt and retired Army Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer discussed whether the problems were the result of incompetence related to diversity, equity, and inclusion policies or something more sinister.
Shaffer said Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., attended a Trump rally in Virginia a few weeks before the July 13 assassination attempt, and at that event, “they had layers of overlapping and continuous security-controlled corridors for people to move, and nobody was allowed to wander around. So then, yeah, how is it that even with DEI in mind, they go from an efficient, well-organized, well-wired machine to like, Oh, did we forget to check that building? So, no, this goes beyond DEI.”
US Congressman Clay Higgins has accused the FBI of a potential cover-up related to the attempted assassination of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. The accusation centers on the handling of the remains of Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was killed by the Secret Service after opening fire on trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. Crooks’ attack resulted in the death of one bystander and injuries to Trump and two other attendees.
Higgins, a Louisiana Republican with a background in law enforcement and a member of the congressional Task Force investigating the shooting, publicly criticized the FBI’s actions. According to Higgins’ report released Thursday, the FBI authorized the release of Crooks’ body for cremation just ten days after the incident, on July 23, without prior notice to local authorities or the county coroner. Higgins asserted that the coroner and other officials were unaware of the body’s release until August 5.
The congressman expressed concerns that the release of the body before the completion of the coroner’s and autopsy reports obstructs further investigation into the incident. Higgins argued that the FBI’s decision to permit the cremation could be seen as an obstruction to a thorough investigative process. He highlighted the lack of available forensic evidence as a significant hindrance to verifying the circumstances surrounding the shooting attempt.
Sen. Ron Johnson: FBI probe into Trump shooting is ‘jaw-dropping’
The ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee told DailyMail.com that the actions of the Justice Department are ‘jaw dropping’ and slammed the agency’s law enforcement arm – the FBI – for thinking they are ‘above the law.’
Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year would-be assassin of Trump, was shot dead by Secret Service right after one of his bullets grazed the former president’s right ear during an attack at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on June 13 that left one supporter dead and two others critically injured.
‘I think the FBI, Department of Justice, Secret Service are doing everything exactly wrong,’ Johnson told DailyMail.com at Trump Tower in Chicago on Monday. ‘If you want people to have confidence in the investigation, it needs to be transparent.’
Sen. Ron Johnson (right) told DailyMail.com that ‘the FBI, Department of Justice, Secret Service are doing everything exactly wrong’ in the investigation of the assassination attempt against Donald Trump
‘What we know about the events of July 13 is coming primarily from local law enforcement,’ the furious senator explained.
FBI engaged in ‘major-league cover-up’ of Trump assassination attempt
The FBI and the Biden-Harris administration are engaged in a “major-league cover-up on the near-assassination of former President Trump,” Judicial Watch Inc. asserted Aug. 12.
The accusation came after the FBI denied Judicial Watch’s request for records on the July 13 Pennsylvania rally at which Donald J. Trump was shot by Thomas Matthew Crooks.
Judicial Watch filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the FBI on July 26, seeking documents, emails, presentations, and other data regarding the FBI’s coordination with the U.S. Secret Service in preparation for the July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, at which Trump was shot in the ear. The request covered the time period from June 15 to present.
The FBI cited FOIA exemption 7A, which allows withholding of information that “would deprive a person of a right to a fair trial or an impartial adjudication.” It did not elaborate or provide context for use of this exemption.
Secret Service denied Butler agents extra manpower ahead of Trump rally shooting: Whistleblower
A Secret Service department that handles manpower requests urged agents not to ask for additional security for the rally where an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump occurred, according to a whistleblower report.
The whistleblower told Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) that the Secret Service Office of Protective Operations — Manpower essentially denied security assets “through informal means” by encouraging agents not to seek more manpower for the rally, Hawley wrote in a letter…
Trump team irate over Secret Service failing to warn them about Crooks after spotting him with a range finder
Former President Trump took the stage in Butler, Pennsylvania, several minutes after the Secret Service first began tracking the former president’s attempted assassin, and Trump’s team was none too happy about it.
Those in Trump’s orbit said the former president’s security detail became enraged after learning they were not told for 30 minutes about a suspicious subject carrying a range finder around the perimeter of Trump’s July 13 rally, according to The Washington Post. That suspicious subject turned out to be Thomas Matthew Crooks, the former president’s 20-year-old attempted assassin.
Trump took the stage in Butler shortly after 6 p.m., according to reports. Meanwhile, local officers had first spotted Crooks between 5:45 p.m. and 5:55 p.m., the Post’s timeline of events indicates. Once spotted, local law enforcement verbally communicated the threat to Secret Service agents, but the threat was reportedly never shared with Trump’s team. Trump’s team was also reportedly never told that local law enforcement counter-snipers lost track of Crooks at one point.
Videos: Trump shooter spotted jumping across roofs before assassination attempt
A new body camera video shows would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks jumping across multiple roofs as he moved into position just minutes before the July 13 assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump at the former president’s campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
On Monday, Jack Posobiec, a conservative media personality, shared a video of the body camera footage alongside the caption, “Bodycam footage of Thomas Matthew Crooks jumping from roof to roof just minutes before he shot President Trump and the crowd in Butler, PA.”
The video clearly shows an individual jumping across multiple roofs near the former president’s Pennsylvania rally prior to the assassination attempt, which resulted in Trump being shot in the ear, a retired fire chief being killed, and two other rally attendees being seriously injured.
Attempted Trump assassin seen walking around Pennsylvania rally hours before opening fire
Chilling new video has been released showing Thomas Matthew Crooks casually walking through a crowd in Butler, Pennsylvania, nearly two hours before he opened fire on former President Donald Trump and attendees at a campaign rally.
The short clip, released by the clothing company Iron Clad USA, shows Crooks at 4:26 p.m. dressed in shorts and a “Demolitia” T-shirt walking past a line of vendors selling Trump merchandise ahead of the July 13 rally.
He was wearing the same T-shirt when he opened fire on Trump and is not carrying anything in the eerie video.
“Terrifying moment… looking back on my videos from the PA Butler Trump rally on 7/13/24,” the company’s owner wrote on the TikTok version of the video. “We were there just trying to sell our patriotic hats from my small business.”
Trump assassination attempt in Butler reflects long-standing ‘systemic failures’ in Secret Service protections
Butler Township Police Officer Drew Blasko paced angrily along the AGR building, where just minutes before a gunman had clambered atop the roof, aimed an AR-15-style rifle at Donald Trump and fired, striking the former president.
As Blasko and other officers stood guard near a loading bay behind the building, he recounted a meeting earlier in the week with the Secret Service.
“I told them that fucking Tuesday,” he said. “I told them to post fucking guys over here.”
The Trump rally shooting that day, which killed one man and injured three others, including the former president, has been called the largest security failure in 40 years. It has led to the resignation of the Secret Service director, a congressional investigation and questions from lawmakers about how such a lapse could have occurred.
But an investigation by Spotlight PA, ProPublica and the Butler Eagle has revealed that the weaknesses that led to the assassination attempt were not unique to the July rally, but the inevitable breakdown of an already vulnerable system.
Trump Assassination Attempt Laid Bare Long-standing Vulnerabilities in the Secret Service
Butler Township Police Officer Drew Blasko paced angrily along the AGR building, where just minutes before a gunman had clambered atop the roof, aimed an AR-15-style rifle at Donald Trump and fired, striking the former president.
As Blasko and other officers stood guard near a loading bay behind the building, he recounted a meeting earlier in the week with the Secret Service.
“I told them that fucking Tuesday,” he said. “I told them to post fucking guys over here.”
The Trump rally shooting that day, which killed one man and injured three others, including the former president, has been called the largest security failure in 40 years. It has led to the resignation of the Secret Service director, a congressional investigation and questions from lawmakers about how such a lapse could have occurred.
But an investigation by Spotlight PA, ProPublica and the Butler Eagle has revealed that the weaknesses that led to the assassination attempt were not unique to the July rally, but the inevitable breakdown of an already vulnerable system.
The newsrooms spoke to dozens of officials across all levels of law enforcement and in several states who have provided security for presidents and presidential candidates, as well as local party officials and academic experts in security.
Speaker Mike Johnson Sparks Uproar After Revealing the Seven Republicans Who Will Serve on Task Force Investigating Trump Assassination Attempt
House Speaker Mike Johnson makes an appearance on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” (CNBC Television / YouTube screen shot)
House Speaker Mike Johnson today announced the Republicans who will serve on the Bipartisan House Task Force to investigate the Trump assassination attempt and sparked an uproar among conservatives in the process.
Today, I’m announcing the seven Republicans who will serve on the Bipartisan House Task Force to investigate the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump. We have the utmost confidence in this group of steady, highly qualified, and capable Members of Congress:
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) July 29, 2024
The seven GOPers listed are as follows:
• Pennsylvania Rep. Mike Kelly
• Tennessee Rep. Mark Green
• Ohio Rep. Dave Joyce
• Florida Rep. Laurel Lee
• Florida Rep. Michael Waltz
• Louisiana Rep. Clay Higgins
• Texas Rep. Pat Fallon
THE PRE AND POST VIOLENT RHETORIC OF THE DNC – Immediately after the assassination attempt, the conservative press rightly questioned the role the violent rhetoric by the DNC, including Biden, in inspiring the shooting in the first place. As if to confirm their fears, the violent rhetoric of the Left continued AFTER the assassination attempt:
THE FALL-OUT – Here are some of the immediate consequences of the Trump assassination attempt. As already noted, there will be an in-depth report on the fall-out of the Trump assassination attempt in the September 2024 Issue of MIA. We’ll start with an announcement by President Trump that might be a symbol of what this assassination has come to mean for many, “Fight, fight, fight.”
Secret Service Pittsburgh employees placed on administrative leave: report
Several members of the U.S. Secret Service Pittsburgh Field Office have reportedly been placed on administrative leave following the July 13 assassination attempt against former President Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Anthony Guglielmi, USSS chief of communications, told Fox News Digital in a statement that the agency’s personnel are held “to the highest professional standards, and any identified and substantiated violations of policy will be investigated by the Office of Professional Responsibility for potential disciplinary action.”
USSS did not directly confirm any employees placed on leave, but Guglielmi added that given the “personal” nature of the matter, the agency is “not in a position to comment further.”
What we know about why 5 Secret Service agents got new duties after Trump assassination attempt
At least five Secret Service agents have been placed on modified duty after the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in July, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.
They include the special agent in charge of the Pittsburgh field office and three other agents assigned to that office, which was responsible for the security planning ahead of the July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, according to the law enforcement official who had direct knowledge of the matter. One of the five agents was assigned to Trump’s protective detail, the official said.
The official was not authorized to publicly disclose details of the personnel investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
The agents are on administrative leave, meaning they cannot do investigative or protective work.
Fox News reported that a different group of Secret Service agents assigned specifically to Trump’s security detail remains operational. Trump avoided serious injury from the shooting.
But as shocking as it is to see a former Secret Service director need the protection of her own former agency, it’s much less surprising when one considers the overall threat environment facing those whom Trump loyalists perceive as a danger to him — or them. After all, we learned earlier this week that the daughter of Judge Juan Merchan, who oversaw Trump’s New York hush money trial, and her business partner have each been subjected to death threats and harassment, and that law enforcement has advised the daughter and her family to leave their home for their own safety.
Further, in an interview with my NBC News colleague Ken Dilanian last month, Attorney General Merrick Garland noted that the Justice Department has brought 400 cases over the last two years alone dealing with threats against federal and state judges, federal and state prosecutors, federal and state legislators, and federal, state and local law enforcement officers. Of course, those are just the cases federal law enforcement has brought, not the totality of the threats.
Butler officials are concerned about future Trump rally
Local officialsare worried about former President Trump‘s plans to return to Butler in October, reports Spotlight PA, ProPublica and the Butler Eagle.
Why it matters: Last month’s assassination attempt at an outdoor rally in the rural western Pennsylvania city has been panned as one of the most glaring security lapses in decades, leading to former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle‘s resignation and numerous federal and congressional probes.
Driving the news: Trump said in an interview with billionaire Elon Musk on X earlier this month that he intends to come back to Butler to finish his speech.
Butler County Commissioner Leslie Osche shared concerns about how the visit “will place additional stress on law enforcement and the community.”
Local officials are calling for better coordination with the Secret Service should Trump return, including a unified command post, Adams Township Sgt. Ed Lenz told the outlets.
Here’s Who Donald Trump Jr. Holds Responsible For His Father’s Attempted Assassination
The Democratic Party and its allies in the mainstream media have attempted to muddy the waters when it comes to covering the assassination attempt against Donald Trump, offering conflicting narratives regarding the deceased suspect and even seeming to blame Trump himself for the violent act.
But for Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., it is clear where much of the blame lies.
He called the media “truly embarrassing” and a “disgrace” to the country and hypocritical for calling Republicans a threat to democracy while not holding Harris accountable over her record.
“They seem to be able to run roughshod over all of those things, but again, that’s nothing new,” he said. “They called everyone in the world a fascist, and yet, they’re the ones that want to jail their political opposition. They’re the ones that want to censor and silence them. They are the ones that, you know, ultimately caused an assassination attempt of the leading candidate of the opposition party.”
