Author Topic: TRUMP SHOT!!!  (Read 6339 times)

Crafty_Dog

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TRUMP SHOT!!!
« on: July 13, 2024, 03:46:15 PM »
At rally in Butler PA.
« Last Edit: July 14, 2024, 09:04:18 AM by Crafty_Dog »

Body-by-Guinness

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Re: TRUMP SHOT?!?
« Reply #1 on: July 13, 2024, 05:23:54 PM »
Sounds like he’s doing okay. Can’t speak for the quality of the recording I heard, but it sounded to me like a .22 from what I heard. Haven’t heard anything about an arrest….

Crafty_Dog

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Re: TRUMP SHOT?!?
« Reply #2 on: July 13, 2024, 05:29:25 PM »
FOX:  SS sniper team killed the shooter.

Unconfirmed that he was Antifa.

I'm hearing unconfirmed chatter about a 22 as well, but is that really a caliber for an assassination at distance?
« Last Edit: July 13, 2024, 05:32:32 PM by Crafty_Dog »

Body-by-Guinness

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Body-by-Guinness

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Trump Secret Service Request Denied?
« Reply #4 on: July 13, 2024, 05:48:28 PM »
If true, it needs to be hammered on:

https://x.com/seanmdav/status/1812278386514870623?s=61

Body-by-Guinness

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« Last Edit: July 13, 2024, 07:08:35 PM by Body-by-Guinness »

Body-by-Guinness

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ccp

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My two cents and two thoughts
« Reply #7 on: July 13, 2024, 06:29:56 PM »
1)  Those fist pumps after he got back up was iconic!

 That was it for me - Trumps' greatest moment!!! I loved it and I really loved it.

 I am a fan for sure now.   :-D  :-D :-D  Freakin' GREAT .   Reminds me of Reagon's historical reaction to being shot.

2)  We may well one day look back and remember July 13th as the first shots of the second American Civil War.

of course a quick turn on MSNBC who we all know are pissed he wasn't killed was their worry that security better stepped up for Biden   :roll:

Body-by-Guinness

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Body-by-Guinness

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The MSM in (In)Action
« Reply #9 on: July 13, 2024, 07:32:40 PM »
I’m also hearing no MSM organ sent out a “breaking news” alert about this assassination attempt:

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2024/07/13/media-reaction-to-trump-assassination-attempt-n2641833


Body-by-Guinness

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Too Soon?
« Reply #11 on: July 14, 2024, 06:28:08 AM »

Crafty_Dog

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Re: TRUMP SHOT?!?
« Reply #12 on: July 14, 2024, 07:16:19 AM »
A knowledgeable friend writes:

"My opinion from having worked advance details and protective details: Someone dropped the ball for the rooftop area the shooter used if it was not covered by either SS agents or State Police/local LE posted for just that purpose.

SS has been notoriously short-staffed for Donald Trump's protective detail, with DHS refusing multiple requests for additional manpower, and therefore they would have to rely on local LE to help cover any potential threat area outside of whatever perimeter their manpower could cover.

In a case like this, a SS advance team would have assessed every every line of sight vantage point a possible shooter could access and use. With the shooter's location being a rooftop vantage point approximately 150 yards (148 yards by Google maps) from Trump's podium, this area would certainly have been assigned for direct observation, probably assigned to the PA State Police or local LE. While the SS marksmen would be observing in the direction of those areas from their perimeter positions, SOMEONE was supposed to have that area under continuous observation from the back or roof areas of those buildings, with a full view of any rooftop areas not visible to the SS marksmen. SOMEONE was not in their proper position doing their job.

The BBC video of an eyewitness relating his attempts to notify nearby LE about the guy with the rifle on the roof several minutes before the shooting is pretty damning, if accurate. The witness stated that he was "outside" the security perimeter."

DougMacG

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Re: Too Soon?
« Reply #13 on: July 14, 2024, 07:19:42 AM »
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0efLgFeIon5c-7rTzlkwBvJsw

It's not too soon. They are still denying protection for RFK jr?! 
https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/4771060-calls-grow-for-rfk-jr-to-get-secret-service-protection/

This incident looks like they are denying Trump AND HIS SUPPORTERS full protection also.
--------------------
From Crafty's post:
"eyewitness relating his attempts to notify nearby LE about the guy with the rifle on the roof several minutes before the shooting is pretty damning, if accurate."

(Doug)  Yes, damning.  Local LE? 'someone should have been watching that location'??  Maybe I watch too many crime shows but the 'someone watching it' becomes the first one murdered.

I'm no expert but the first question might be how far can a sniper shoot, then secure the area.

Once again weakness will beget more violence.  Every TDS 20 year old thinks they can get Trump and go out a hero.  (Deranged is at the heart of TDS.)

The hate spewed by the Dem party including Dem media is at the heart of this.  The whole theme is stop Trump, Trump is evil.  And it comes from the highest places.  Biden himself, Kamala, and I just saw two Dem Senators after the press conference, asked about keeping Biden, the answers were it's all about stopping Trump, any way you can. He is the threat. Trump is evil, as many non-specific lying ways they could say it.  Keeping him off the ballot in Colorado and elsewhere, and the trials, are all ways of saying we don't care about settling this in a free and fair election.  Those methods failing, somebody shoot him.  Didn't a NYT columnist say it aloud?
« Last Edit: July 14, 2024, 08:40:50 AM by DougMacG »

ccp

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How did sniper know he could sneak onto the roof
« Reply #14 on: July 14, 2024, 08:13:39 AM »
I also wonder is

how did the shooter 'know' this area was not being watched?

The SS must cordon off an area in some way that people know the areas beyond which are not covered.

Or was it a lucky guess on the shooter's part.

Also who shot him.
Did they get on the roof or a SS sniper from a distant area.

I was impressed with all the SS around Trump.
And the platoon of SWAT that moved in.

Just like in the old movies all they yelling was from girls !!! :-D

I also thought it a bit iconic from the video that guy giving the press the finger and you could read his lips "f..k y.."




Crafty_Dog

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Re: TRUMP SHOT?!?
« Reply #15 on: July 14, 2024, 09:03:55 AM »
I begin with a silly tangent.  Apparently, this is the would-be assassin at 00:03
https://streamable.com/mzfq3w?t&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR2ZD8kuA-F1JDoPhe632dvy-TOvDP7rGd3hIjYv7CymI519rBa-3aLYVOw_aem_qwCjjBCXFMw73_JiP5kkMw

but I digress , , ,

My LEO and related type friends-- who are reluctant to Monday morning quarterback-- are asking how the hell this happened.  That roof is in not difficult range for a clear shot and was in clear line of sight for the SS snipers-- who promptly shot the would-be assassin.  If they didn't know he was there, how did they spot and shoot him so promptly?




Crafty_Dog

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ccp

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raised fist pump "iconic"
« Reply #18 on: July 14, 2024, 10:48:28 AM »
It was like seeing the video of the Marines raising the FLAG at Guadalcanal.

And people read the forum and saw my description as "iconic"   :wink:

***https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/07/14/trump-shooting-fist-legacy-00168022

By sundown, and without concrete reporting about the deceased shooter’s identity, Republicans were openly faulting their political opponents for the incident.

“We will not tolerate this attack from the left,” said Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.), who was present at the rally.

The accusation was as raw as it was remarkable. It evoked the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy, which many Democrats immediately ascribed to the right-wing hostilities the then-president confronted in Dallas.
***

Well it could have been an angry Palestinian or anti-Zionist I guess.

Shots rand out blood streaking down Trump's face people in audience shot yet the press was simply being cautious in taking forever to speak the obvious.

As Alexdouche lamented by starting to say and then for a quick moment thinking twice and maybe he should not say but then saying " this could make a matyr out of Trump"

Well Axeldouche it sure got me excited!!!

And Biden Clinton and Obama can take their crocodile tears and shove them up their noses.    :wink:

They bashed trump for near a decade ceaselessly ,  never would ever say one kind word even for any of his successes.

We all know they wish that bullet was one degree more to the left of Trump's head.

Now they only worry someone from our side might shoot at them .

THANK YOU FOR READING MY VENT!  :-D







DougMacG

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Re: TRUMP SHOT!!!
« Reply #19 on: July 14, 2024, 11:32:34 AM »
Crafty: " My LEO and related type friends-- who are reluctant to Monday morning quarterback-- are asking how the hell this happened.  That roof is in not difficult range for a clear shot and was in clear line of sight for the SS snipers-- who promptly shot the would-be assassin.  If they didn't know he was there, how did they spot and shoot him so promptly?"

(Doug)  Biden said somebody 'independent will look into this?  Meaning let it simmer down and fade away. No.  We want answers right now.  How did he get through? Who should have seen that and stopped that. And what was asked on the other post, if the Secret Service had view of him to shoot him after he shot. WTF happened before he shot? Who turned down additional security? Why, when, like bongino says, reported by the revolver, resign tonight. But resign tonight for one official is a figurehead start. We want to know all of what happened and what didn't happen, right now.

Biden said don't question the motives, trust the FBI. Bullsh*t. Why should we trust them? Biden left the stage and didn't take any questions. He should have been asked, who shot JFK? Why? We're going to wait for a government report on this after waiting 60 years on that? No. We're going to change governments and get one that protects and responds.
« Last Edit: July 14, 2024, 11:37:01 AM by DougMacG »

Crafty_Dog

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Crafty_Dog

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Crafty_Dog

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Open source analysis
« Reply #24 on: July 14, 2024, 03:06:13 PM »



ccp

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Re: TRUMP SHOT!!!
« Reply #27 on: July 14, 2024, 08:44:20 PM »
I notice the media has not admitted any blame - of course


Crafty_Dog

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Re: TRUMP SHOT!!!
« Reply #28 on: July 15, 2024, 06:16:05 AM »

DougMacG

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Re: TRUMP SHOT!!!
« Reply #29 on: July 15, 2024, 08:40:22 AM »
I notice the media has not admitted any blame - of course


Media IS to blame.



Crafty_Dog

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Re: TRUMP SHOT!!!
« Reply #32 on: July 15, 2024, 09:25:47 AM »
My favorite one is the one with the American flag behind him in the sky.

BTW, it looks like as certain individuals in the background are being studied (e.g. the female SS agents, the man who was killed with a head shot, etc) at subtle edits and memory hole deletions are being made.

DougMacG

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Re: TRUMP SHOT!!!
« Reply #33 on: July 15, 2024, 10:53:39 AM »
Coverage from 'the internet':

"Alvin Bragg Indicts Donald Trump for Dodging Bullet"

And the Bee:

https://babylonbee.com/news/secret-service-beefs-up-trumps-security-with-squad-of-disabled-midgets

"Secret Service Beefs Up Trump’s Security With Squad Of Blind Midgets"

   - You can't really say that aloud, can you?



Body-by-Guinness

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« Last Edit: July 15, 2024, 05:32:08 PM by Body-by-Guinness »

Crafty_Dog

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Re: TRUMP SHOT!!!
« Reply #37 on: July 16, 2024, 05:58:55 AM »
From a forum that I frequent that is full of serious people:
=====================================================
I know this is the Humor section, but since it was asked here I am going to respond here.

I am told that many on this detail except for the Team Lead were replacements, as many of the primary SS team for Trump had time off due to having been extremely overworked with short staff. I also see very few CS agents posted compared to what would be expected for that venue. This opens the possibility that she and others were additions to the team from a local field office. She and the others might have been PPD trained, but anyone with a certain level of military spec-ops or police SWAT/PP experience knows that a team needs to train extensively together to work well together. This group of agents and their attendant CAT seemed to have a lack of fluidity and coordination in the initial response that may be indicative of an ad-hoc team that had not trained together.

In short, she may have been a counterfeiting or other type of field agent, and was assigned to this protective detail due to the lack of manpower. I can see how this might be the case due to having the personal past experience of being pulled from my assignment as a firearms instructor and assigned to protective detail work as part of a team that I had never actually trained with, due to a need for additional manpower for that detail.

Some observations and personal opinion from my perspective:

Likely the first time she ever found herself in an actual "being shot at" situation. Many here know that one's first actual incoming fire experience shows one's true character, regardless of the level of previous training, and I did not see her freeze up or run away.

It doesn't look like there was any room for her to get into the dogpile, and she did move with the team to the vehicle.

She did continue to scan her immediate area for other threats. Drawing her pistol in that moment by the vehicle was not uncalled for under those circumstances, and is no more of an issue than the CAT guys with their carbines at low ready. It looks to me like she did what she was trained to do.

Despite the re-holstering issues, she had a good trigger finger index and good muzzle discipline. I did not see her flag anyone or otherwise do anything unsafe with her pistol.

I get the whole women vs men on a protective detail argument, but it appears this team made do with who they had available, and this agent appears to have done her job reasonably well in a less than ideal overall situation. Unfortunately she is going to be the butt of the jokes and memes for the entire internet army of armchair warriors who have never done her job.

In the end, my opinion really means bupkis in all of this, but I'll give her a pass on what I see as a trivial issue overall with the re-holstering.

Crafty_Dog

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How odd
« Reply #38 on: July 16, 2024, 08:19:25 AM »
Both the Rhode Island and Conn. State Police Depts have issued formal statement that to their knowledge there is no connection with their states.

WTF?
 

Crafty_Dog

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NYP: More on local LEOs spotting assassin well before he shot Trump
« Reply #39 on: July 16, 2024, 08:23:42 AM »
third

https://nypost.com/2024/07/16/us-news/trump-assassination-attempt-exact-timeline-of-police-failures/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1G51nYLt2Lj2rOiEm6wZHmEvXgNCuqhtHr5RmgWCHbuHDj5DFhuQDEg88_aem_so9H9NXE0xxi9lN5RnYFxA

"Incredibly, not only did Crooks manage to avoid being confronted despite sticking out like a sore thumb, he secured his rooftop perch right under the noses of a local police sniper team stationed inside the building, law enforcement sources told The Post."

Crafty_Dog

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Who was Crooks?
« Reply #40 on: July 16, 2024, 04:07:22 PM »

Crafty_Dog

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WSJ: What we know about Crooks
« Reply #41 on: July 17, 2024, 08:25:35 AM »
Mystery Around Trump Shooter Deepens
FBI analyzed Thomas Matthew Crooks’s phone and found nothing to explain why he tried to assassinate former president
The house in which Thomas Matthew Crooks lived in Bethel Park, Pa., on Monday.
The house in which Thomas Matthew Crooks lived in Bethel Park, Pa., on Monday.
By Clare AnsberryFollow
, Sadie GurmanFollow
, and Joel SchectmanFollow
 | Photographs by Ross Mantle for WSJ
Updated July 15, 2024 7:09 pm ET

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BETHEL PARK, Pa.—Two days after Thomas Matthew Crooks committed one of the most shocking acts of political violence in half a century, both investigators and people in his western Pennsylvania community are no closer to understanding why he did it.

The FBI has analyzed Crooks’s cellphone and has found nothing that explains why he climbed onto a roof and shot at former President Trump, grazing his ear, law-enforcement officials said. Crooks’s parents have spoken to law enforcement, but they also seemed to have little insight, telling authorities he didn’t appear to have any strong political leanings and had few, if any, friends.

The attempted assassination looked likely to drive the country to new levels of partisan distrust, but the initial mixed picture of the bespectacled young gunman, a quiet loner who wasn’t politically outspoken has instead left most of the American public scratching its head.


Thomas Matthew Crooks PHOTO: BETHEL PARK SCHOOL DISTRICT/AP
His most recent employer, a nursing home called Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, said that he had performed his job without concern and that his background check was clean.

A neighbor in the Crooks family’s Bethel Park neighborhood on Monday said he remembered Crooks as a polite child who would come over to play with his children in his backyard when they were younger. “He was quiet, maybe a little bit different,” the neighbor said, adding that many children are.

Crooks had been a member at a shooting range a half-hour drive from Bethel Park, on a hilltop at the end of a long, wooded drive, the Clairton Sportsmen’s Club. He was a member for about a year, an official for the club said, adding that he too had no inkling of what was to come.

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“We knew very little about him,” he said in a brief phone interview. “It was a terrible thing that happened Saturday.”

Crooks on Saturday fired at least six rounds from a rooftop roughly 400 feet away from where Trump spoke at a rally in Butler, Pa., about an hour north of Bethel Park, killing one spectator, critically injuring two others and leaving the former president bloodied and defiant. Crooks’s father told authorities he assumed his son was at the gun range on Saturday, but became concerned when he couldn’t reach him and called police after news of the shooting.


Crooks’s most recent employer was Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, a nursing home in Bethel Park, Pa.
The AR-15 rifle Crooks used was one of more than a dozen registered to and legally purchased by his father, with whom he often went to the shooting range, law-enforcement officials said.

In Crooks’s sedan parked near the rally, authorities found two explosives and a ballistic carrier, or vest, with three, 30-round magazines in it, the officials said, an indication that he might have wanted to cause greater carnage. He had also hidden another bomb in his bedroom in his family’s home. The discoveries suggest Crooks had a plan, but early indications are that he kept it to himself.

Crooks appears to have acted alone, investigators said, and they were turning to his computer and other devices in hopes of finding any clues about his ideology.

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Crooks had been a member at the Clairton Sportsmen’s Club, a shooting range a half-hour drive from Bethel Park, Pa.
For a young man who had just finished his teenage years, Crooks left a surprisingly limited record online. Three cyberintelligence analysts asked by The Wall Street Journal to search for Crooks’s online footprint found little. A chess profile, an account for online coding classes and a few gaming accounts were some of the only leads they could uncover. None discovered public social-media postings, photos, or obvious ties to peer groups or organizations.   

The shooter’s parents, Matthew and Mary Crooks, have been licensed professional counselors for over two decades with no noted disciplinary actions, according to licensing information maintained by the Pennsylvania Department of State.

The younger Crooks graduated from the Community College of Allegheny County with an associate degree in engineering science in May 2024, the school confirmed on Monday. The college said it would fully cooperate with law enforcement.

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TAP FOR SOUND
Investigators are piecing together information about the shooter who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump. Here’s what we know about the 20-year-old from Bethel Park, Pa., whom authorities named as the suspect. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images; Bethel Park School District PHOTO: ANNA MONEYMAKER/GETTY; BETHEL PARK SCHOOL DISTRICT
Classmates remembered little about Crooks’s interests. “A lot of people on my team hunted, but I never heard any mention of him,” said Allie Cline, who was one year behind Crooks at Bethel Park High School and had been on the school’s rifle team. She said it was clear he was “a shy kid” just from passing him in the school hallways.

After he was killed on the roof, photos show Crooks wearing a gray T-shirt from Demolition Ranch, a popular YouTube channel with videos about firearms, demolition and other topics. The Journal examined a shirt sold by Demolition Ranch and was able to identify the same American flag silhouette and partial logo on Crooks’s clothing.

Matt Carriker, a Texas-based YouTube influencer who runs Demolition Ranch, said in a video that he was “shocked and confused” to find out Crooks was wearing a Demolition Ranch shirt. “To see my name next to the shooter’s name, it sucks,” he said.
Carriker said he doesn’t vet people who buy their shirts and never had contact with Crooks. “He bought a shirt online and unfortunately wore it that day,” Carriker said.

Body-by-Guinness

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What We Know, What We Don’t, & Why it Matters
« Reply #42 on: July 17, 2024, 10:23:08 AM »
A good, broad ranging analysis here:

The Trump Assassination Attempt: A Serious Audited Investigation is Urgently Needed
Was there a Second Shooter? New Acoustic Forensic Evidence

STEPHEN BRYEN
JUL 16, 2024

[Update: Since publication the gun has been identified as a DPMS AR-15 5.56 rifle that was purchases more than 10 years ago by the shooter’s father. DPMS is a low cost AR-15 and there are different models with price ranges today under $700. Compare to a Ruger AR15 which is over $1,000. There are some criticisms of the DPMS gun’s quality, but others find the rifle barrels good.]

An audio forensic analysis by Catalin Grigoras, director of the National Center for Media Forensics at the University of Colorado in Denver, and Cole Whitecotton, Senior Professional Research Associate, also at Media Forensics, based on audio recorded in Butler Pennsylvania, appears to show the possibility of three shooters.  According to these experts, "The first three shots were consistent with alleged weapon A, the next five were consistent with alleged weapon B, and the final “acoustic impulse” was emitted by a possible weapon C."

Only one shooter has been identified and the FBI says he acted alone.

Thanks for reading Weapons and Strategy! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.


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They may want to reconsider their conclusion.

Obviously this controversial audio forensic analysis needs peer review.  But there are other questions beyond the audio forensics that need attention.

Below I review some of what we know, and a lot we don't know, and I ask questions where the information we have so far leads.

I, among thousands of others, became a sort of student of the John F. Kennedy assassination.  I have read tens of thousands of pages from books and articles.  But what turned out to be most impressive, as far as I am concerned, are two things.  Firstly, there in my opinion there was a massive coverup that still continues sixty one years after Kennedy was killed. Secondly, apparently President Trump withheld releasing some documents even though he had pledged to release everything still in the archives on the Kennedy killing. He allegedly told Roger Stone that he (Stone) "would not believe what is in the [still]classified [and unreleased] files." That tells me Trump thought it was too dangerous to walk that plank.

What is worrisome now in 2024 is whether we will get a proper investigation and whether all the evidence will be properly preserved.  Apparently President Biden has ordered some sort of investigation. I personally would prefer a solid FBI investigation with Congressional oversight.  The FBI has the forensic capability to do the job, but it takes leadership and oversight which, one would hope, will be forthcoming.  It won't be easy to sell the American people on a sloppy or political biased review.

The Gun

We have not been shown the gun used in the shooting.  No pictures of it.  We don't have a model number or manufacturer's name.

AR-15's can be modified to make them more accurate.  There are a number of websites that feature instructions.


AR-15 from article Accurize your AR-15
It isn't known if the gun had a telescopic sight or other aiming device.  It was probably too far from the target for a laser pointer, although some claim a range of 500 feet in daytime. (The shooting distance to Trump was less than 400 feet from the location of the shooter.) In an environment where there is bright sunlight and artificial TV lighting, it seems too much. Moreover, no one saw any evidence of a laser on Trump.

We don't know if the gun was modified.  My personal guess is it was used out of the box.

The gun will need to be forensically tested.  Whether that has happened, we don't know, and if it was we do not know the results. In fact, we don't know if any of the bullets have been recovered.  Fired and recovered shells, if found, could potentially be matched to the weapon or weapons.  This will also be important in determining if there was a second shooter.  It is important to note that the whole area was cordoned off by law enforcement as a crime scene.  The hunt for shells and other evidence is likely underway.

We don't know if the gun had an over-the-shoulder carrying sling.  Since eyewitnesses saw the shooter and the gun, they could clarify how it was carried and whether it was in any way concealed, which does not seem to be the case.

The shooter also purchased a 5 foot ladder at Home Depot.  We are not sure what model, or its weight, but aluminum ladders are clumsy to haul around, but very light. There also are ladders made with plastic fibers that also are light. There is at least one photo of the ladder up against the building (assuming, for the moment, it was the Home Depot-purchased ladder).  We also don't know if the two police who came to the building after being yelled at by the crowd that a shooter was on the roof used the same ladder, but probably so.  When the first police officer poked his head above the roof line, the shooter turned toward him with his gun pointed at him and the officer said he "jumped" or fell to the ground.

It could be that the ladder was put in place the day before the rally.  The shooter reportedly was on the scene and was seen hovering around the metal detectors at the site, exactly why we don't know because he did not enter the rally's security perimeter.  There is no report he was hauling a ladder around.


You can see the ladder in this poor quality picture stood up on the right (red circle) somewhat behind a tree.
Some witnesses say the shooter crawled from one building to the next on the rooftops.  But that does not align well with the position of the ladder as reported.  We need to know more.

Many think this was well planned and the shooter had to have help.  He also needed extraordinary luck to be able to climb a ladder in broad daylight onto a rooftop.  Lots of people saw him but the response took too long, was lethargic, and ineffective.  We don't know if the eyewitness warnings were relayed by radio or cell phone, but it seems to me that the Secret Service snipers were told where to look, so the answer is the location of the shooter was transmitted to the snipers.  It is reported by Larry Johnson and Chris Whitcomb, a former FBI HRT sniper, that the Secret Service snipers looked at the shooter on the roof with a telescope before they took aim with their guns. 

There is no information that any gunshot detectors were in use at the Rally.  A good gunshot detector can, in a millisecond, triangulate and locate a shooter when a shot is fired. (I have worked for many years with an excellent gunshot detection company called Safety Dynamics.)

The gun was "legally purchased" by the shooter's father, according to the FBI.  Since the shooter was at a gun range last Friday "practicing" it is clear he had access to the gun.  Was it bought for his son?  His son could legally buy a gun in Pennsylvania as he was 20 years old (minors in Pennsylvania under 18 cannot buy a gun, although there are some permitted gun activities allowed with supervision).  We do not know when the gun was actually purchased, so it is possible it was bought for his son when he was a minor.  When he was in high school he tried out for the school shooting team but was rejected as being inaccurate in aim and unsafe in gun handling. Does the gun trace to that time?  Maybe students who saw him could identify the gun used then.

According to reports, the shooter was identified by DNA, meaning that family members would have needed to make DNA samples available (spit into the test tube). There are facilities in nearby Pittsburgh and perhaps elsewhere that once DNA samples were delivered, they could check for a match within 90 minutes.  It is also highly likely that the gun serial number traced to the father.

Did the police take body samples for drug testing? The shooter, who saw the policeman climb up before he turned at fired at Trump must have been incredibly brazen and calm. Did drugs play a role?

No effort was made by the shooter to scrub out the serial number of the weapon so far as we know. If it was done the gun would not have been traceable to the father.

The shooter bought 50 rounds of 5.56 ammunition on Friday. It is likely the weapon clip held 30 rounds, as this is allowed in Pennsylvania.

Preliminary acoustic evidence (see above) says there possibly were three shooters.  There was an initial burst of gunfire coming from the shooter's location, a second burst but the location isn't clear and not the same as the first burst, and possibly a third shooter firing one shot.  The forensic acoustic experts suggest there were two shooters (not counting the Secret Service snipers).

The shooter could have moved location for the second round, but there was little time and no one has reported any change of location.

We do not know how many shots came from the Secret Service Agent snipers on the rooftop behind Trump on stage.  Most say it took only one shot to neutralize the shooter.  The Agents were equipped with sophisticated sniper weapons, one mounted on a tripod and one on a small stand for a prone shot. They fired after the shooter started firing, we are told, but that does not align exactly with the acoustic evidence.  The acoustic evidence is that the last single shot, if confirmed, may have come from the snipers.  The shooter was dispatched by a single headshot.

There are a few possibilities (perhaps more). One is that the sniper round was interspersed with the first or second firing rounds aimed at the podium and Trump.  The problem with this theory is that the microphone on the podium may not have heard the sniper round, or would have heard it differently from the shots fired from some distance away.  If it was interspersed with the first, then the second volley would have to come from somewhere else. 

That leaves the third alleged shot unaccounted for.  Alternatively, the third shot was the one fired by the Secret Service.  That would mean that around 9 shots in two volleys had already been fired, a huge, potentially fatal delayed response. (One person was killed trying to protect his family, two others were critically wounded.)

As the recording of the ballistic blast of the rounds picked up by the podium microphone is available for further examination, we need to see if the initial determination by the Media Forensics team holds up to scrutiny.

The Shooter

The only candidate for the actual shooter is the 20 year old Thomas Matthew Crooks. If there was a second shooter, he or she got away and is not being pursued, or at least we don't know of any effort in that direction.  The Secret Service and FBI both concur there was only one shooter, having made the declaration before the evidence was reviewed (including ballistic evidence).  If it sounds a lot like the Kennedy Assassination, you would not be far off the mark.


To me it was premature and amateurish to make any concrete statement about the extent of the threat before there was any credible investigation.  Unfortunately, all too often law enforcement puts out statements that are wrong or incomplete.  If there was a second shooter, or other accomplices, they are long gone (which means there could still be an active threat against Mr. Trump).

Crooks is said to have been a good employee and reliable.  Fellow students said he was a loner and was often bullied at school.  Whether this amounts to any sort of motive is hard to judge, but often disgruntled bullied students turn on their school or fellow students and not on presidential candidates.  It seems too much of a reach to be credible.

There is no social media record on the young man, which is very unusual.  Most wannabe murderer-assassin's want publicity to air their grievances and get sympathy from the public.  Some no doubt understand they may not survive, so the social media postings (including videos and manifestos) serves as last wills and testaments. Sadly the police have been known to withhold some things, as they did in Nashville after March 27, 2023, when a mass shooting occurred at the Covenant School. The shooter, Audrey Hale, was a transvestite.  Hale's plan was to target 'white privileged cr***ers' and 'f****ts,' before turning the gun on herself.

No actual friends of Crooks have appeared so far, assuming he had some.  Former students who talk about him say they really did not know him, that he stayed to himself.

It is worth asking whether Crooks was someone ripe for exploitation.  A person without friends can be open to manipulation and can feel a sense of protection, even of inviolability.  There is at least a supposition to be considered that Crooks did not expect to die when he shot at Trump.  Reportedly there were bombs or IEDs in his old van that he parked across the field, suggesting he may have planned a "spectacular" escape.  While the explosives devices in the van have been reported, they have not been seen.  The van was towed away by law enforcement.

Security

There is a general consensus that security at the Trump Rally was poor.  The main reason for that is the lack of coverage of buildings in the line of sight of the podium where Trump stood.  The shooter had an unobstructed view of Trump's head when he fired from a prone position (which improves accuracy by making the shooter stable). 


An aerial image of the shooter’s location, the sniper post, and the podium and stands. Take note there is no information that the Secret Service or local police used drones for security.
In a high security event involving the Secret Service, the Secret Service is not only in charge, but it is supposed to lay out all the protection ground rules and coordinate other law enforcement supporting the events.  The Secret Service said it was the responsibility of local law enforcement to protect the outer perimeter, which is partially true but also intentionally misleading, since the Secret Service had to approve all the security measures.  We do not know if this was done, and if the Secret Service actually approved all the security measures, and we wonder, like millions of others no doubt, how could they overlook the rooftops?

We also do not know anything about the communications set up.  Surely there was a Secret Service command center (that's why these folks have clear plastic earphones connected to secure radios).  One would also think there is a recording or recordings of the communications channels.   The recordings are vital evidence.

Reports say that the Secret Service was undermanned, only got to the fairground the day before, and that its personnel were cobbled together because the "regulars" were out protecting Mrs. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.  If true, and it may well be, it would suggest that the preparations were rushed and fell below professional standards.

There also has been criticism of the team assigned to physically protect Trump.  They did their job, but sending short ladies to body protect a big, 6 foot 3 inch VIP does not make sense, as the video shows clearly.  Of course, miracle de Dieu afforded Trump a chance to fist pump the crowd and yell "Fight, Fight"  because the lady was too short to cover him.  Not much planning there.

Let's face it, Secret Service protection sometimes blunders.  They let President Reagan get shot (March 30, 1981) at the side entrance outside of the Washington Hilton, almost fatally. In the killing of both Kennedy's the Secret Service failed to protect either the President in a Dallas motorcade (November 22, 1963) or his brother running for President and murdered at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles (June 5, 1968).  We also need to mention that President Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas consistently denied Secret Service protection to Robert Kennedy Jr., despite repeated requests.  Mayorkas finally relented on July 15 after he was told to do so by Biden.  Two hours before the Mayorkas announcement Trump, having met with Kennedy, called on Biden to provide protection to Kennedy. 

It is important to point out that Mr. Trump praised the Secret Service protection.

It is likely the Secret Service will be subjected to serious scrutiny by Congress.  Given the attitude of her director, who blames others for her failures, there is no hope of an internal investigation of any worth.  Thus a good start to improving the Service would be for its director, Kimberly Cheatle, to step down as she is the person responsible for the debacle in Pennsylvania. She can go out the door with her boss Mayorkas, the man who denied protection to Mr. Kennedy.

I want to qualify Cheatle’s fate in a certain way. She is a highly qualified and deeply experienced Secret Service agent. But she is responsible for the mess.

The Secret Service needs a fresh start, beginning with dumping all the woke nonsense that corrupts its mission.  It is supposed to be tough, military, highly trained and its agents willing to sacrifice themselves.  Selfless attention to duty in terms of protecting Donald Trump was certainly on display at the Trump rally in Butler. The Secret Service sniper(s) did their job, but there are still questions about the timing as the threat could have been eliminated much sooner and lives perhaps could have been saved. Bullets flying around the shooter but not instantly killing him also could have been a partial deterrent. The argument that the Secret Service has to wait until actual harm has been done will not protect anyone, including our President.

The Secret Service needs a fresh start.  The agency has already had too many failures, drunk agents, and other problems that needed attention and fixing.

New operating rules also are needed. Current training for Counter Assault Teams and Counter Sniper teams needs improvement. You should not have to wait for bodily harm to happen before you take out a threat.

Unfortunately the instinct of government organizations, just as in the civilian world, is to protect and cover up failure.  This is not the time for that.

https://weapons.substack.com/p/the-trump-assassination-attempt-a?r=1qo1e&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email&triedRedirect=true

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The Federalist: This was deliberate
« Reply #45 on: July 17, 2024, 03:44:17 PM »



Biden’s Team Crippled Trump’s Security To Allow Murder Attempt (thefederalist.com) 

They kept the rooftop open, watched the shooter, kept Trump on the stage, and didn’t do a damn thing until after he had been shot. And we’re supposed to believe it was an innocent oopsie?


Nobody wants to hear this because of the implications, but oh well, because it needs to be said: Joe Biden’s security regime deliberately and with malice aforethought created the conditions that led to an attempted assassin shooting Donald Trump in the head. It is by the grace of God that he lived and our nation is not currently in the midst of a violent civil war.

They deliberately starved Trump’s security team of the resources it needed. And they did it repeatedly, over many weeks and months.

With Trump’s security detail understaffed, under-resourced, and stretched to its limits, Biden’s security regime reportedly diverted even more resources to a hastily planned Jill Biden event that just happened to be in the area.

Biden’s security regime then ordered the most obvious assassination perch in the entire area to remain outside the main security perimeter.

Furthermore, Biden’s Secret Service director ordered law enforcement and counter-snipers OFF the roof the assassin used.

If that weren’t enough, Biden’s security regime also refused to block the line of sight from the assassin’s perch to Trump’s location. When law enforcement radioed in a suspicious person using a laser range finder at the building and even took photos of him, nothing was done to detain the assassin.

The assassin was so obviously a threat that bystanders at the event begged law enforcement to stop him, but nothing happened. And even as snipers on the roof near Trump saw a gunman on the other roof, Biden’s security regime refused to have agents immediately surround Trump or remove him from the stage to protect him from being shot.

Given the lies and nonsense from both Biden’s Department of Homeland Security secretary and his Secret Service director, it’s increasingly difficult to believe this was just a series of independent mistakes (Secret Service director Kim Cheatle at one point this week claimed snipers couldn’t be on the roof because it was sloped and they might fall and hurt themselves). In contrast, when you look at the entire picture, what you see better resembles a deliberate plan to make Trump vulnerable but to appear at first glance to be just a couple of innocent mistakes.

And when you add in how little information we’ve been given about the shooter — apparently the only person on Earth not on the internet — you begin to wonder if maybe a group of people at a different three-letter agency might have been working on a parallel track to find and encourage people to take action against Trump at the very same time he was kept vulnerable by Biden’s regime.

We know this happens because the FBI did it with Gretchen Whitmer: It recruited and urged disturbed individuals to buy weapons and put together a plan to kidnap her. In that case, the FBI wanted a story it could use to slime right-wingers. So it created the story itself.

What happens when an agency like that, or maybe even another three-letter agency, decides instead that it’s had enough of Trump? Some former FBI employees might even call it an “insurance policy.”

So who was the shooter talking to in the hours, days, and weeks ahead of the event? Who was he meeting with? Did anyone suggest or nudge or urge him to go to the Trump rally in Butler? Did anyone suggest or point out to him the building he eventually used? Was he told at any time not to worry about security?

The FBI told us almost immediately that while it couldn’t open the assassin’s phone, it knew he acted alone. That’s kind of strange, when you think about it. They told us almost immediately that they identified him by DNA, despite him having no criminal record. They also said they found explosives in his car. Why didn’t they just identify him by his plates or registration or next of kin? That’s pretty weird, too.

At some point, you just have to say enough with the lies. We saw what they did with the Russia hoax. We saw the Kavanaugh hoax. We saw the Covid origin hoax. We saw the Ukraine hoax, the stolen election, the J6 op, and then the armed Mar-a-Lago raid and the myriad illegal cases against Trump.

They called him Hitler. They said he was an existential threat. They said he would destroy democracy. They said he was the most dangerous person on Earth. Then they denied him security. They kept the rooftop open. They watched the shooter and did nothing. They kept Trump on that stage. And they didn’t do a damn thing until after he had been shot in the head.

And we’re all supposed to believe it was just an innocent oopsie?

Sean Davis is CEO and co-founder of The Federalist. He previously worked as an economic policy adviser to Gov. Rick Perry, as CFO of Daily Caller, and as chief investigator for Sen. Tom Coburn. He was named by The Hill as one of the top congressional staffers under the age of 35 for his role in spearheading the enactment of the law that created USASpending.gov. Sean received a BBA in finance from Texas Tech University and an MBA in finance and entrepreneurial management from the Wharton School. He can be reached via e-mail at sean@thefederalist.com.

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Billion Dollar Trump Stock Short Placed July 12
« Reply #46 on: July 17, 2024, 09:23:59 PM »
Well this is fodder for conspiracy theories:

https://x.com/joshwalkos/status/1813697562609623396?s=61

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Secret Service Director Excoriated at RNC Convention
« Reply #47 on: July 17, 2024, 09:43:23 PM »
Check out what was caught on camera here:

https://x.com/collinrugg/status/1813761028683112623?s=61

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More on That Short
« Reply #49 on: July 18, 2024, 08:11:04 AM »
I am always leery of soon after the fact conspiracy theories or related fodder, but given the stakes and players I’m opting to stay ahead of this stuff rather than behind.

Perhaps it’s worth noting that the Bushes among others did not attend the RNC convention:

@DiedSuddenly_

REVEALED: The firm that took the suspicious and enormous bet against President Trump’s Truth Social stock ($DJT) ONE DAY before the assassination attempt is Austin Private Wealth LLC, majority held by George Soros’ Vanguard and BlackRock.

Coincidentally, BlackRock, the party that would have greatly profited from President Trump’s death, included the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, in a 2022 promotional video.

Alex Soros infamously shared an Atlantic Magazine cover image which featured a bullet hole in glass, followed by a picture of cash which added up to the number 47, a message some interpreted as a cryptic death threat against President Trump.

Austin Private Wealth LLC is also connected to the late-President George H.W. Bush, who was a client, and through his son, President George W. Bush, who attended events and was involved in the company's charitable initiatives.

Bush family close associate James A. Baker III, a former Secretary of State and H.W.’s White House Chief of Staff, has served as the firms Senior Policy Director since its inception in 2006. Being that this was the largest bet the firm has ever taken, it’s fair to presume Baker had a role in making it.