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Tag: Assassination
July 31, 2024
William Upton
News

New Video Shows Would-Be Trump Assassin Moving Freely On Roof in Plain Sight.

New footage taken on the phone of Trump rally shooting victim James Copenhaver appears to show the would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks moving across the nearby rooftop just moments before he opened fire. Former President Donald J. Trump was struck in the ear while Copenhaver and another man were wounded. Ralleygoer Corey Comperatore was killed by the gunfire while shielding his family.

The video, taken at 6:08 PM on July 13 as Trump speaks on stage, shows the individual, believed to be Crooks, maneuvering across the gently sloped roof for over a minute. At 6:11 PM, Crooks opened fire. The footage raises further questions regarding United States Secret Service (USSS) protocols and why the former President wasn’t removed from the stage when Crooks was in clear view of rallygoers and security personnel alike.

On Tuesday, an email surfaced authored by a USSS counter-sniper claiming agency supervisors tied the hands of agents on the ground at the rally. “We’ve exposed our inability to protect our leaders due to our leadership,” the USSS sniper said.

In addition, acting USSS director Ronald Rowe, Jr. testified before a Senate joint-committee hearing, stating he was ashamed of the agency’s failure in Butler, Pennslyvania. “What I saw made me ashamed,” Rowe said, adding: “As a career law enforcement officer and a twenty-five-year veteran with the Secret Service, I cannot defend why that roof was not better secured.”

Last week, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) director Christopher Wray acknowledged to Congress that the would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks was able to fly a drone over the rally site and live-stream footage to himself and possibly others. This occurred just hours before Trump took the stage.

WATCH:

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New footage taken on the phone of Trump rally shooting victim James Copenhaver appears to show the would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks moving across the nearby rooftop just moments before he opened fire. Former President Donald J. Trump was struck in the ear while Copenhaver and another man were wounded. Ralleygoer Corey Comperatore was killed by the gunfire while shielding his family. show more

Editor’s Notes

Behind-the-scenes political intrigue exclusively for Pulse+ subscribers.

RAHEEM J. KASSAM Editor-in-Chief
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I know many of you agree with me – President Trump should not be 100% reliant on the government for his personal protection
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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I know many of you agree with me – President Trump should not be 100% reliant on the government for his personal protection show more
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July 31, 2024
NatSec

Secret Service Acting Director ‘Ashamed’ of Failures Before Trump Assassination Attempt.

U.S. Secret Service (USSS) Acting Director Ronald Rowe Jr. claims the agency is undergoing a series of reforms following its near-disastrous failures before the shooting of former President Donald J. Trump. “What I saw made me ashamed,” Rowe said of his findings at the site of the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, which saw Trump hit in the ear, two rallygoers badly injured, and another rallygoer killed.

Speaking at a joint hearing by two U.S. Senate committees, Rowe said the Secret Service‘s failure to secure the roof from which gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire is indefensible. “As a career law enforcement officer and a twenty-five-year veteran with the Secret Service, I cannot defend why that roof was not better secured,” he said.

His disgraced predecessor, Kimberly Cheatle, suggested no one was posted to the roof because it was slightly sloped, creating a “safety factor” for agents.

Rowe says future event security plans will now undergo thorough evaluations by multiple experienced supervisors due to the “failure on multiple levels” in Butler.

Texts reveal that counter-snipers sighted Crooks nearly two hours before the shooting but did not detain him or move to have Trump‘s appearance on stage delayed until he could be intercepted.

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U.S. Secret Service (USSS) Acting Director Ronald Rowe Jr. claims the agency is undergoing a series of reforms following its near-disastrous failures before the shooting of former President Donald J. Trump. “What I saw made me ashamed,” Rowe said of his findings at the site of the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, which saw Trump hit in the ear, two rallygoers badly injured, and another rallygoer killed. show more
July 31, 2024
William Upton
NatSec

REPORT: Acting Secret Service Director Denied Requests to Increase Trump’s Security.

Acting United States Secret Service (USSS) Director Ronald Rowe is alleged to be one of the officials who blocked requests from former President Donald J. Trump‘s campaign to increase the Republican nominee’s security detail prior to the assassination attempt on July 13. According to investigative journalist Susan Crabtree, Rowe and former USSS director Kimberly Cheatle had a direct role in determining the allocation of agency resources and were responsible for denying the Trump campaign’s requests.

Additionally, Crabtree—citing sources familiar with USSS decision-making—states that Rowe was the official with the final authority in denying counter-sniper teams for Trump events outside reasonable driving distance from Washington, D.C. Rowe became acting director of the agency following Cheatle’s resignation last week following bipartisan calls by Members of Congress that she step down.

ROWE REPEATEDLY DENIES. 

During a rare joint-committee hearing before the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, Rowe repeatedly denied the claim that he was responsible for denying the Trump campaign requests for additional security resources over the past two years. When asked by Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) if he had denied sniper coverage outside driving distance from Washington, D.C., Rowe responded: “That is a false statement, sir.”

Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), meanwhile, pressed Rowe regarding the false claim by a USSS spokesman that the agency had not denied requests by Trump‘s protective detail and his presidential campaign for additional resources.

“I don’t think there was any intention to mislead,” Rowe answered before Sen. Lee interjected, asking that the acting director submit in writing what requests were made by whom and when.

For a third time, Rowe was pressed over his involvement in decisions regarding Trump‘s security detail. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) again asked the acting director if he had denied requests made by the Trump campaign. “Senator, as I stated earlier, that is not true,” he responded, insisting that he was never involved in the decision-making process at all.

In a fiery exchange with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Rowe denied the report for a fourth time.

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Acting United States Secret Service (USSS) Director Ronald Rowe is alleged to be one of the officials who blocked requests from former President Donald J. Trump's campaign to increase the Republican nominee's security detail prior to the assassination attempt on July 13. According to investigative journalist Susan Crabtree, Rowe and former USSS director Kimberly Cheatle had a direct role in determining the allocation of agency resources and were responsible for denying the Trump campaign's requests. show more
July 30, 2024
William Upton
News

Secret Service Sniper Lashes Out at Bosses, Warns of Second Assassination Attempt.

An email allegedly sent by a United States Secret Service (USSS) counter-sniper to the agency’s Uniformed Division on Monday night raises concerns that little has changed within the agency, making another assassination attempt before the 2024 presidential election likely. The counter-sniper blames USSS leadership for intervening and tying the hands of agents at the July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, which saw former President Donald J. Trump shot in the ear, two rallygoers wounded, and Trump supporter Corey Comperatore killed.

Additionally, they say they will not rest until at least five senior agency officials are forced out. Kimberly Cheatle resigned as director of the USSS last week.

“This agency NEEDS to change, if not now, WHEN? The NEXT assassination attempt in 30 days?” the email reads. The USSS counter-sniper ominously adds: “Because we all SHOULD expect another attempt to happen before November. We’ve exposed our inability to protect our leaders due to our leadership.”

The comments echo the warnings of The National Pulse’s Editor-in-Chief Raheem Kassam, who said on his podcast this week that the left impeached Trump twice and that the American public should expect them to try and assassinate him twice.

The USSS counter-sniper claims: “The technicians who worked on 7/13/24 in Butler, PA DID THEIR JOB with their hands tied. Secret Service SUPERVISORS ‘knew better,’ and the foot soldiers working made the best of a BAD situation…”

“Sadly, we have fallen short for YEARS. We just got lucky and looked good doing it,” the email states, raising concerns about systemic issues with the USSS, from training protocols to security plans and leadership. The author continues: “I have conveyed these thoughts to not only supervisors (to include the current Captain) within CS, but those responsible for training us (SOTS/CS). Only to be brushed off as if those with less experience somehow knew more than me.”

The counter-sniper’s email concludes with a damning indictment of senior USSS leadership. “Failure is not an option, and on 7/13/24, WE failed. Not because of commitment or sense of dedication. But because our SUPERVISORS (aka leadership) knew better and thought our concerns were less important,” the email states.

“The motto of the USSS…CYA [Cover Your Ass],” the counter-sniper concludes, accusing the agency’s leaders of covering up their mistakes.

READ:

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An email allegedly sent by a United States Secret Service (USSS) counter-sniper to the agency's Uniformed Division on Monday night raises concerns that little has changed within the agency, making another assassination attempt before the 2024 presidential election likely. The counter-sniper blames USSS leadership for intervening and tying the hands of agents at the July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, which saw former President Donald J. Trump shot in the ear, two rallygoers wounded, and Trump supporter Corey Comperatore killed. show more
trump
July 30, 2024
News

Florida Man Arrested for Violent Social Media Posts Threatening Trump, Praising Would-Be Assassin.

Authorities in Jupiter, Florida, have detained a 68-year-old local man, Michael Martin Wiseman, who is accused of making serious threats on social media against former President Donald J. Trump and his running mate, Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH). Wiseman allegedly used platforms such as Facebook and Threads to issue these threats.

The arrest comes just after a July 13 campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where Trump survived an assassination attempt. During that event, a 20-year-old shooter named Thomas Matthew Crooks was fatally shot by a U.S. Secret Service sniper after the would-be assassin fired upwards of eight rounds—hitting the former President in the ear, seriously wounding two others, and killing rallygoer Corey Comperatore.

VIOLENT THREATS. 

According to local police, Wiseman praised Crooks in his social media posts. One of the purported Facebook messages read, “Trump and Vance should be murdered before turning us in to [sic] West Russia.” Another troubling post allegedly stated, “I am advocating Trump and Vance’s daughters get raped and THEN tell me they won’t fly their kids out of the USA for an abortion.”

In another instance, a post on Threads allegedly stated, “Why is Trump allowed to be alive? We need to train patriots. Thomas Matthew Crooks deserves a posthumous Congressional Medal of Honor, a stamp, and a national holiday.”

According to a press release issued by the Jupiter Police Department (JPD) on July 19, detectives investigated Wiseman’s social media accounts and confirmed multiple threats against Trump and Vance, as well as threats of bodily harm toward their families. The JPD collaborated with the United States Secret Service (USSS) and the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office during the investigation. Wiseman was apprehended without incident.

Following his arrest, Wiseman was arraigned on July 20. Prosecutors have argued for him to remain in pretrial detention, citing that he poses a threat to the community and highlighting the serious nature of the charges, which include a felony in the first degree. Under Florida law, the crime Wiseman is charged with typically carries a potential sentence of up to 40 years in prison.

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Authorities in Jupiter, Florida, have detained a 68-year-old local man, Michael Martin Wiseman, who is accused of making serious threats on social media against former President Donald J. Trump and his running mate, Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH). Wiseman allegedly used platforms such as Facebook and Threads to issue these threats. show more
FBI
July 30, 2024
William Upton
News

Trump Shooter’s Account Was ‘UNEQUIVOCALLY Pro-Biden, Pro-Immigration,’ Says Social Media CEO.

Andrew Torba, the CEO of the Gab social media platform, is pushing back against claims made by Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) deputy director Paul Abbate that the agency has found anti-immigrant and anti-Semitic posts made by would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks. Abbate, during a joint hearing before two U.S. Senate committees on Tuesday, claimed the bureau had found what it believes to be social media posts made by Crooks between 2019 and 2020 that contained the racially charged comments.

“This is not consistent with Gab’s understanding of the shooter’s motives based on an Emergency Disclosure Request (EDR) we received from the FBI last week for the Gab account ‘EpicMicrowave’ which, based on the content of that EDR, the FBI appeared to think belonged to Thomas Crooks,” Torba wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter) responding to Abbate’s claims. He continued: “Normally we don’t confirm the existence or content of law enforcement communications. In this instance we had to make an exception due to the overwhelming public interest in disclosure and transparency.”

The Gab CEO goes on to state that the account believed to be associated with Crooks, prompting the FBI‘s EDR, is not reflective of the characterizations offered by Abbate during the Senate hearing.

“The story is this: the account for which data was requested was, UNEQUIVOCALLY, pro-Biden and in particular pro-Biden’s immigration policy,” Torba wrote, adding: “To the best of Gab’s knowledge, as of 2021, Crooks was a pro-lockdown, pro-immigration, left-wing Joe Biden supporter.”

Thomas Matthew Crooks’ motivation for attempting to assassinate former President Donald J. Trump has been subject to much speculation. Despite gaining access to his phone two weeks ago, the FBI has been unable to provide any official details regarding why Crooks carried out the attack.

READ: 

 

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Andrew Torba, the CEO of the Gab social media platform, is pushing back against claims made by Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) deputy director Paul Abbate that the agency has found anti-immigrant and anti-Semitic posts made by would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks. Abbate, during a joint hearing before two U.S. Senate committees on Tuesday, claimed the bureau had found what it believes to be social media posts made by Crooks between 2019 and 2020 that contained the racially charged comments. show more
Purchased by The National Pulse
July 30, 2024
News

Trump to Speak with FBI Following Assassination Attempt.

Former President Donald J. Trump has agreed to an interview with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) regarding the July 13 assassination attempt against him. This development follows a request from the agency, which says it is employing standard procedures in its investigation. Trump’s relationship with the agency has been fraught, especially after the FBI engaged in a controversial raid on Mar-a-Lago in 2022.

Kevin Rojek, an FBI agent from the Pittsburgh office, stated, “We want to get his perspective on what he observed.” He emphasized that the interview is a routine procedure that would be conducted for “any other victim of crime, under any other circumstances.”

During a recent Congressional hearing, FBI Director Christopher Wray suggested that Trump might have been struck by “shrapnel” during the assassination attempt, which resulted in the death of rallygoer Corey Comperatore. Subsequently, the FBI confirmed that Trump had indeed been shot, contradicting its director’s testimony.

The federal law enforcement agency also provided new information concerning Thomas Matthew Crooks, the individual responsible for the assassination attempt at the Butler, Pennsylvania, rally. Described as “highly intelligent,” Crooks reportedly maintained a small social circle throughout his life. His parents have cooperated extensively with the investigation.

Rojek highlighted that Crooks’s actions demonstrated significant premeditation. “Additionally, we believe his actions also show careful planning ahead of the campaign rally,” Rojek told reporters. According to the FBI, Crooks used aliases to purchase various gun-related items and took deliberate steps to conceal his intentions.

In preparation for the assassination attempt, Crooks had researched historical assassinations, including that of John F. Kennedy. The National Pulse reported on Monday that Crooks was identified through counter-sniper operations 90 minutes before he opened fire on Trump, with multiple security lapses within the Secret Service meaning he was not stopped in advance.

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Former President Donald J. Trump has agreed to an interview with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) regarding the July 13 assassination attempt against him. This development follows a request from the agency, which says it is employing standard procedures in its investigation. Trump's relationship with the agency has been fraught, especially after the FBI engaged in a controversial raid on Mar-a-Lago in 2022. show more
July 30, 2024
1A
TECH

Facebook Admits Wrongfully Censoring Iconic Trump Assassination Attempt Photo.

Facebook has admitted to wrongfully censoring an iconic photograph of former President Donald J. Trump moments after the July 13 attempt on his life. The image, captured by an Associated Press photographer, depicts Trump with a bloodied face and raised fist, with the American flag flying behind him. Facebook fact-checkers had been flagging the photo, claiming it was altered.

Facebook contends the censorship was supposed to target a manipulated version of the image, which falsely showed Secret Service agents smiling as they surrounded Trump. However, the original, authentic photograph was also censored.

Meta, Facebook’s parent company, acknowledged the supposed mistake following public backlash. Communications Director Dani Lever stated, “This was an error. This fact check was initially applied to a doctored photo showing the Secret Service agents smiling, and in some cases, our systems incorrectly applied that fact check to the real photo. This has been fixed and we apologize for the mistake.”

Facebook uses third-party fact-checkers and artificial intelligence (AI) software to monitor and control content on its platform. According to Meta, AI is used “to scale the work of fact-checkers by applying warning labels to duplicates of false claims and reducing their distribution.”

Meta and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has engaged in extensive election interference in the U.S., mostly through the funding of the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL). Meanwhile, a report issued in April found that Facebook has directly interfered with and attempted to influence American elections 39 times since 2008.

In March, The National Pulse reported that an AI system deployed in Washington state erroneously flagged factually true stories as misinformation.

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Facebook has admitted to wrongfully censoring an iconic photograph of former President Donald J. Trump moments after the July 13 attempt on his life. The image, captured by an Associated Press photographer, depicts Trump with a bloodied face and raised fist, with the American flag flying behind him. Facebook fact-checkers had been flagging the photo, claiming it was altered. show more
July 29, 2024
Christopher Tomlinson
Crime
Election 2024
News
Politics

New Footage Shows Law Enforcement Surrounding Would-Be Trump Assassin, While Leaving Trump on Stage.

New footage of the building where Thomas Matthew Crooks positioned himself in his assassination attempt on former President Donald J. Trump has emerged, showing law enforcement officials around the building moments before gunshots occurred.

Crooks had taken a position atop a building near a rally in Butler, PA. Despite the imminent threat, Trump remained on stage until shots were fired.

Bystander video footage released July 29 revealed that law enforcement had tried to clear the area between the building where Crooks was positioned and the rally’s perimeter fence about an hour before the shooting.

As security personnel seemed aware of the threat, Trump continued his speech without interruption until the gunfire began.

The individual recording the video, while fleeing the scene, noted heightened police activity with officers surrounding the sniper’s location. The footage was only released this week as the FBI had briefly seized the phone used to record the video.

President Trump suffered a minor injury, being hit in the ear. The shots also struck several attendees behind him. Corey Comperatore, a former volunteer firefighter, was fatally wounded while protecting his family.

Following the gunfire, Crooks was neutralized by Secret Service counter snipers stationed on nearby buildings.

Investigations reveal Crooks had flown a drone over the rally site in the hours leading up to the incident. It has been reported that counter snipers were alerted to Crooks’ presence approximately 90 minutes before the shooting occurred.

Questions still remain regarding the shooting, and Congress voted unanimously last week to create a task force to investigate the incident more deeply.

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New footage of the building where Thomas Matthew Crooks positioned himself in his assassination attempt on former President Donald J. Trump has emerged, showing law enforcement officials around the building moments before gunshots occurred. show more
July 29, 2024
TECH

Google is Trying to Memory Hole the Trump Assassination Attempt.

Search giant Google faces accusations of election interference following its omission of former President Donald Trump from its search autocomplete. The search engine’s autocomplete function does not suggest Trump’s name when typing “assassination attempt on,” despite the event being a highly viral subject. Donald Trump Jr. has criticized Google, alleging this action interferes with the 2024 presidential election and calling it “truly despicable.”

Over the weekend, numerous posts on social media platform X displayed screenshots showing the exclusion. Users who independently verified the claims confirmed that Google’s search does not autofill with Trump’s name in queries related to the assassination attempt. Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS) announced plans to launch an official inquiry into Google’s practices, stating he looks forward to the company’s response.

Google admitted in a statement to the New York Post that its autocomplete feature is omitting the suggestions due to political violence. A spokesman said that no manual manipulations were made to these predictions.

Meta AI has also censored mentions of the assassination attempt on Trump. On July 13, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks attempted to assassinate Trump during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The attack resulted in the death of Trump supporter Corey Comperatore and left a military veteran critically injured.

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Search giant Google faces accusations of election interference following its omission of former President Donald Trump from its search autocomplete. The search engine's autocomplete function does not suggest Trump's name when typing "assassination attempt on," despite the event being a highly viral subject. Donald Trump Jr. has criticized Google, alleging this action interferes with the 2024 presidential election and calling it "truly despicable." show more