Christopher Wray, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), for the first time confirmed that former President Donald J. Trump was the intended target of would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks. According to Wray, the images of Joe Biden, Fani Willis, and other public officials found on Crooks’s electronic devices were merely cached images from news articles the 20-year-old gunman had read, and do not seem to be part of a target list.
In the week following the July 13 assassination attempt against former President Trump, multiple corporate mediaoutlets, including CNN and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, reported that law enforcement had photos of Biden, Willis, and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani on Crooks’s cell phone. The reports insinuated that these public officials were also likely targets of the shooter and that the attack on Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, was merely one of opportunity.
CACHED IMAGES AND JFK’S ASSASSINATION.
However, the FBI director’s testimony before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday has thrown cold water on the media’s misconstrual of Crooks’s intentions.
“The images that we’ve recovered so far from… appeared to be what we call cached images from searches of news articles,” Wray told the committee. “So if you do a news article search, of course, images—if there are photos on it—those photos get stored automatically in your cache, as opposed to… him searching for a specific person and getting up images of that person.”
Wray also noted that the shooter had searched how far Lee Harvey Oswald was positioned from President John F. Kennedy when fatally shot the late president in Dallas on November 22, 1963.
Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA), citing the reports of additional photos of public officials found on Crooks’s devices, still pressed Wray as to whether there were more targets.
“From that, any indication of any other particular target that is someone who was not just the subject of the search issue you just described but for which there was more of an interest than others?” asked Schiff, who was a ringleader of the Russia hoax scandal.
Wray responded, shaking his head ‘no,’ that the “information I just described, at the moment, does not appear particularly indicative of targeting in its own right.”
WATCH:
Shortly after the assassination attempt against Trump, the media reported the gunman had images of Democrats on his devices, implying they were targets – but FBI Director Wray says these were just images cached from news stories. pic.twitter.com/9bmdbLcGTT
Christopher Wray, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), for the first time confirmed that former President Donald J. Trump was the intended target of would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks. According to Wray, the images of Joe Biden, Fani Willis, and other public officials found on Crooks's electronic devices were merely cached images from news articles the 20-year-old gunman had read, and do not seem to be part of a target list.
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Christopher Wray, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), says investigators currently believe Donald J. Trump‘s would-be assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was not just shootingdrone footage of the rally site in Butler, Pennsylvania, prior to the attack but actually live streaming the feed—potentially to unknown individuals.
Speaking to the House Judiciary Committee about the assassination attempt, Wray confirmed: “We have recovered a drone that the shooter appears to have used… The drone was recovered in his vehicle.”
“[I]t appears that around 3:50 PM, 4 o’clock, in that window, on the day of the shooting, that the shooter was flying the drone around the area… Not over the stage and that part of the area, [but] around 200 yards, give or take, away from [the stage]. We think, but we do not know… that he was live streaming, you know, viewing the footage,” Wray added.
As of the time of publication, Wray has not revealed the platform where Crooks is believed to have streamed this footage.
Wray also said there were three explosive devices recovered, two from Crooks’s vehicle and one from his residence.
“We’ve seen more sophisticated and less [sophisticated devices]. I would say these were relatively, again, key word relatively, crude, but they did have the ability to be detonated remotely,” he said.
FBI Director Wray says that Thomas Crooks, the attempted Trump assassin, was flying a drone about 200 yds from the stage where Trump spoke about two hours before the rally, “live streaming.”
Also says FBI recovered 3 explosive devices, 2 in Crook’s car and one in his home. pic.twitter.com/sT7rmuCl0H
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) July 24, 2024
This story is developing…
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Christopher Wray, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), says investigators currently believe Donald J. Trump's would-be assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was not just shooting drone footage of the rally site in Butler, Pennsylvania, prior to the attack but actually live streaming the feed—potentially to unknown individuals.show more
The possible contribution of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) to U.S. Secret Service (USSS) failures during the assassination attempt against Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, was raised during now-former Director Kim Cheatle’s grilling by the House Oversight Committee on Monday.
Some Republican lawmakers questioned why female agents too small to cover Trump, who is well over six feet tall, were assigned to him. Cheatle and several Democratic lawmakers doggedly insisted men and women in the USSS meet the “same standards.”
“One of your goals in the [USSS] strategic plan is to champion Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and accessibility—you’ve accomplished the ‘accessibility’ part,” said Republican Rep. Michael Cloud, in sarcastic reference to gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks having easy access to President Trump when he shot him.
“Do you keep the same standards for all applicants?” he continued. “Does every Secret Service agent meet the same qualifications, or do you have different standards for different people?”
“Yes, sir, everyone who moves through the application process has to meet the same standards to become a special agent,” Cheatle claimed.
Later in the hearing, Cheatle told Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a black woman, that the “incident on the 13th has nothing to do with DEI.”
Rep. Ayanna Pressley, also a black woman, later claimed women in the Secret Service “are held to the standards as their male counterparts.”
This is not the case. The Secret Service’s ‘Become a Special Agent’ brochure explicitly states that the physical excellence standards for women recruits are significantly lower than the physical standards men must meet:
COMMITTED TO DIVERSITY.
In a section of the brochure titled ‘Committed to Diversity,’ the Secret Service states that “Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) is a fundamental right of all employees and applicants for employment to compete on a fair and level playing field… without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age (40 or older), disability (physical or mental), gender identity, protected genetic information, or parental status.”
The brochure also advertises that the Secret Service has an ‘Affirmative Action Plan’ and an ‘Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Program’.
Loucious Hires III, executive director of the United States Secret Service‘s Office of Equity, has declared DEI to be “mission imperative” for the agency.
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The possible contribution of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) to U.S. Secret Service (USSS) failures during the assassination attempt against Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, was raised during now-former Director Kim Cheatle's grilling by the House Oversight Committee on Monday.
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A whistleblower has come forward to allege that “at least one” law enforcement official was assigned to the roof where a would-be assassin shot Donald Trump but abandoned their post because of the hot weather.
Back up: On July 13, former President Trump survived an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania when a shooter gained access to a roof roughly 130 years away.
The details: Republican Senator Josh Hawley posted a letter on X, which he sent to the impeached Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, revealing disturbing details that whistleblowers have revealed to him:
“[T]he whistleblower alleges that at least one individual was specifically assigned to the roof for the duration of the rally, but this person abandoned his or her post due to the hot weather.”
“The whistleblower further alleges that concerns over the heat prompted law enforcement to forego patrolling Building 6 and instead to station security personnel inside the building.”
Follow the chain: The Department of Homeland Security, which has failed to secure the southern border, also oversees the U.S. Secret Service.
Zoom out: On the same day Hawley released his letter, Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle testified before the House Oversight Committee, where she was grilled by a bipartisan group of lawmakers over the failure to protect former President Trump.
What happens next? Hawley, in his letter, calls on Mayorkas to confirm if the whistleblower’s allegations are accurate and, if so, reveal when the post was abandoned. Additionally, Hawley has requested that the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee conduct its own investigation.
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A whistleblower has come forward to allege that “at least one" law enforcement official was assigned to the roof where a would-be assassin shot Donald Trump but abandoned their post because of the hot weather.
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United States Secret Service Director (USSS) Kimberly Cheatle has resigned following the July 13 attempted assassination of former President Donald J. Trump. The shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, saw the 2024 Republican presidential nominee shot in the ear. Two supporters of the former Republican President were wounded in the attempt, and rallygoer Corey Comperatore was killed.
The announcement comes after an overwhelming number of Members of Congress called for Cheatle‘s resignation during a hearing on the assassination attempt on Monday. Appearing before the House Oversight Committee, Cheatle was—in a rare moment of bipartisan agreement—hammered by Republican and Democrat committee members over the USSS‘s failure to prevent the assassination attempt against Trump earlier this month.
“The Oversight Committee’s hearing resulted in Director Cheatle‘s resignation and there will be more accountability to come,” Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-KY) said in a statement. He continued: “The Secret Service has a no-fail mission yet it failed historically on Director Cheatle’s watch. At yesterday’s Oversight Committee hearing, Director Cheatle instilled no confidence that she has the ability to ensure the Secret Service can meet its protective mission.”
A bipartisan group of lawmakers, including Representatives Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), Jared Moscowitz (D-FL), Nancy Mace (R-SC), Lisa McClain (R-MI), and even Jamie Raskin (D-MD), demanded that Cheatle step down as director of the USSS. Subsequently, Moscowitz pressed her directly if she’d have even resigned in the event that the assassin had succeeded. Cheatle refused to answer the Flordia Democrat’s hypothetical.
Meanwhile, after several minutes of offering only non-answers to question, an exasperated Rep. Mace chastised Cheatle, telling her, ” You’re full of shit today.”
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The Oversight Committee’s hearing resulted in Secret Service Director Cheatle’s resignation and there will be more accountability to come.
United States Secret Service Director (USSS) Kimberly Cheatle has resigned following the July 13 attempted assassination of former President Donald J. Trump. The shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, saw the 2024 Republican presidential nominee shot in the ear. Two supporters of the former Republican President were wounded in the attempt, and rallygoer Corey Comperatore was killed.
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Representative Greg Steube (R-FL) will invoke articles of impeachment against United States Secret Service (USSS) director Kimberly Cheatle following her uncooperative testimony on Monday. “In light of Kimberly Cheatle’s unacceptable handling of the [Donald] Trump assassination attempt, her disastrous appearance before the House Oversight Committee today, and her refusal to resign, we have no choice but to impeach,” Congressman Steube stated on X (formerly Twitter).
Director Cheatle faced a barrage of criticism during the hearing, with Republican lawmaker Nancy Mace (R-SC) hammering Cheatle on the agency failures that led to Donald J. Trump almost being killed by gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks.
As Cheatle attempted to dodge yes or no questions from Mace, the GOP lawmaker declared, “You’re full of shit today,” adding: “You’re just being completely dishonest.” Cheatle admitted that the USSS had failed to protect President Trump but also admitted that no agents have been fired as a result of the failure.
Cheatle’s excuses for the failure, which included a suggestion that the roof of the building used by Crooks was too sloped to station agents on, has been widely criticized. Other members of law enforcement have claimed to have warned agents of Crooks nearly half an hour prior to the shooting.
Whether or not Crooks was the only person involved in the attempted assassination remains a hotly contested subject, with Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) stating Monday that she no longer believes Crooks worked alone following an Oversight briefing.
— Congressman Greg Steube (@RepGregSteube) July 23, 2024
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Representative Greg Steube (R-FL) will invoke articles of impeachment against United States Secret Service (USSS) director Kimberly Cheatle following her uncooperative testimony on Monday. "In light of Kimberly Cheatle’s unacceptable handling of the [Donald] Trump assassination attempt, her disastrous appearance before the House Oversight Committee today, and her refusal to resign, we have no choice but to impeach," Congressman Steube stated on X (formerly Twitter).
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Monday’s House Oversight Committee hearing regarding the attempted assassination of former President Donald J. Trump evolved into a rare moment of near-bipartisan unity as lawmakers demanded United States Secret Service (USSS) Director Kimberly Cheatle resign. As Cheatle‘s questioning progressed through the morning and early afternoon, committee members became increasingly alarmed by the lack of information Cheatle was willing to provide and her seeming incompetence.
Cheatle—who from 2019 to 2022 served as the global director of security for PepsiCo.—sat for nearly four and a half hours as lawmakers peppered her with questions regarding the lapses in security that resulted in a 20-year-old shooter being able to get within 200 yards of Trump and nearly assassinate him. While the hearing could have been an opportunity to assuage concerns on Capitol Hill and among the American public, Cheatle offered little transparency.
Calls for Cheatle’s resignation were nearly unanimous, although Representative Pete Sessions (R-TX) stopped short of demanding she step down and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) avoided the conversation altogether.
Three exchanges between lawmakers and Cheatle best summarize the hearing overall.
CHEATLE’S EGO EXPOSED.
Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) engaged in one of the most aggressive pushes among the lawmakers regarding Cheatle‘s resistance to calls for her resignation from the USSS. The Flordia Democrat asked: “You said there’s going to be accountability. I understand that you don’t want to give us names. When you say that, are you telling the committee that once [the investigation] is concluded, that you’re prepared to fire the people on the ground who made poor decisions that day?”
Cheatle attempted to dodge the question, saying she was prepared to “take the actions necessary” before Moskowitz intervened and pressed again if she would fire those who failed in their duties. Again, Cheatle offered only a non-answer.
The USSS director’s lack of candor instigated a telling question from Moskowitz, who had grown frustrated with Cheatle. “Let me ask this question a different way. If Trump had been assassinated that day, if the gunman had succeeded, would you have come and tendered your resignation?” he asked.
Cheatle responded: “I would still be sitting here because I would want to ensure the integrity of the investigation.”
While Moskowitz acknowledged that it was fair that she would want to set the process in motion, he pressed again, asking if she would have acknowledged the need for new leadership at the USSS if “a president was assassinated on [her] watch.” Cheatle, as she had done throughout the hearing, refused to give a direct response.
Congressman Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., joins chorus of lawmakers calling on Secret Service director to resign.pic.twitter.com/0asS0YzfJp
Next, Cheatle struggled to give an honest answer to Rep. Lisa McClain (R-MI) regarding evidence and information that had been communicated to her by officials at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Tired of Cheatle’s non-answers, Rep. McClain told the USSS director the best way to keep her job was to answer the questions honestly and “not play this shell game.”
When pressed on when she began preparing for the hearing, Cheatle couldn’t offer a date, leaving the Michigan Republican exasperated. McClain then asked Cheatle if she’d communicated with the FBI and with whom. At first, the USSS director would not answer as to what FBI officials she was communicating with, though she eventually relented and acknowledged she had spoken with the agency’s director and deputy director.
“How many shell casings were on the roof?” Rep. McClain asked Cheatle, noting the USSS director had acknowledged that the FBI had given her an exact number despite the fact she had declined to answer in her earlier testimony. Cheatle responded: “I would refer to the FBI.”
McClain again asked how many shell casings were found on the roof where the assassin was positioned. Again, Cheatle referred the Congresswoman to the FBI—refusing to share information with the committee.
FULL VIDEO: Rep. Lisa McClain pummels US Secret Service chief Kim Cheatle.
McClain: “What are you covering up? What are you hiding, my friend?”
Cheatle: “I’m not covering anything up.”
I’ve never seen a hearing so fired up. The public demands answers and Cheatle refuses to… pic.twitter.com/xqLGHtmSMK
The final exchange with Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL) was the most telling of the day. The Florida Republican questioned why the USSS had not held a single press conference informing the American public as to updates regarding the attempted assassination of former President Trump. Cheatle acknowledged that neither she nor Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas had held a single press conference.
“This is how misinformation flies in the darkness. In the absence of information,” Rep. Waltz said of the lack of public transparency from the USSS. He continued: “Are you aware that national news anchors are saying this was a hoax? On national television, they’re saying, ‘No, the president wasn’t shot; it was flying glass.’ Are you aware of that?”
Cheatle responded: ” I have not heard those reports.”
“Are you aware that there are rumors rampant online that there were multiple shooters?” Waltz pressed, with Cheatle responding: “Yes.”
“Are you aware that because the shooter had overseas encrypted platforms in Belgium, New Zealand, and Germany, that a lot of people are speculating there could have been foreign involvement? Logically?” he asked Cheatle, with the USSS director admitting she was aware.
“And have you done anything to disabuse any of these notions today?” the Florida Congressman asked before answering for Cheatle: “No.”
Rep. Mike Waltz calls out the Secret Service director for failing to hold a single press conference in the nine days since the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. pic.twitter.com/IhzUHZdksE
Monday's House Oversight Committee hearing regarding the attempted assassination of former President Donald J. Trump evolved into a rare moment of near-bipartisan unity as lawmakers demanded United States Secret Service (USSS) Director Kimberly Cheatle resign. As Cheatle's questioning progressed through the morning and early afternoon, committee members became increasingly alarmed by the lack of information Cheatle was willing to provide and her seeming incompetence.
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Representative Nancy Mace (R-SC) blasted United States Secret Service (USSS) Director Kimberly Cheatle during Monday’s House Oversight Committee hearing over the agency’s failures resulting in the attempted assassination of former President Donald J. Trump on July 13, 2024. The South Carolina Republican opened her questioning by asking Cheatle if she would like her to use the five minutes of questioning to draft the USSS director’s resignation letter.
In a rapid-fire series of ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ questions, Mace hammered Cheatle, pressing her on whether the attempted assassination was a colossal failure. Cheatle attempted to demurely respond that “it was a failure.” However, Mace pushed back, insisting she answer ‘Yes’ or ‘No,’ with the USSS director finally relenting, “Yes.”
The heated exchange between Mace and Cheatle came to a head after the USSS director continued to give vague non-answers in an attempt to dodge the Congresswoman’s ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ enquiries.
“You’re full of shit today,” Mace bluntly told Cheatle after her patience with the USS director wore thin. The South Carolina Republican continued: “You’re just being completely dishonest.”
Additionally, Cheatle acknowledged that no one has been fired over the security lapse that nearly resulted in Trump‘s assassination.
Throughout the hearing, Cheatle refused to give direct or detailed responses to any of the questions by Members of Congress. The USSS director often hid behind the ongoing FBI investigation into the shooting—which resulted in the death of rallygoer and Trump supporter Corey Comperatore.
WATCH:
Rep. @NancyMace slams Secret Service chief Kim Cheatle as “full of s**t” as she avoid answering any questions on the Service’s failure to provide Congress with any of the information it has requested. Cheatle confirms no one has been fired over the Trump assassination attempt. pic.twitter.com/DtWOVFKdoZ
Representative Nancy Mace (R-SC) blasted United States Secret Service (USSS) Director Kimberly Cheatle during Monday's House Oversight Committee hearing over the agency's failures resulting in the attempted assassination of former President Donald J. Trump on July 13, 2024. The South Carolina Republican opened her questioning by asking Cheatle if she would like her to use the five minutes of questioning to draft the USSS director's resignation letter.
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Representative Anna Paulina Luna is convinced that Thomas Matthew Crooks, the gunman who attempted to assassinate President Donald J. Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, did not act alone. In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, Rep. Luna stated: “After leaving oversight briefing this am I am convinced now more than ever that Crooks was not working alone.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has gained access to Crook’s phone, recovered at the scene of the shooting. Still, they are having difficulties accessing encrypted foreign platforms used by him.
Authorities found a second phone at Crooks’ home, along with firearms and explosive devices.
Whistleblowers have previously testified that the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) was understaffed during the Trump rally in Butler, PA, where the attempted assassination took place. Additionally, whistleblowers say that most of Trump’s security detail was not comprised of USSS agents but relatively inexperienced Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents.
USSS Director Kimberly Cheatle has claimed that agents were not positioned on the building Crooks scaled to fire on Trump due to its “sloped roof,” creating safety concerns. However, local law enforcement present at the rally countered the USSS director, noting that they had informed the chain of command of Crooks and his suspicious activity nearly half an hour before the shooting took place.
After leaving oversight briefing this am I am convinced now more than ever that crooks was not working alone.
— Anna Paulina Luna (@realannapaulina) July 22, 2024
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Representative Anna Paulina Luna is convinced that Thomas Matthew Crooks, the gunman who attempted to assassinate President Donald J. Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, did not act alone. In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, Rep. Luna stated: "After leaving oversight briefing this am I am convinced now more than ever that Crooks was not working alone."
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Professional wrestler Hulk Hogan—real name Terry Gene Bollea—fired up delegates and attendees at the Republican National Convention (RNC) last night. The ‘Hulkster’ began his address in character with his trademark exaggerated speech and overacting, recalling the days of classic professional wrestling bouts with the likes of the Iron Sheik, Rody Piper, Ric Flair, and Andre the Giant.
“Let Trumpamania run wild, brother!” Hogan exclaimed while engaging in his signature muscle flex on stage. He continued: “Let Trumpamania rule again! Let Trumpamania make America great again!” While in character, Hogan then engaged in his classic move of ripping off his shirt, this time revealing a Trump–Vance 2024 shirt underneath to raucous cheers from the crowd.
Hogan also spoke to the RNC as the real-life Bollea as well. Out of character, Hogan praised former President Donald J. Trump‘s courage. “As an entertainer, I try to stay out of politics,” he said. “But after everything that’s happened to our country over the past four years and everything that happened last weekend, I can no longer stay silent.”
Throughout the speech, former President Trump could be seen with a beaming smile and often laughing at Hogan’s signature over-the-top performance.
During an interview prior to his speech, Hogan said he couldn’t stand by after the assassination attempt against Trump—stating he felt the need to speak up as an American. “When I saw him stand up with that fist in the air and the blood on his face — as a warrior, as a leader — I realized that’s what America needs,” Hogan said.
The Biden-Harris campaign shared a clip of the entertainer saying, “What you gonna do when Donald Trump and all the Trumpamaniacs run wild on you, brother!?” — appearing to suggest this was a threat of political violence.
WATCH:
Full Hulk Hogan speech at the RNC where he ripped his shirt to endorse Donald Trump. Watch until the end to see an emotional Trump after a rousing speech: “My name is Terry Bollea, as an entertainer, I tried to stay out of politics, but after everything that’s happened to our… pic.twitter.com/0qJFP2XmWB
Professional wrestler Hulk Hogan—real name Terry Gene Bollea—fired up delegates and attendees at the Republican National Convention (RNC) last night. The 'Hulkster' began his address in character with his trademark exaggerated speech and overacting, recalling the days of classic professional wrestling bouts with the likes of the Iron Sheik, Rody Piper, Ric Flair, and Andre the Giant.
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