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Tag: Assassination

Purchased by The National Pulse
July 29, 2024
Jack Montgomery
NatSec
News

Law Enforcement Knew of Trump Gunman for 90 Mins Before Shooting.

Newly made public text messages and surveillance reports reveal major miscommunications ahead of former President Donald J. Trump‘s near-assassination in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. The messages indicate law enforcement knew of Thomas Matthew Crooks 90 minutes before he opened fire on the America First leader, injuring him and two other rallygoers and killing Corey Comperatore. This is significantly earlier than previously indicated, with Congress hearing the authorities were aware of Crooks for only 60 minutes during evidence-gathering hearings.

At 4:19 PM, a counter-sniper texted comrades to inform them his shift was ending, saying, “Guys, I am out. Be safe.” At 4:26 PM, he texted that he had identified a stringy-haired man outside the rally area, possibly with a rifle, as potentially threatening—but still left his post.

By 5:10 PM, the stringy-haired man, who turned out to be Crooks, had come closer to the rally site, and counter-snipers were taking pictures of him and sharing them in a group chat.

By 5:38 PM, counter-snipers saw Crooks using a rangefinder, but they did not monitor him consistently due to a lack of personnel. “I did see him with a rangefinder looking towards the stage. FYI. If you wanna notify [Secret Service] snipers to look out, I lost sight of him,” reads one remarkably nonchalant text.

Rallygoers spotted Crooks on the roof from which he opened fire on Trump as the former president took to the stage at 6:03 PM. However, he was still there at 6:11 PM, when he took the first of up to eight shots.

Almost 20 minutes after the assassination attempt, law enforcement still seemed clueless as to what had happened, with body-worn camera footage showing one on-the-ground officer saying, “So, on TV, they’re saying Trump was shot at, and he got hit, but I don’t believe that.”

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Newly made public text messages and surveillance reports reveal major miscommunications ahead of former President Donald J. Trump's near-assassination in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. The messages indicate law enforcement knew of Thomas Matthew Crooks 90 minutes before he opened fire on the America First leader, injuring him and two other rallygoers and killing Corey Comperatore. This is significantly earlier than previously indicated, with Congress hearing the authorities were aware of Crooks for only 60 minutes during evidence-gathering hearings. show more
July 27, 2024
William Upton
Election 2024

ICYMI: Trump Will Return To Site of Shooting To Honor Hero Corey Comperatore.

Former President Donald J. Trump announced on Truth Social that he will be returning to Butler, Pennsylvania, to honor the heroic firefighter Corey Comperatore, who was killed by gunfire while shielding his family at the former President’s July 13 campaign rally. Would-be presidential assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks fired eight rounds at Trump, striking him in the ear, wounding two other rallygoers, and killing Comperatore after he dove on his loved ones to protect them.

“I will be going back to Bulter, Pennsylvania, for a big and beautiful rally, honoring the soul of our beloved firefighting hero, Corey, and those brave patriots injured two weeks ago,” Trump announced on Friday, July 26. He added: What a day it will be. Fight, fight, fight! Stay tuned for details.”

The former President’s planned return to the site of the attempt on his life comes amid several ongoing federal investigations into security lapses that resulted in Crooks being able to open fire on the rally from a rooftop just 400 feet away. Subsequently, on Wednesday, July 24, the U.S. House of Representatives—by a unanimous vote—approved a bipartisan task force of lawmakers to investigate the attempted assassination of Trump.

Meanwhile, on Thursday,  Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) director Christopher Wray testified before the House Judiciary Committee regarding the attempt on Trump‘s life. Wray confirmed to lawmakers that Trump was the intended target of the would-be assassin. He added that photos of political figures found on Crooks’s phone were cached images from news websites and unconnected to the assassination plot.

Concerningly, Wray told the committee that the FBI believes Crooks was live streaming aerial surveillance of the rally area through a drone before the assassination attempt. He did not indicate whether the feed was only available to Crooks or if others had access.

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Former President Donald J. Trump announced on Truth Social that he will be returning to Butler, Pennsylvania, to honor the heroic firefighter Corey Comperatore, who was killed by gunfire while shielding his family at the former President's July 13 campaign rally. Would-be presidential assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks fired eight rounds at Trump, striking him in the ear, wounding two other rallygoers, and killing Comperatore after he dove on his loved ones to protect them. show more
July 27, 2024
Jack Montgomery
Election 2024

Two Impeachments, Two Shootings? Kassam Warns Trump Is Not Out of Danger.

Vice President Kamala Harris has “not rowed back at all” on the extreme rhetoric that may have inspired the assassination attempt against Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, says Raheem Kassam, Editor-in-Chief of The National Pulse. He warns conservatives should not “underestimate just how far the left will go to try and get her over the line” in November.

“Remember, President Trump was impeached twice; he was the subject of an assassination attempt recently. There’s also no doubt in my mind that somebody out there, being radicalized, may well try that again. Impeached twice, perhaps attempted to be shot twice,” Kassam told Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.

“You’ve got to look at the messaging that Kamala’s campaign is putting out there that furthers the chance of that happening. She has not rowed back at all from the [pre-assassination rhetoric] saying President Trump is a threat to democracy; he’s going to put you all back in chains, as they once said. That is a doubling if not tripling down on the rhetoric that will lead to further violence,” he added.

WATCH:

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Vice President Kamala Harris has "not rowed back at all" on the extreme rhetoric that may have inspired the assassination attempt against Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, says Raheem Kassam, Editor-in-Chief of The National Pulse. He warns conservatives should not "underestimate just how far the left will go to try and get her over the line" in November. show more
Amazon
July 26, 2024
William Upton
News
TECH

Jeff Bezos’s Amazon.com Features Apparel Stating: ‘The Only Good Trump Is A Dead One.’

Internet mega-retailer Amazon, founded by The Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos, is offering consumers clothing that features text celebrating the attempted assassination of former President Donald J. Trump. Shoppers can purchase hooded sweatshirts and T-shirts embossed with the words: “The Only Good Trump Is A Dead One.”

The clothing appears to be sold through an official channel provided by the e-commerce giant called “Amazon Merch on Demand.” According to the sales page, the program “…offers graphic tees, hoodies, clothing and accessories from a vast selection of popular brands and independent content creators. Each design is printed when you place your order.” In addition, Amazon Prime subscribers who purchase the menacing clothing items qualify for free delivery.

Even more disturbing, the “About this item” section pitches the T-shirts and hooded sweatshirts as “funny” and the perfect gift for birthdays or special occasions. “Great For Anybody, Father, Mother, Men Women Mom Dad Grandma Grandpa Brother Sister Son Daughter Husband Wife Boyfriend Girlfriend Best Friend,” the section reads, adding: “Funny quote design. A great option for a Birthday or any special occasion.”

In the aftermath of the July 13 shooting in Pennsylvania, some on the far left and, concerningly, in government roles celebrated the attempted assassination. The National Pulse reported that an FBI employee, responding to the attempt on Trump‘s life, posted on X (formerly Twitter): “Y’all gun-toting, 2nd Amendment-loving hillbillies better just sit down and stay quiet unless you’re gonna change your mind on gun control.”

Social media, following the violent incident, was rife with users posting callous statements like, “Don’t miss next time” and “So close.”

Actor and musician Jack Black was forced to cancel the remaining dates in his band Tenacious D’s tour after his sidekick Kyle Gass cheered the assassination attempt on July 14.

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Internet mega-retailer Amazon, founded by The Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos, is offering consumers clothing that features text celebrating the attempted assassination of former President Donald J. Trump. Shoppers can purchase hooded sweatshirts and T-shirts embossed with the words: "The Only Good Trump Is A Dead One." show more
Purchased by The National Pulse
July 26, 2024
Christopher Tomlinson
Election 2024
Politics

House Votes Unanimously for Task Force to Investigate Trump’s Attempted Assassination.

The House of Representatives voted unanimously on Wednesday to establish a bipartisan task force to investigate the attempted assassination of former President Donald J. Trump. The committee will be empowered to review the actions taken by federal, state, and local agencies, officers, and other entities involved in the attempt on Trump’s life.

Introduced by Representative Mike Kelly (R-PA), H.R. 1367 passed with all 416 present Members of the House voting in favor. Among the task force’s duties will be scrutinizing United States Secret Service (USSS) security lapses that allowed would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks to fire a reported eight rounds at former President Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. Two Trump supporters were wounded in the shooting, while rallygoer Corey Comperatore was killed while shielding his family from the gunfire.

SECRET SERVICE CHIEF RESIGNS.

The resolution was prompted by the resignation of USSS Director Kimberly Cheatle following a disastrous hearing where Cheatle was called “full of shit” by Republican representative Nancy Mace after the now-former USSS director refused to answer simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions. Another lawmaker, Rep. Pat Fallon (R-TX), stated he re-created the shooting and was able to land 15 of 16 shots he fired, saying it was a miracle Trump managed to survive the attempt on his life.

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Chris Wray, meanwhile, stated that Crooks had targeted Trump specifically and had researched Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated President John F. Kennedy in 1963. Wray also noted that Crooks had used a drone at the rally site and may have attempted to livestream his footage prior to the shooting.

BIPARTISAN TASK FORCE.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) jointly announced the task force’s composition, which includes seven Republicans and six Democrats.

“The task force will be empowered with subpoena authority and will move quickly to find the facts, ensure accountability, and make certain such failures never happen again,” Johnson said on X.

The task force is charged with delivering a comprehensive report to the House by December 13, 2024.

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The House of Representatives voted unanimously on Wednesday to establish a bipartisan task force to investigate the attempted assassination of former President Donald J. Trump. The committee will be empowered to review the actions taken by federal, state, and local agencies, officers, and other entities involved in the attempt on Trump's life. show more
July 24, 2024
William Upton
NatSec
News

FBI Director Confirms Trump Was Assassin’s Target, Images of Other Leaders Cached from News Searches.

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 media outlets, 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:

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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. show more
July 24, 2024
Jack Montgomery
NatSec
News

BREAKING: FBI Thinks Trump Shooter was LIVESTREAMING Drone Footage Prior to Assassination Attempt.

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.

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.

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
July 23, 2024
Jack Montgomery
Culture
Fact Check

FACT-CHECK: Female Secret Service Applicants Are NOT Held to ‘Same Standards’ as Men.

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. show more
Purchased by The National Pulse
July 23, 2024
Wake Up Right
NatSec

Whistleblower Alleges Law Enforcement Abandoned Roof Where Gunman Shot Trump Due to Heat.

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. show more
July 23, 2024
William Upton
Breaking
NatSec

BREAKING: Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle Resigns.

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.”

READ:

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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. show more