The Trump assassination attempt: a few answers but mostly questions
Details are slowly emerging. One of the better sources is the NY Post.
The shooter was 20-year-old Thomas Crooks, reported to have been a “bullied loner” in high school Of course, that was also the initial report on the Columbine shooters and it turns out to have been wrong in their case. My guess is that few people were friendly with Crooks and therefore few knew him. I’ve also read that the gun was purchased by his father, and that Crooks was registered as a Republican but contributed to a far left cause at around the time of Biden’s inauguration.
The shooter’s car is reported to have contained explosives, which I would assume were meant to injure or kill the law enforcement officials who found it.
Various witnesses saw the shooter on the roof – which was about 130 yards from where Trump was speaking – and reported a man crawling there with a rifle, but authorities were slow to respond. Here’s one interview:
One of my first thoughts on hearing of the shooting was “how did someone get a firearm into the rally?” I quickly learned that was not the case, and that the shooter was outside the venue on a nearby rooftop. This prompted my next thought, “Why weren’t all the rooftops cleared?” I’ve read enough about security to know that’s standard, especially because this wasn’t a city with many rooftops, but an outdoor area with just a few. Many people are asking the same question, because this seems like a clear screwup. And of course, conspiracy theories abound.
One spectator was killed; 50-year-old ex-volunteer fire chief Corey Comperatore:
[His daughter] Allyson said that when the gunshots rang out, Comperatore quickly threw her and her mother to the ground to try to protect them after Trump was shot.
“He truly loved us enough to take a real bullet for us,” Allyson wrote on Facebook.
“And I want nothing more than to cry on him and tell him thank you.”
Terrible. RIP. Two others were badly wounded; I haven’t seen anything about their identities except that they were adult men.
Biden and other Democrats have mouthed words deploring the violence. And yet there is no question in my mind that their rhetoric set the scene for this type of attempt, whether it actually motivated Crooks himself or not. I have heard Democrats casually talk about wanting Trump assassinated; the idea has been normed (see this).
Many people have remarked on Trump’s heroic defiance just a moment after coming within a inch of death, and there are the photos and videos to prove it. I’ll just say it doesn’t surprise me; he’s a tough guy. He’d better be.
I wrote yesterday I hoped we would find out who was killed at the rally.
A innocent American doing a Constitutional right
God bless his family
It wouldn’t surprise me to discover his motives (to the extent they can be elucidated) turn out to be idiosyncratic. Not Jared Loughner, but perhaps Sirhan Sirhan.
The lefties at Althouse are all pretending that they are completely innocent. .CTH has video of the government shooters watching him until he gets 3 or 4 shots off and then killing him. My son thinks they were trying to find him before shooting.
“there is no question in my mind that their rhetoric set the scene for this type of attempt….”
Same in Las Vegas. I told a working mom type taxi driver what had happened yesterday. After I described the scene, she muttered “Damn!”
They didn’t get him.
In a bizarre world, apparently CNN and other on-air talent criticized Trump for his reaction to getting shot. In a sane world, the people who did that would never be paid to express themselves publicly again.
Trump has been under fire for years for what he said, or didn’t say, with respect to the January 6th events. I ask, tongue in cheek, who will be investigated or prosecuted for calling for Trump’s killing; and other rhetoric clearly intended to inflame?
Who will apologize for incessantly labeling him, and his supporters, Fascists and existential threats to democracy?
Clearly, rhetorical questions. But I should think that Biden and other Democrats would be very careful about their own rhetoric; and that they would demand that their media accomplices are as well.. I think that this event, and the way the aftermath is handled could be critical.
As John Lucas, who blogs as Bravo Blue. titled yesterday’s piece ” A White Hot Anger this July 13th”. Indeed. (I just found this blog, and so far like what I see.)
1. Not clear to me if the Shooter or his Father is a Registered Republican.
2. OK, response to calls about a shooter. The Shooter may have been invisible to the counter sniper team, the roof was not flat. They did see him and shot him quickly after seeing him. But the fact they did shoot him quickly after seeing him tells me (I am no expert) that they were looking for the shooter.
3. The words coming out of the Dem mouths about their prayers and that they are glad Trump is OK, are just meaningless blather. They don’t mean it.
4. Trying to blame MAGA and Trump for their “violent rhetoric” is disgraceful.
5. The comments by some, like on TikTok, that they are sorry he missed, are also disgraceful.
I am 77, I have lived through all the other assassination and attempted ones. I do not want this happening to anyone. PERIOD.
Saw LHO shot on live TV.
Identities of the wounded are hitting the wires:
“Both 57-year-old David Dutch of New Kensington, Pennsylvania, and 74-year-old James Copenhaver of Moon Township, Pennsylvania, are said to be in “stable” condition after being shot while attending the rally at the Butler Farm Show grounds in Butler, Pennsylvania.”
https://www.wmtw.com/article/trump-rally-victims-david-dutch-james-copenhaver/61591843
The Bee of course, is spot on, with:
Party That Called Trump ‘Hitler’ For 8 Years Shocked As Someone Tries To Assassinate Him
https://babylonbee.com/news/political-party-that-called-trump-hitler-shocked-someone-would-try-to-shoot-him
ALSO:
CNN: ‘Clumsy Trump Hits Head On Bullet’
https://babylonbee.com/news/cnn-clumsy-trump-hits-head-on-bullet
Re: I question the timing!
If one does go the conspiracy route, the assassination attempt was fantastically well-timed.
Right after Biden had imploded as publically senile and Democrats are in the midst of a palace coup to get rid of Biden.
Right before a powerful jubilant Republican Convention, which would have hammered home Trump’s vitality and Republican unity in contrast to the Democrat chaos.
If the assassination had succeeded, it wouldn’t have entirely solved Democrat problems but both parties would be starting from zero in putting together new tickets for November.
Now that you mention it, Neo, that parallel with the Day of the Jackal scenario is rather striking. Not in the sense of an A-list hitman with a master plan extending out months,* but the extremely near-miss nature of it and the specific tactical points.
* (which actually raises an interesting question whether this Crooks fellow really did any significant planning to speak of, on the weeks-to-months timescale, in advance of and specifically directed to this event, or whether he made up his mind to do it more or less on the spur of the moment)
If Biden was smart, he’d pardon Trump tonight. But he isn’t and won’t.
The media throughout Trumps Presidency and beyond had been calling Trump Hitler and a threat to democracy in very vile terms and now Margaret Brennan of CBS news is criticizing Trump…for specifically not “lowering the temperature, condemning political violence”, in his speech immediately following his assassination attempt.
Trump not lowering the temperature…Trump not lowering the temperature…
Local police officer climbed to the roof and saw the shooter but backed down when he pointed the rifle at him. There is speculation that this hurried the shots and threw off his aim.
“Not long before shots rang out, rallygoers noticed a man climbing to the roof of a nearby building and warned local police, according to two law enforcement officials.
One local police officer climbed to the roof and encountered Crooks, who pointed his rifle at the officer. The officer retreated down the ladder, and Crooks quickly took a shot toward Trump, and that’s when Secret Service snipers shot him, said the officials, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.”
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/gunman-pointed-rifle-at-local-officer-before-firing-at-trump-during-rally-sources-tell-ap
After taking his sweet time, Biden says this and Biden says that.
After taking “his” sweet time, “Biden” says this and “Biden” says that.
After taking its sweet time, the Media says this and the Media says that.
So all of a sudden they’re telling the truth?
Right….
So who is this shooter guy? And where did he sprout from?
Another “victim” who never could shoot straight, they’re telling us….
Sure…
It’s Narrative uber alles all over again.
Can’t believe a single word of it.
Nope, can’t believe a freakin’ thing…ESPECIALLY as it emanates from Biden, from “Biden” and from “their” Media hit-men.
And so…WOOPSIE…just another crisis to cover up all the other crises that “Biden” is so FOND of generating….
(Couldn’t Trump be a team player for once and just allow himself to be assassinated?)
Fair question, but no, I guess not…
No, Trump lives to stump again….
(Nonetheless we MUST believe all the FAKE OUTRAGE—all the crocodile tears. All the crap that’s being dished up…. To be sure, the tears may well be genuine…weepers and wailers weeping and wailing because the Orange-Haired Nazi is still amongst the living….)
This isnt a sane world yes the level of obfuscation is olympic east german team
Why did the Secret Service(SS) not include the shooter’s rooftop “in their venue” since the distance from Crooks to Trump was only 165 yards?
Why did the SS instantly kill Crooks? His rifle was pointed away from the SS dudes, who surely had bulletproof vests on and could have jumped him, cuffed him for interrogation. But instead they quickly shot him to death.
Dead men tell no tales.
Crooks has been the impressionable subject of Democratic vileness in the MSM since age 12. Hillary led the way, and now she is shedding crocodile tears.
Never ever trust a Democrat is my bottom line.
I suspect the SS is rotten to its very core, as is Biden. Recall it was B’s team that denied RFKJr SS “protection”.
What? The ENTIRE administration is on steroids??
(Oh, so THAT explains it….)
Anyone else notice that people mostly kept calm up in the stands? I mean they ducked down, but I have seen little panic.
There are people on one video I saw looking at the building where the shooter apparently lay dead.
Regarding Crooks’s registration as a Republican: I know some Democrats — Trump-haters, in fact — who register as Republicans so that they can vote in Republican primaries against Trump-backed candidates.
Sounds like the weapon was a Ruger AR-556. SS counter snipers probably were looking for the sniper based on the cop radio report but didn’t pick him out until after he started shooting and then stopped him. He might have been on the reverse slope and hard to see.
Some ‘strange stuff’ is coming out of India on the attempt, so am not sure about this: Thomas Matthew Crooks’ Parents are certified behavioural specialist
“Sounds like the weapon was a Ruger AR-556”
Sounds like a Ruger AR 556? Based on what? there must be at least fifty manufacturers making that type of rifle.
The news is calling it an AR-556. That is a trademark of Ruger.
“We’re done talking about the debate. It’s time to put Trump in the bullseye.” –Joe Biden last Monday.
Who could have guessed that he meant it literally?
_____________
I doubt there was any “weeks and months” planning by the shooter, but I think it was more than “spur of the moment.” I suppose that he would have had to survey the scene beforehand and find a way to get the gun to the location. It’s unlikely that he just decided to bring a gun on that day to shoot the president and managed to find the best location for an assassination and get past security with his rifle.
But then, how could he know, or expect, or correctly guess that such an important rooftop so close to the podium wouldn’t already be occupied by security? I’ll be waiting to hear if this was an Oswald situation and he worked in or had some connection to the building he shot from.
_____________
IIRC The story mentioned on the other thread was that the building was in a zone where the Secret Service and local law enforcement shared responsibility for security. Shared responsibility may ultimately mean no responsibility at all.
IMO, it was a Deep State hit. The SS was there to be the Jack Ruby cleanup.
Quality thread on the issue of providing for security. Apparently this is one time things kind of fell through the cracks.
https://x.com/LtTimMcMillan/status/1812383798740324380?t=HZLObOTSmCBBI50k5gNh5A&s=19
A post of America’s journalism establishment: Betrayal
https://chicagoboyz.net/archives/71313.html
https://youtu.be/NP86CksBmoU?si=DU8wBnl3Yvz2VSWC
First I’ve heard of this, a report (here attributed to the AP) that a local cop climbed on the roof confronting the shooter only to back down when Crook pointed his rifle at the cop.
Explosives in his car don’t make it sound like a spur-of-the-moment idea.
The thread Nate Winchester just posted was very informative. Sounds like a communications mess-up.
JackWayne: I agree.
Our Republic has not been in the very best of hands for a long time now. The Deep State rules with the Dems, since most of our esteemed bureaucrats are Dems and cannot be forced out of their tyrannies.
Here it is again:
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/07/14/trump-shooting-live-updates.html
The lefties at Althouse are all pretending that they are completely innocent.
==
The lot of them seem to have no interest in anything but what you might call ‘news cycle bilge’. You see that other places, though leavened in those other places with posts by homosexuals complaining that there are people in this world who do not think they are Special. About the only street-level Democrats you run across who take an interest in policy are professors, and not a few of them are shifty.
==
And again: https://nypost.com/2024/07/14/us-news/local-cop-confronted-sniper-thomas-matthew-crooks-before-he-shot-former-president-trump-report/
that doesn’t make sense why wasn’t there a counter sniper team on point,
frankly the site was not optimal for these purposes,
carrying over from the last thread, jfk was a powerful bit of agitprop, like writing with lightling, like dw griffith, said of another film, like hochhuth’s the deputy, that slander to pope pius, that presaged much other material of that nature, because a good piece of propaganda leaves a lasting impression,
it didn’t matter that garrison, was corrupt, incompetent, and thats being charitable costner depicted him like atticus finch,
so in recent days David Aaronivich, Reid Hoffman, and John McWhorter, also Sid Vicious blumenthal, wished this turn of events,
if I recall the film, the assassin played by edward fox, was this character named calthrop, which was reputedly a mercenary in the congo, but at the end, it was a mystery,
there is speculation, the original detail was light, because many were deployed to dr jills sojourn to pittsburgh,
maybe it was general incompetence, which doesn’t bode well for milwaukee, the den of thieves where they will be holding he convention, where soros persecutor chisholm holds court,
There are some questions that need answering.
1. Is it true that the Trump Secret Service detail had asked for more resources and were denied by either Director Cheadle or DHS Secretary Mayorkas?
2. Were they short-handed in covering this event?
3. Who did the pre-event security screen?
4. Why were these few buildings ignored as possible threats?
5. And maybe the biggest question:
Do we have a politicized Secret Service?
Whenever a major security breech occurs, it always seems obvious in hindsight that important details were missed. Same with aircraft accidents. The questions boil down to this: Was someone incompetent, were political attitudes involved, or was the breach due to a combination of those factors?
Conservatives are now well aware that Obama transformed the executive agencies by putting political allies in charge. Trump’s presidency was unable to change that. He was hobbled by hostile or incompetent people throughout his term. Biden brought in many more political allies and incompetents as heads of executive agencies. Do the names Mayorkas, Garland, Blinken, Budha-judge, Austin, etc. ring any bells?
We’ve always assumed that the Secret Service was above politics. Based on what we have seen, can we still assume that’s the case?
I hope we will get some definitive answers in the coming weeks. One thing we can assume is that we won’t get the answers from the MSM.
I erred: the shooter-Trump distance was only 135 yards, not 165.
JackWayne, I agree with you.America has been poisoned by foul-mouthed leftists who cannot rationally debate, period. They control the MSM, education, and entertainment, just as the Italian communist Antonio Gramsci identified as the communist methods of winning without armed combat.
At this point I’d like to see the SS coverage of Trump’s past events. Are all the nearby roofs covered?
What if they’re just leaving a good sniper position open and playing the odds that a lone nut will eventually accept the invitation?
@Cicero
I agree with most of your points except..
To which I respond WHY ON EARTH WOULD THEY NOT SHOOT HIM? The fact that this clown was apparently not a superb shot and was using a fairly weak caliber rifle but still killed an innocent person and wounded Trump and apparently someone else is more than enough evidence to indicate he needed to be taken down. Also bulletproof vests are rarely proof against rifles and get less useful as you close the range.
So the correct play – especially without someone almost on top of him on the roof – was to acquire and shoot until the threat was eliminated. If that was a nonlethal incapacitation leaving him alive to be questioned, so much the better. But if not, at least he would not harm anyone else ever again.
I have plenty of issues with how this was handled, especially the terrible inability to secure the roof before. But I do not doubt the need to put this particular rabid dog down ASAP.
Edit: I am also not 100% convinced the assassin was Crooks, given fog of war and how a(nother?) suspect, Maxwell Yearick, who is apparently an AntifA goon with a history of violence and physical similarities to the attacker’s corpse. It is still early times yet so keep the powder dry and be in the look out for info.
they should have dispatched him quicker,
Turtler, Cicero, the security snipers were not on the same roof as the shooter. They were 135 yds away, on a roof above and directly behind the Trump location. They had to shoot to stop him. Cuffing and interrogation were not options. The police officer who climbed up on the roof where the shooter was put his head up over the edge, hands holding onto the roof, so no gun deployed. Shooter pointed his gun at the officer, who naturally dropped down, and then the shooter immediately began firing at Trump. The snipers then saw him, shot him, and it was over.
The MSN is quite hilarious. The media pundits are blaming Trump saying he brought it on himself. Reminds me of when the Bernie Bro tried to murder the republicans and almost killed Steve Scalisi and the media were blaming the republicans, saying they brought it on themselves. These people are driven by emotion.
As usual Caroline Glick has excellent analysis. Especially the last 8 minutes.
https://youtu.be/t5j_RNE2PlA?si=qmR2wW9KhnCQP3Fd
“Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic. History tells us that blind loyalty to a single leader and the willingness to engage in political violence is fatal to democracy. For a long time we told ourselves that American democracy is guaranteed, but it’s not. We have to defend it. Protect it.”
Biden, Independence Hall, 2022
Interviewer to Joe Biden: “What in your view constitutes the primary threat to freedom and democracy at home?” Biden: “Donald Trump.”
Univision, April 2024
“Donald Trump is a genuine threat to this nation, he’s a threat to our freedom, he’s a threat to our democracy, he’s literally a threat to everything America stands for. He’s a cruel malevolent evil man.”
Biden tweet Jun 28th 2024
“Americans want a President, not a dictator”
Biden, in a tweet 12 Jul, 24 (a day before trumps assassination attempt).
But Trump needs to lower the temperature…
Some here may dismiss Johnson’s initial analysis and questions about the failed Trump assassination since Johnson is often on Napolitano’s podcast and critical of Ukraine.
But his analysis raises questions which shouldn’t be ignored. At this point he thinks there are two explanations– incompetence by the SS or complicity.
Larry C. Johnson Updating his Analysis on How Trump SURVIVES ASSASSINATION
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l97750ijaeE
Biden doing a rambling, incoherent CYA to the nation about the shooting.
Trump is one of those who like to fight for the fight itself. To win you generally have to kill him.
I’m glad I’m on his side.
Yes the happy juice only goes so long
he blathered on about Jan 6, the fake whitmer kidnapping and the pelosi assault, non sequitur much
Only Democrats have normalised political violence in America — let there be no equivocation about THIS!
Sebastian Gorka makes the case,
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/07/14/donald-trump-jr-slams-media-democrats-trying-blame-both-sides-assassination-attempt/
If Crooks was indeed an Antifa supporter, this will make the Democrats getting rid of Harris easier. She supported Antifa and BLM during the 2020 riots, to the point of raising bail money for them.
Candace Owen says that this was a setup, saying that she believes that the Secret Service deliberately let this happen.
Owens points out that it is SOP that, days before an event, the Secret Service takes the time to very carefully check each and every possible vantage point from which an assassin could shoot at his target— rooftops, windows, etc., and they lock them down.
So why was this obvious location for a potential assassin not locked down?
Owen also points to reports that some attendees spotted the shooter with his rifle getting into position, and tried to get authorities to investigate, but they were seemingly uninterested.
Why?
Doing some searching on Democrats and violence, I came across a startling piece at Vox.com, expressing legitimacy that the R side is their enemy, aka Biden’s DNC.
“The Republican revolt against democracy, explained in 13 charts” —
“The Trump years revealed a dark truth: The Republican Party is no longer committed to democracy. These charts tell the story.”
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/22274429/republicans-anti-democracy-13-charts
THIS is very warped. They suck up this shi-ite. Thus, the cannot see that Trump policy is basically Reagan + Deep State de-throning.
Snow on Pine:
Candace Owens never met a conspiracy theory she didn’t like. I’m surprised she hasn’t blamed the Jews. Or maybe she has, for all I know.
This recently arriving phone-camera footage is truly troublesome: https://x.com/KanekoaTheGreat/status/1812660579062137265?t=u41rAzhbpRE-91fi5qR9Hw&s=19
@Kate
I agree absolutely, and that is what I was trying to talk about to Cicero. An active shooter needs to be neutralized ASAP. Capture would be nice but has to take a back seat.
Now, a new report says that a lot of the usual agents were shifted to cover Dr.Jill at her rally, and that the agents who were filling in at Trump’s rally were “temps.”
So “Dr.” Jill got the A team, and Trump got the leftovers.
TJ quotes Vox article.
“The Trump years revealed a dark truth: The Republican Party is no longer committed to democracy. These charts tell the story.”
The first example the Vox article gives in support of the idea that “Trump’s supporters have embraced anti-democratic ideas” is that Trump supporters agree that there was election fraud in 2020. While I would agree that Trump losing support from 2016 to 2020 in my CT hometown is not indicative of fraud, I have seen plenty of evidence of 2020 fraud in places like Atlanta and Philadelphia.
I guess that according to Vox, pro-democracy people ignore election fraud. 🙂
The Vox article also states that Republicans are more likely to see Democrats as enemies (57%) than Democrats are to see Republican as enemies (41%). Yet in 2016-2020-2024, who is demonizing the opposing Presidential candidate? Overwhelmingly Democrats.
@ Turtler and Kate:
Thanks.
Especially to Kate for clarifying the physical geometry of the Rally site.
I now understand why grabbing Crooks was not feasible. He had to be shot.
But I am not alone in suspecting rot in the Secret Service.
The Trump years revealed a dark truth: The Republican Party is no longer committed to democracy. These charts tell the story.
–Vox
I don’t know any Republicans who wouldn’t be reasonably content to be back in 1996 when Bill Clinton in his prime stomped the earth. Sure, there were would be contentions but not like now.
It’s the Democrats who sailed off the New Left edge of the Earth.
I had the experience of flying a charter for the King of Sweden when he and his family were visiting the U.S. We had Secret Service assigned to protect them. That was in the 1980s. I don’t know how the SS people are today, but I can tell you the ones we had were as serious as a heart attack about keeping the King and his family safe. I was impressed by their devotion to duty, professionalism, and discipline. I’ve had a high regard for them because of that experience.
I’m willing to wait for the investigation to get answers about this failure, but it doesn’t look good.
I confess I do question the timing. That, and the undeniable SS errors allowing the shooter to reach that roof and take those shots. FAIL.
Some rando could have taken a shot at Trump at any time since Trump announced his candidacy in late 2023.
Yet it didn’t happen until now when Trump had amassed a lead serious enough that Nate Silver was concerned, Biden was revealed as a pathetic senile old fart, and the Obama faction couldn’t easily force Biden out. Each passing day Democrats grew weaker, while they remained the Big Story on the news.
This was the optimum time to take Trump out. Any time closer to the election would look even more suspicious.
Sure, It’s circumstantial and I’m an old conspiracy hand.
Enjoy.
The NY Post story about the cop who didn’t stop the shooter had a good photo of the buildings and where people were during the incident.
https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/trump-grounds.jpg?quality=75&strip=all
My commentary FWIW, which duplicates some of the comments here.
Thanks to everyone for chipping in with posts and reactions.
https://www.thenewneo.com/2024/07/13/trump-shot-at-pa-rally-ear-grazed/#comment-2750234
BTW, Elon Musk has shed his noncommital stance on the 2024 race, although he voted for Biden in 2020.
_____________________________________
President Trump has a new super fan in billionaire Elon Musk, who officially endorsed him for president after Saturday’s assassination attempt, saying “the last time we had a candidate this tough was Theodore Roosevelt.”
“I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery,” Musk wrote on X, which he owns, 30 minutes after Trump was shot at his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
https://nypost.com/2024/07/13/us-news/elon-musk-goes-all-in-for-trump-after-pa-rally-shooting-i-fully-endorse-president-trump/
_____________________________________
So the world’s richest man, and I would say most astonishing brain, has come aboard the Trump Train.
Welcome, Elon. You make a difference, a big differrence.
When Turley and Gorka basically agree — we are in Bizarro World.
https://jonathanturley.org/2024/07/14/the-attempted-assassination-of-trump-is-not-nearly-as-surprising-as-it-should-be/
https://www.breitbart.com/2024-election/2024/07/14/gorka-the-assassin-who-had-to-happen/
Sarah Hoyt’s post today. See the original for the links.
https://accordingtohoyt.com/2024/07/14/promo-tomorrow-info-and-meme-today/
(72-hours, 72-hours, 72-hours) (now down to 48 and waiting)
I think this is the best from Sarah’s links:
Lots of screenshots and some reports I haven’t seen elsewhere including what appears to be a picture of the shooter taken by a drone, possibly before he fired.
https://www.malone.news/p/a-psywar-assassination-attempt?publication_id=583200&post_id=146594467&isFreemail=false&r=6em1o&triedRedirect=true
Another interesting post from Sarah’s links:
https://jdanielsawyer.substack.com/p/how-to-evaluate-a-false-flag-claim
“The attempted assassination attempt of former President and current Presidential Candidate Donald Trump has opened a few windows onto the changing nature of our civilization, which I will deal with in a post tomorrow. But as the crews get on about cleaning up the blood from the stands, here’s an analysis of the kinds of things a professional audio engineer, makeup artist, and stage magician would look for to figure out whether he’d just been bamboozled. So, our question today: Was this a False Flag Operation?”
His analysis of the blood on Trump’s ear and face holds up IMO, but he was wrong about the type of fire-arm and admits that his speculations were off after getting more information. The analysis process was interesting, however.
The memes ranged from serious to hilarious, but this one speaks for me:
https://accordingtohoyt.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/17209303136123908314810250866592.png?w=640
Culled from the comments on Sarah’s post –
This one is too good to check!
https://x.com/Breaking911/status/1812611589649883167
We know that Trump turned his head to look at his visual aids, but maybe he was prompted.
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/842555906629173278/1262133061022122105/1720921218313337.png?ex=66957c83&is=66942b03&hm=0bef7a48b00b2e33a2226518cee4064a2ca0c8f57a71f5c728b4a5a3ac9ee0e6&
And about those domestic terrorists —
https://i.imgflip.com/8x07tw.jpg
@ huxley > “This was the optimum time to take Trump out. Any time closer to the election would look even more suspicious.
Sure, It’s circumstantial and I’m an old conspiracy hand.”
This meme was made for you.
https://accordingtohoyt.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/img_3750.png?w=837
Matt Taibbi
https://www.racket.news/p/the-slow-motion-assassination
A substacker linked at Taibbi’s post.
https://www.euphoricrecall.net/p/you-come-at-the-don-you-best-not
I liked this version of the Iconic Photo.
https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F49434a7c-d449-4a71-bc37-416c7e867626_2000x1429.png
A round-up of reactions to The Iconic Photo.
The NYT, Daily Beast, and Atlantic are predictably dismissive of Trump, focusing on his “political instincts” to politicize his attempted assassination. I’m sure the Bee could write a suitable headline for their POV.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/14/arts/design/trump-photo-raised-fist.html
https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-just-created-one-of-the-most-iconic-photos-in-us-history
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/07/trump-assassination-attempt-evan-vucci/679011/
These concentrate on the photographer himself, which is a good story but they are both copying the same wire report, with some rephrasing and a few differing interpolations. IMO, the MSM didn’t care about the plagiarizing plague of Ivy League presidents because they literally do it all the time.
https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/trump-photo-flag-iconic-bullet-r53140
https://time.com/6998527/trump-shooting-attempted-assassination-photos-journalism/
This is, of course, my favorite.
https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-glad-he-didnt-die-to-have-iconic-picture-2024-7?op=1
Trump says he has thrown out his original Convention speech and started a new draft.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/presidential/3082224/trump-im-not-supposed-to-be-here/
Compare Zito’s account of Trump’s actions to the NYT dismissal of it as a calculated political move, as I noted earlier:
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/presidential/3082180/trump-rewrites-republican-convention-speech-focus-unity-not-biden/
(It’s a good thing that tomorrow is our day “off” or I would have had to be in bed asleep hours ago!)
Just when you thought the Media could NOT get any more disgusting, they turn around and surprise ya’…(well OK, not really)…again and again and again…
Answer to the both-sides-ism of the Democrats.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/3081543/violence-against-gop-politicians-continues/
Strong statements from Bill Ackman.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/presidential/3081568/bill-ackman-endorses-trump-following-attempted-assassination/
Sometimes the Leftists do suffer consequences, if their actions back-fire on their superiors.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/house/3081899/staffer-of-rep-bennie-thompson-no-longer-employed-after-post-about-trump-shooting/
Throughout the government, at all levels, there are these. Rooting hard for Trump to die, mocking us. It’s a question, and always has been, of when, not if there is a hot civil war. How can you peacefully reconcile the two sides?
https://notthebee.com/article/fbi-employee-who-works-in-background-check-division-jokes-about-trump-almost-being-murdered-takes-aim-at-2nd-amendment-loving-hillbillies
It’s safe to say that the attempt on Trump’s life will not hurt his campaign and perhaps it may even help it.
As an aside; Bill Ackman, a very well known and respected billionaire hedge fund guru , a LIFELONG democrat and very vocal critic of the anti-semitism at Harvard and other academic institutions, has announced he will be voting for Trump !!!
Ackman is Jewish as is his wife, a (former? ) prof at MIT who I believe is Israeli.
Frankly, I was astonished to hear of Ackman’s announcement.
I think it’s great news.
Some folks – but not enough of them – actually think thru things.
Trump said when he stood up and saw the crowd had not moved, he needed to tell them that he and the country were going to be OK.
I rewatched the video, and in those 30 seconds or so while Trump was down and surrounded by Secret Service agents, for most of the crowd it would have been hard to know whether Trump was mortally wounded. It must have been agonizing. Aside from some screams (maybe from the families of the other victims), the crowd was relatively silent, before erupting in cheers when Trump raised his fist. Just a huge sense of relief. I’m sure it was just instinct on Trump’s part, but it was exactly the thing to do.
huxley, your analysis of this as the “best time” from the Democrat point of view to assassinate Trump is correct. If Trump had died, the country would have been thrown into turmoil. Could the Republicans have stood up a candidate on short notice to defeat the failing Biden gang? We’ll never know. That’s not to say the shooter was anything but a lone wolf. We don’t know. Democrat extreme hate rhetoric certainly could have gotten an unstable personality wound up enough to do this.
Snow on Pine, neo,
She seems to be making a lot of money and has a lot of followers, so I’m sure my opinion is a joke to her, but I am saddened by Candace Owens’ recent behavior. She has a very quick mind and a strong moral compass on key issues. For example, when she talks about her grandparents and motherhood she is a passionate and articulate voice for the importance of Judeo-Christian values within the family structure.
But she often gets out over her skis on subjects she is not yet well informed on and seems more determined on building a social media following than ensuring she has a good grounding in the facts before taking a strong stance. I think I saw her first, several interviews when she exploded onto the scene. I liked a lot of what she was saying, but when she explained her change (a weird, sort-of catfight with a woman involved with “gamergate”) it was too much, too fast. Even though I agreed with her ultimate conclusion about the feminists attacking her, the logic she herself described that got her to her conclusion was not sound. Another red flag for me was her very early declaration that she was obsessed with Kanye West and always “knew” she would work with him. Not unusual for American women to create a fantasy in their teen years in which they will meet their music idols, but it was a red flag to me that she held onto this into her adult years and would mention this in interviews about her political change.
And she actually did achieve that, so kudos to her for holding on to that dream, I guess. But Kanye West has also devolved (or just became more vocal about opinions he has long held?) into an antisemite, and Owens appears to also share his views on that topic.
My unfortunate assumption was that this was going to happen. She was likely to espouse some unhinged beliefs far too vocally and stubbornly stick to them. But, as I wrote, she is an intelligent woman and I held out hope she could fill in the gaps in her knowledge quickly, as her star rose. She undoubtedly has the talent to do that, but has chosen the allure of fame and controversy over deep reflection on complex subjects.
Her recent attacks on Andrew Klavan, Jordan Peterson, Dave Rubin and Ben Shapiro are obviously vindictive and sad. I’m sure it’s done no harm to any of them, except that they too feel sorrow to watch her go down the path she has chosen.
Further context in synced video form, a timeline running beneath multiple angles and places during Trump’s speech showing the notice of the assassin and the passage of time to shots fired: https://x.com/TheMilkBarTV/status/1812731727053488418?t=3xnsR7VJaG4_17Ln2DPBdg&s=19
Yes its a shame about candace owens but why do we insist on the spotless toga the state run media makes the whole panoply of rape murder and robbery fine by their book except that we notice the first instinct of bill maher is this might make his side look bad not apologize for his part in bringing this event about just like our side almost instinctively legitimized the red purge
That includes tucker ingraham hannity
Which had cost how many lives and im not speaking metaphoricals the left just goes and raises more dragons teeth like crooks like the kavanaugh conspirer because democracy
Some questions not answered as of this hour:
==
Did he scrub his social media history, or did someone else do so, or did he have no social media history?
==
Was he bullied in school? The school counselor says ‘no’, an unnamed student says ‘yes’, and one account has it that his mother says ‘yes’
==
He’s a professional class youth described as ‘smart’ by classmates, but no indication he was enrolled in any of Pennsylvania’s state colleges. He worked on the dietary staff of a nursing home. The nursing home director says he passed a background check and was not a disciplinary problem.
==
As of now, no one has spoken who recalls him having much in the way of a political viewpoint.
==
He walked a considerable distance from his vehicle to his sniper berth – carrying a rifle the whole time.
Rufus T. Firefly
Candace Owens is as dumb as box of rocks.
She thinks that Muslims are ghettoized in the “Muslim Quarter” of Jerusalem. That’s like saying that Chinese are forced to live in Chinatown and Italians in Little Italy. She also thinks that World War War II was not worth fighting (in that she echoes Pat “Obergruppenfuhrer” Buchanan).
neo
The hard Paleocon Right likes to blame everything on the Mossad.
Candace Owens also says that French President Emmanuel Macron’s wife was born a biological man.
BrooklynBoy,
I’m not sure what you mean by “dumb?” If you mean un- or under-informed on many subjects, I agree. If you mean feeble-minded, I disagree. She is very intelligent.
Unfortunately she is also too willing (for my tastes) to state strong opinions on subjects when she lacks sufficient knowledge to form a strong opinion.
“Some ‘strange stuff’ is coming out of India on the attempt, so am not sure about this: ‘Thomas Matthew Crooks, Donald Trump Shooter was raised in a Jewish household…’ ”
I guess it’s not surprising that sketchy foreign websites are now pushing that particular piece of misinformation. (Which hasn’t been mentioned in any legit news sources — and I’m sure there are quite a few that would be happy to run with it if it were actually true.)
TD:
“Thomas Matthew Crooks” would be an exceedingly odd Jewish name. And the photos of Crooks himself are of the classic “You sure don’t look Jewish” type. I would be very surprised if the guy was Jewish, although I suppose anything is possible.
Art Deco
I also wondered about that. Twenty years old, apparently bright, working at a nursing home but no college attendance in his life?
Turns out he went to a community college, and did quite well.Pittsburgh Post Gazette: More details emerge about Thomas Crooks, the Bethel Park man who tried to assassinate Donald Trump.
More information about the recluse family he belonged to:
The Kovalik surname rang a bell. Dan Kovalik, who has also published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, is an attorney cum “human rights investigator” who has written some far-left crazy type of books.
Such as one defending Maduro’s dictatorship in Venezuela. Or defending Russia in the Ukraine war. That to me is far-left crazy.
As both Daniel Kovalik and Sandy Kovalik are in the Pittsburgh area, it is quite possible that they are related. The Kovalik surname isn’t very common.
Given that Crooks had little interaction with his neighbors, such as Sandy Kovalik, it is not likely that there was any contact between Thomas Crooks and Daniel Kovalik, a presumed relative of Crooks’s neighbor Sandy Kovalik.
Just one of those interesting coincidences.