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International

Secret Service slammed for failing to prevent assassination attempt against Trump

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BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA – JULY 13: Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is rushed offstage during a rally on July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania.

From LifeSiteNews

By Matt Lamb

“I don’t like making any assumptions, but it does look like some mistakes were made, that this was preventable”

Secret Service is blaming local law enforcement for not securing the rooftop where a 20-year-old tried to assassinate  former President Donald Trump over the weekend.

But local law enforcement, and several experts who spoke to NBC News, said all responsibility for protecting the president ultimately lies with the Secret Service.

The agency is under widespread criticism for allowing a shooter, identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, to have clear access to President Trump during his rally on Saturday in Pennsylvania. Crooks hit Trump’s right ear, but the president is reportedly in good condition.

It has been reported that Crooks was at one point a registered Republican but that he also made a $15 donation to Progressive Turnout Project, a left-wing Democratic Party-linked activist group, in 2021.

The rooftop “was identified by the Secret Service as a potential vulnerability in the days before the event, two sources familiar with the agency’s operations told NBC News,” the outlet reported last night.

“The Secret Service had designated that rooftop as being under the jurisdiction of local law enforcement, a common practice in securing outdoor rallies,” Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said, according to NBC News’ paraphrase.

The outlet reported:

The Secret Service worked with local law enforcement to maintain event security, including sniper teams poised on rooftops to identify and eliminate threats, Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said. But no officers were posted on the building used by the would-be assassin, outside the event’s security perimeter but only about 148 yards from the stage — within range of a semiautomatic rifle like the one the gunman was carrying.

Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger disagreed with the Secret Service’s assertion. “They had meetings in the week prior. The Secret Service ran the show. They were the ones who designated who did what,” he said, referring to the county’s law enforcement and its cooperation with the federal agency. “In the command hierarchy, they were top, they were No. 1.”
“Just because it is outside of the perimeter, it doesn’t take it out of play for a vulnerability, and you’ve got to mitigate it in some fashion,” a former Secret Service agent told NBC News, agreeing with the county’s assessment. “My question is: How did he get onto that roof undetected,” another former Secret Service agent told NBC News.

“I don’t like making any assumptions, but it does look like some mistakes were made, that this was preventable,” Anthony Cangelosi told NBC News.

Radio host and former Secret Service agent Dan Bongino also criticized his former employer.

“Secret Service Director Kim Cheatle should’ve already resigned,” Bongino wrote on X. “Inexcusable that this incompetent mess of a Director is still holding on, while protectees are in danger.”

Local law enforcement reportedly confronted the shooter on the roof but did not stop him after he pointed his gun at them. “A local law enforcement officer climbed to the roof and found Crooks, who pointed the rifle at the officer,” PBS reported. “The officer then retreated down the ladder, and the gunman quickly fired toward Trump, the officials said. That’s when U.S. Secret Service gunmen shot him, the officials said.”

The local sheriff’s office said the officer had to retreat because he could not grab his gun.

“Butler County Sheriff Michael T. Slupe said the officer was gripping the edge of the roof after climbing up using a ladder, and could not reach his gun when Crooks aimed at him,” The Telegraph reported. “He lets go because he doesn’t want to get killed,” Slupe said.

Officials identified Corey Comperatore as a fatal victim of the shooting. The firefighter died shielding his family from the gunfire.

Two other victims are in “stable condition,” the Pennsylvania State Police announced on Sunday.

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said that the Department of Homeland of Security will conduct a review of the assassination attempt and added that DHS is “engaged” with Trump and his campaign.

The FBI said it is investigating the attack as “domestic terrorism.”

Crime

Time to call Antifa what it is — a terrorist organization

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MXM logo MxM News

Quick Hit:

President Trump announced Wednesday he will designate Antifa a “MAJOR TERRORIST ORGANIZATION,” calling it a “sick, dangerous, radical left disaster” and vowing to investigate its funders. The move follows Charlie Kirk’s assassination by a suspect tied to extremist leftist ideology.

Key Details:

  • On Truth Social, Trump wrote: “I am pleased to inform our many U.S.A. Patriots that I am designating ANTIFA, A SICK, DANGEROUS, RADICAL LEFT DISASTER, AS A MAJOR TERRORIST ORGANIZATION.”
  • Trump added that he would recommend “those funding ANTIFA be thoroughly investigated in accordance with the highest legal standards and practices.”
  • Antifa, short for “anti-fascist,” has no formal leadership structure but is known for violent clashes with police and for stoking riots at protests. Trump said earlier this week he was “100%” in favor of labeling the group as a terror organization.

Diving Deeper:

President Trump on Wednesday escalated his administration’s push against violent left-wing groups by declaring that Antifa will be designated as a “major terrorist organization.” Posting the announcement on Truth Social, Trump described the group as “a sick, dangerous, radical left disaster” and emphasized that investigations into Antifa’s backers should begin immediately. “I will also be strongly recommending that those funding ANTIFA be thoroughly investigated in accordance with the highest legal standards and practices,” Trump said.

The decision follows mounting calls for action in the wake of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination last week. Authorities have identified the suspect, Tyler Robinson, as a 22-year-old who was “deeply indoctrinated with leftist ideology.” The tragedy has intensified pressure on the administration to act against groups viewed as fueling extremist violence.

Antifa, which stands for “anti-fascist,” is less a formal organization than a loose movement. Its members, often dressed in black and masked, are notorious for showing up at protests to provoke violent clashes with law enforcement and political opponents. While its supporters describe the group as anti-authoritarian, critics point out its consistent record of property destruction, rioting, and violent confrontations.

Trump had previewed the move earlier in the week, telling reporters he was “100%” supportive of officially designating the group as a terrorist organization. The announcement also aligns with Trump’s longstanding campaign promise to crack down on lawlessness and protect communities from radical ideologies.

By targeting Antifa not just in name but by directing legal scrutiny toward its funding networks, Trump is signaling a more aggressive federal posture toward violent left-wing movements. The designation would allow federal authorities to treat Antifa’s activities with the same severity reserved for foreign terrorist groups, widening the scope of investigations and penalties against those linked to its operations.

(AP Photo/Gillian Flaccus)

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Crime

FBI says ‘a lot more’ than 20 people ‘may have known’ Charlie Kirk was going to be shot

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From LifeSiteNews

By Calvin Freiburger

The FBI is investigating the possibility that dozens of Discord users may have had knowledge about the planned murder of Charlie Kirk before it happened.

The FBI is currently investigating the possibility that dozens of other individuals may have known about the planned murder of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk through their participation in an online chatroom.

Kirk, the head of campus outreach group Turning Point USA, was fatally shot on September 10 while speaking at an outdoor event at Utah Valley University. Two days later, authorities apprehended and accused 22-year-old Robinson of the shooting and detailed how he was motivated by his view of Kirk as “hateful.” Robinson was in a romantic relationship with his male roommate, who is in the process of “transitioning” to female.

On Monday, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino told Newsmax host Rob Schmitt that investigators are looking at a chat room on the platform Discord in which Robinson participated and a “potential broader network of people who may have known” what he was planning. He cautioned that the investigation was still in the early stages, and were not yet certain of who knew what when.

“The only question is the timeline that other people knew about the incident. Did they know before? Did they know afterward?” Bongino said. “When you read some of the traffic, it’s unclear if that message was received before or after.”

The next day, FBI Director Kash Patel testified before Congress on a wide range of topics, during which the state of the investigation came up.

“I see the public reports that the Discord thread had as many as 20 additional users,” Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) said, to which Patel said it was a “lot more than that,” and “we’re running them all down.”

Patel would not go so far as to say definitively that more individuals than Robinson were involved in the assassination, but said it remains a possibility. “There are a number of individuals that are currently being investigated and interrogated — and a number yet to be investigated and interrogated related to that chatroom,” he said.

Discord has issued a statement insisting there is “no evidence that the suspect planned this incident or promoted violence” on the platform. Robinson announced to his chat room that he had done it roughly two hours after the shooting.

“Hey guys, I have bad news for you all,” Robinson told the 30-some members of the chat. “It was me at [Utah Valley University] yesterday. i’m sorry for all of this […] Im surrendering through a sheriff friend in a few moments. thanks for all the good times and laughs, you’ve all been so amazing, thank you all for everything.”

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