Posted on 07/16/2024 9:24:20 PM PDT by george76
"See something, say something." After the 9/11 disaster, that phrase served as a terse marching order for alert American citizens willing to help stop terror attacks on U.S. soil.
"See something, say something" is superb national security advice. 9/11 demonstrated America is under attack. Every citizen can contribute to the defense effort.
On Saturday, July 13, several alert citizens attending a presidential campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, saw a young man lurking near a building adjacent to the fairground where presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump intended to deliver a speech. The young man was later seen on the building's roof.
Local and Global Security Point 1: Per 9/11, concerned citizens on the ground provided The See. Several informed law enforcement officers. Hence Point 2: Citizens provided The Say.
Good citizens also provide evidence. I've seen perhaps 10 different clips from phone videos of the man on the roof. One video may have been shot as early as 5:45 p.m. EDT, but that's not clear.
This is: The videos are damning glimpses of a suspicious man on the roof of a building authorities now report is 410 feet from the podium where Trump was scheduled to speak.
WPXI Channel 11 Pittsburgh (NBC TV affiliate) now has an online timeline for Thomas Matthew Crooks' attempted assassination of Trump. The timeline documents the crowd's See and Say. Trump took the podium at 6:03 p.m. EDT and began speaking. At 6:09 p.m., many citizens (scores?) in the audience began shouting to law enforcement personnel, pointing to the man on the roof.
At 6:11 pm, Crooks opened fire.
Point 3: The citizens provided time enough for alert Secret Service and local law enforcement personnel to act to stop the shooter.
But they didn't. Not before Crooks wounded Trump, critically wounded rally attendees James Copenhaver and David Dutch, and killed Corey Comperatore, a fireman. Mr. Comperatore may not have been Crooks' target, but his murder makes Crooks a successful assassin.
Secret Service snipers then killed Crooks.
Secret Service snipers are elite American paramilitary personnel. But their shots were too late.
The Secret Service agents around Trump protected him with their bodies. They did their duty.
Yet the evidence for Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security operational laxity and bureaucratic incompetence is mounting, to the point intentional neglect by senior DHS officials becomes a malign but plausible explanation. I'm not pushing that, but the possibility must be considered and investigated.
DHS directs the Secret Service. The Secret Service relies on the FBI and local law enforcement agencies for assistance in preparing for a visit by the president, vice president, speaker of the House and other senior officials as assigned. In a presidential campaign, bona fide major candidates receive Secret Service protection. (Which is why DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas' refusal to provide Robert F. Kennedy Jr. with protection was jaw-droppingly stupid. I understand RFK Jr. now has protection. He should have had it starting Jan. 1.)
My point: Presidential protection within the U.S. is a multi-jurisdictional effort, one requiring federal-state-local cooperation.
I suspect the imperious Mayorkas has made it a federal-state-local struggle, by neglect if not by intention.
An old proverb speaks to the difficulty of finding the rare and concealed amid the normal and visibly numerous: finding the needle in the haystack. Nine years ago, after two terrorists murdered 14 people in San Bernardino, California, I wrote a column about the difficulty of finding the assassin's dagger in the haystack.
A terrorist can select from a range of targets "distributed" throughout an area. They can attack geographically dispersed targets, a hospital in Nevada or a bus going to Yankee Stadium. The defense cannot protect everything.
But presidents and presidential candidates are known, specific targets. Their movements are planned and protected — or should be protected.
Mayorkas and Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle failed to execute fundamental duties. They should resign immediately.
The Secret Service, a part of the Department of the Treasury. The more famous one is that of protecting the President, his family, and former Presidents. The other is detecting and stopping counterfeit money. I get the distinct feeling that many of the agents assigned to President Trump at the rally were doing the latter the week before.
Absolutely true. This was planned, maybe months ago. By the way, I still have my opinion, as to why Ford pardoned Nixon, and it was related to JFK.
👍👍👍👍👍
Not even the government is this incompetent. This was a deep-state hit.
SLOPED ROOF??? A BARELY SLOPED ROOF!! SHE IS TOTALLY CORRUPT!!
The slanted roof..it it was actually slanted.. worked okay for Crooks.
Nobody bought that malarkey.......well, maybe demented joe biden....../s..
The level of hatred toward PDJT that has spewed from both Cheneys is well known. Is it unconceivable the Cheney's had some influence on the present behavior of the SS director?
The stupid Biden S/S director okayed taking shots at Trump.
Just in: Bongino’s heard Secret Service Director Kim Cheatle has been instructed
by DHS Secy Mayorkas to “keep her mouth shut” if she wants to remain in her post.
She’s just a liar. I can’t believe that anyone would be stupid enough to buy into that.
However, I CAN believe a lot of Liberal MSM and Democrat politicians will repeat it as if it’s gospel truth.
Also rumors that he was going to prevent her from voluntarily testifying, which is why Comer issued a subpoena yesterday to compel her. They are playing games, evil people.
Yup.
Plausable deniablility for missing a sniper in a perfect spot to kill his target.
THAT was really bizarre.
She did her job, they just didn’t get the result they were wanting.
What car exactly, he drove a Hyundei and they towed a van with AZ plates.
Good catch.
I’m telling the IRS I couldn’t file my taxes because my roof is too steep
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