The TMZ documentary on the Trump near-assassination is a fantastic window into the event, offering insights and raising questions. The 61-minute movie debuted on TubiTV.com on Tuesday. The documentary began in earnest with an interview with Selena Zita, national political reporter for The Washington Examiner. Zita was mere feet from Trump when he was shot.“President Trump pulls a chart out onto the sort of Jumbotron. And I thought well, that's not — this is different. I remember him saying… ‘There's more if you look over here.’ He turns his neck — he never turns his neck. The second he turns his neck, I hear pop pop pop,” Zita said.“There are four more pops at the time that he gets surrounded…The calibre of the gun of the second four shots was definitely a heavier sound.” Zita assumed the subsequent shots were from the sniper that took down alleged would-be assassin Thomas Crooks.The problem, unexplored in the film, is that Trump told the Republican National Conference that Crooks was killed with a single shot. So who made these other shots? Some pundits agree the audio indeed suggests another shooter, so far unnamed in official reports.At least one thing is clear: the shooting was not a set up to make Trump look heroic.“I've probably covered at least 50 rallies, he never turns his head. He always faces the crowd,” Zita said of Trump. “Had he done what he usually does, what he always does, what he has done forever, he'd be dead…There were so many things he did in those succession of seconds that he never does.”Trump called Zita the next day with some remarkable comments.“And he said, ‘Selena, are you okay? Is your daughter Shannon and Michael — are they okay? I'm so sorry that I didn't get to do the interview with you.’”...“I said, ‘Are you bleeping kidding me? You were just shot!’ Trump said, ‘I'm fine.’ " Trump told Zita, but for one centimetre, his head would have “blown up” like a “watermelon.” She probed him for more answers.“‘Why did you turn your head? And why did you put the chart out there?’ And he said, 'I don't know.' I said, 'Is that God?' He said, 'That's God.' He said, 'Had I not done things I've never done before, I'd be gone. … It's changed everything. It's changed me.’”The account echoed comments by Brandon Biggs, remarkably made before the shooting took place. In March, he said in a YouTube interview, God had shown him a bullet whizzing by Trump’s ear, causing bleeding, after which Trump would be “radically born again.”What TMZ could not understand is why the Secret Service initially said Trump might have been hit by shrapnel from a teleprompter and not a bullet. They subsequently showed testimony by FBI Director Christopher Wray saying the same thing, followed by a Truth Social quote from Trump:“There was no glass; there was no shrapnel. The hospital called it a bullet wound to the ear. And that is what it was. No wonder the once-storied FBI has lost the confidence of America.” The FBI and Trump are not friends. Wray was appointed by Trump to the head of the FBI in 2017 as a replacement to James Comey, who was investigating Trump for Russian collusion. In 2020, Trump wanted to fire Wray too, but backed down when Attorney General William Barr said he would resign if Trump did so.In public speeches, Trump also mocked FBI agent Peter Strzok and former FBI lawyer Lisa Page as published internal emails revealed their affair. Strzok had launched the FBI investigation into alleged ties with Russia. Page resigned from the FBI in May 2018, and Strzok was fired three months later. In separate lawsuits, they sued the federal government over release of the emails.Page said the messages were used "to promote the false narrative that [she] and others at the FBI were biased against President Trump, had conspired to undermine him, and otherwise had engaged in allegedly criminal acts, including treason."It makes sense the FBI would rather have people believe Trump was wounded by glass, not a bullet, to undermine his near-martyr status and his rallying cry of “Fight! Fight! Fight!” Who else would he fire if he returned to power?Rally attendee Greg Smith, who submitted video to TMZ, said he was “floored” at how his loud warnings about Crooks were ignored, and slept less than 20 minutes for several nights afterwards.“I only noticed the one law enforcement agent who was running around close to the building…I didn't see him radioing anybody. I didn't see him trying to call for backup or anything as I'm standing and pointing… and yelling like ‘He's on the roof!’ I'm thinking in my head the whole time ‘I can't believe I'm still hearing President Trump talk,’” he said.The movie included comments by Ben Macer to CBS Pittsburgh where he claimed to have twice pointed out Crooks on the roof to an officer.The now-departed head of the Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle, testified to Congress her agency had just made its biggest blunder in decades. TMZ interviews with four former secret service agents included two with moderate criticisms and two with blistering comments about the agency.Richard Starpoli, who did security 50 times for U.S. Presidents, from Bill Clinton, to George Bush, to Barrack Obama, was scathing.“I evaluated that event as it unfolded as a total breakdown in communication, a total failure to the Secret Service, a total lack of a cohesive, coherent and competent security plan. There was nothing good that I have to say,” he said.TMZ showed Australian commentators laughing at how security had no one on the roof Crooks was on, given the stated reason was safety concerns due to the sloped roof. How did that happen?Turnover in the secret service and the role of diversity, equity, and inclusion were also explored, with some calling for a return to a purely “merit-based” system.Space does not permit the captivating insights of Thomas Crooks’ high school guidance counsellor and those who attended murdered Butler, PA fireman Corey Comperatore. This documentary is a must-see for anyone interested in what really happened on July 13.
The TMZ documentary on the Trump near-assassination is a fantastic window into the event, offering insights and raising questions. The 61-minute movie debuted on TubiTV.com on Tuesday. The documentary began in earnest with an interview with Selena Zita, national political reporter for The Washington Examiner. Zita was mere feet from Trump when he was shot.“President Trump pulls a chart out onto the sort of Jumbotron. And I thought well, that's not — this is different. I remember him saying… ‘There's more if you look over here.’ He turns his neck — he never turns his neck. The second he turns his neck, I hear pop pop pop,” Zita said.“There are four more pops at the time that he gets surrounded…The calibre of the gun of the second four shots was definitely a heavier sound.” Zita assumed the subsequent shots were from the sniper that took down alleged would-be assassin Thomas Crooks.The problem, unexplored in the film, is that Trump told the Republican National Conference that Crooks was killed with a single shot. So who made these other shots? Some pundits agree the audio indeed suggests another shooter, so far unnamed in official reports.At least one thing is clear: the shooting was not a set up to make Trump look heroic.“I've probably covered at least 50 rallies, he never turns his head. He always faces the crowd,” Zita said of Trump. “Had he done what he usually does, what he always does, what he has done forever, he'd be dead…There were so many things he did in those succession of seconds that he never does.”Trump called Zita the next day with some remarkable comments.“And he said, ‘Selena, are you okay? Is your daughter Shannon and Michael — are they okay? I'm so sorry that I didn't get to do the interview with you.’”...“I said, ‘Are you bleeping kidding me? You were just shot!’ Trump said, ‘I'm fine.’ " Trump told Zita, but for one centimetre, his head would have “blown up” like a “watermelon.” She probed him for more answers.“‘Why did you turn your head? And why did you put the chart out there?’ And he said, 'I don't know.' I said, 'Is that God?' He said, 'That's God.' He said, 'Had I not done things I've never done before, I'd be gone. … It's changed everything. It's changed me.’”The account echoed comments by Brandon Biggs, remarkably made before the shooting took place. In March, he said in a YouTube interview, God had shown him a bullet whizzing by Trump’s ear, causing bleeding, after which Trump would be “radically born again.”What TMZ could not understand is why the Secret Service initially said Trump might have been hit by shrapnel from a teleprompter and not a bullet. They subsequently showed testimony by FBI Director Christopher Wray saying the same thing, followed by a Truth Social quote from Trump:“There was no glass; there was no shrapnel. The hospital called it a bullet wound to the ear. And that is what it was. No wonder the once-storied FBI has lost the confidence of America.” The FBI and Trump are not friends. Wray was appointed by Trump to the head of the FBI in 2017 as a replacement to James Comey, who was investigating Trump for Russian collusion. In 2020, Trump wanted to fire Wray too, but backed down when Attorney General William Barr said he would resign if Trump did so.In public speeches, Trump also mocked FBI agent Peter Strzok and former FBI lawyer Lisa Page as published internal emails revealed their affair. Strzok had launched the FBI investigation into alleged ties with Russia. Page resigned from the FBI in May 2018, and Strzok was fired three months later. In separate lawsuits, they sued the federal government over release of the emails.Page said the messages were used "to promote the false narrative that [she] and others at the FBI were biased against President Trump, had conspired to undermine him, and otherwise had engaged in allegedly criminal acts, including treason."It makes sense the FBI would rather have people believe Trump was wounded by glass, not a bullet, to undermine his near-martyr status and his rallying cry of “Fight! Fight! Fight!” Who else would he fire if he returned to power?Rally attendee Greg Smith, who submitted video to TMZ, said he was “floored” at how his loud warnings about Crooks were ignored, and slept less than 20 minutes for several nights afterwards.“I only noticed the one law enforcement agent who was running around close to the building…I didn't see him radioing anybody. I didn't see him trying to call for backup or anything as I'm standing and pointing… and yelling like ‘He's on the roof!’ I'm thinking in my head the whole time ‘I can't believe I'm still hearing President Trump talk,’” he said.The movie included comments by Ben Macer to CBS Pittsburgh where he claimed to have twice pointed out Crooks on the roof to an officer.The now-departed head of the Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle, testified to Congress her agency had just made its biggest blunder in decades. TMZ interviews with four former secret service agents included two with moderate criticisms and two with blistering comments about the agency.Richard Starpoli, who did security 50 times for U.S. Presidents, from Bill Clinton, to George Bush, to Barrack Obama, was scathing.“I evaluated that event as it unfolded as a total breakdown in communication, a total failure to the Secret Service, a total lack of a cohesive, coherent and competent security plan. There was nothing good that I have to say,” he said.TMZ showed Australian commentators laughing at how security had no one on the roof Crooks was on, given the stated reason was safety concerns due to the sloped roof. How did that happen?Turnover in the secret service and the role of diversity, equity, and inclusion were also explored, with some calling for a return to a purely “merit-based” system.Space does not permit the captivating insights of Thomas Crooks’ high school guidance counsellor and those who attended murdered Butler, PA fireman Corey Comperatore. This documentary is a must-see for anyone interested in what really happened on July 13.
