FILDEBRANDT: Dark questions in the Trump assassination plot

Watch the Hannaford show at 19:00, on July 15th, 2024, where Nigel Hannaford and Derek Fildebrandt discuss the strange events of Saturday, and whether anything at all could now derail Donald Trump's run at the White House. The attempted assassination of former US President Trump was shocking enough in its own right. The photo of Trump defiantly raising his fist in the air as blood streams down his face, while being shielded by Secret Service agents, has instantly become an iconic image that will define our age.Within minutes of reading the story and watching the initial footage, I mused privately that it wouldn't be long until the tinfoil-hat brigade cooks up wild and unsubstantiated "inside job" conspiracy theories. But with thousands of rally attendees — all carrying little video recorders in their pockets — there quickly emerged a mountain of footage showing that all was not as it should be.At first glance, the Secret Service more-or-less did its job as we’ve seen it done in the movies. But upon even modest closer inspection, they did not.Notably, the Secret Service failed to secure the key points of a reasonable perimeter. A rooftop with a clear line of sight to Trump’s podium, a mere 120-150 meters away, was missed. I’ve dropped whitetails at a gallop at well more than that distance. How the assassin missed the shot could only be chalked up to an act of God or Parkinson’s disease. Thomas Matthew Crooks is surely the worst sniper in history.The U.S. Secret Service is legendary for its thoroughness. In their protection of high-profile individuals, they are known for leaving no stone unturned. There’s a reason that there has not been a single shot fired at a US president or major party nominee, since the attempt on Ronald Reagan in 1981.Yet the Secret Service left a perfect sniper nest, with a perfect line of sight, just 120-150 meters away from Trump, completely unsecured. It’s not like there were many rooftops in need of securing. The whole area had only a handful of structures.Within an hour of the shooting, videos taken by rally-goers showed footage of the hapless sniper on the roof carrying a rifle. People can be heard yelling at police and Secret Service agents that there was a gunman on the roof. Some videos showed people pleading with the police and Secret Service to do something about the gunman on the roof, a full two minutes before Crooks opened fire.From the footage available, the police and Secret Service agents appeared to do nothing.Amateur footage of the overwatch anti-sniper shows him appearing to track a target, but not fire until the assassin has managed to get five to six shots off himself. Some have pointed to this as evidence that the overwatch allowed the assassin to shoot before dropping him. This is speculative however, until we have obtained evidence that he actually had Crooks in his crosshairs.Once the shots were fired, the close-proximity Secret Service agents appeared to do their jobs by forming a human shield over a bloodied Trump, already on the dais floor. Once Crooks was confirmed eliminated, they picked up Trump to evacuate him, but broke protocol by obeying his command to stop so that he could give his defiant fist in the air while he instructed his supporters to “Fight. Fight. Fight.” These words from Trump calmed the pandemonium sweeping the crowd and gave instant comfort to his supporters across the country. But the Secret Service does not usually take orders from the man or woman they are protecting in the middle of an active assassination attempt. They get the target out of harm's way and do not stop for long enough to allow that person to make a political gesture.All of this adds up to some very, very dark questions.Why did the Secret Service not secure such an obvious sniper nest at close range — and with such a clear line of sight to Trump’s podium?Why did the Secret Service and police not respond to the many people at the rally pleading with them to do something about a clearly visible gunman on the roof?Did the overwatch anti-sniper unit see the assassin on the roof that so many else did? If so, why did he not fire on Crooks? Did he request permission from his superiors to fire? If so, was permission withheld?Why did the Secret Service agents responsible for shielding and evacuating Trump break protocol and listen to his demands to stop so that he could raise his first and speak a few words?How, and why did we come this close to the assassination of Donald Trump?The poor marksmanship of Thomas Matthew Crooks is probably the best evidence we have that nobody higher up the food chain put him up to it. An organized conspiracy to assassinate the leading US presidential candidate would normally involve at least a few minutes at the local shooting range. It is however possible that he wasn’t as poor a shot as it seems, but that Crooks was overwhelmed with the adrenaline of “buck fever” once he had Trump in his crosshairs. It’s possible, but I’m not leaning to theories that Crooks was a knowing part of a greater conspiracy.Being my most charitable, I can only conclude that the best-case scenario for what unfolded was gross negligence and failure on the part of the Secret Service. If that is so, US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle — lambased by some as a "diversity hire" — and the head of Trump’s detail must resign and face other potential consequences.But was this just a long series of monumental incompetencies? I’m trying really hard right now not to put on my Alex Jones tinfoil hat, but the staggering evidence that has already emerged makes it impossible for the critical mind to not seriously ask a much darker question: was this allowed to happen?

FILDEBRANDT: Dark questions in the Trump assassination plot

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