Whistle blowers have told a senator that the Secret Service sent very few agents to guard the Butler rally, and that most of the federal personnel assigned were homeland security investigators, not trained bodyguards. Those actual agents assigned were the most junior and least experienced.

Gunman Thomas Crooks had three encrypted accounts on overseas platforms. No detail was given on what kind of platforms were involved.

By Chuck Strong (Raider) on Friday, July 19, 2024 - 08:06 pm: Edit

...thus my statement that the Secret Service purposely sent the second string JV team to Butler...

By Mike Grafton (Mike_Grafton) on Friday, July 19, 2024 - 11:48 pm: Edit

The Secret Service was larger than the US Marshals in 1894?

By Garth L. Getgen (Sgt_G) on Saturday, July 20, 2024 - 01:44 am: Edit

Ironically, President Lincoln created the Secret Service during the American Civil War. Its original (and still) mission was to combat counterfeiting.


Garth L. Getgen

By Mike Erickson (Mike_Erickson) on Saturday, July 20, 2024 - 08:06 am: Edit

>> most of the federal personnel assigned were homeland security investigators

It's not a bug, it's a feature. The whole point of the DHS integration was to leverage commonalities among the Federal LE population and integrate them into a more flexible force that can share information and responsibilties more readily. I mean, they all went to FLETC and they all carry a sidearm. How could they possibly be any different?

And then when the President's head explodes like a watermellon, the DHS personnel can all go back to their other LE responsibilties, seamlessly.

--Mike

By Jason E. Schaff (Jschaff297061) on Saturday, July 20, 2024 - 08:31 am: Edit

Mike Grafton:

My bad; the US Marshals service was much larger. For some reason, I had in my alleged mind that the Marshals Service was part of the judiciary branch, rather than the executive branch.

By Chuck Strong (Raider) on Saturday, July 20, 2024 - 01:48 pm: Edit

From my perspective, it looks like the Secret Service and the FBI, DEA, ATF, needs to be reorganized. All functions NOT related to protection services be removed from the Secret Service. All federal law enforcement and investigations needs to done by one agency, not four.

All senior managers and directors must come from the rank and file of their host agencies or from other state/local law enforcement agencies so long as they have had 20 years of actual ‘street’ experience with a gun and badge. If the military gets their Chiefs of staff from within their host uniformed branches, then I want a “real cop” to head a federal law enforcement agency — not a political appointee or lawyer who has no clue what it takes to investigate crime, make arrests, and hunt down criminals.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Saturday, July 20, 2024 - 03:20 pm: Edit

Heard a few bits that sound like they are probably true…

Crooks’ father had 20 guns registered to his name and kept in the house.

Shooter Crooks bought a ladder, so he was either guided by dumb luck or knew there would be no one to stop him from using it.

The cop who scaled the roof was using both hands to climb and couldn’t have drawn his pistol so no shame on him to drop down and avoid getting shot for nothing.

The local sniper team inside the next building was set up looking out a second floor window.

Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle had spent 30 years on the job with a badge and gun. She worked on several protective details for vice Presidents and was for a time Jill Biden’s bodyguard when Joe was VP.

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Saturday, July 20, 2024 - 03:39 pm: Edit

SVC:

The demands that Kimberly Cheatle resign are growing, not declining.

Being video taped as she was out running four (4!) Republican Senators who wanted answers to questions the head of the Secret Service apparently did not want to give.

Open question at the moment, but the appearance of (choose your favorite) negligence, incompetence or co-conspirator on this scale is hard to conceive.

Either she was a party to a conspiracy, or she is (and thus, has been) totally unequipped for heading the Secret Service.

That, or she is the chosen sacrificial lamb being led to slaughter by the real conspirators.

This is getting too complicated to follow. I may have to flow chart this thing.

If someone wanted to write this story as a novel, no one would believe it.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Saturday, July 20, 2024 - 03:43 pm: Edit

Jeff: I did not say the demands were declining. I simply pointed out that she had indeed carried a badge and gun for 30 years and was familiar with protective duties.

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Saturday, July 20, 2024 - 04:35 pm: Edit

Ah, sorry.

Perhaps I should have been more blunt:

30 years of law enforcement experience and carrying a badge may be wonderful on a resume, but does not justify her behavior before Congressional or Senate Committees wanting answers to difficult questions.

As I understand it, most hearings appearances are as the result of a phone call between staff members, often followed up by a letter of invitation.

But apparently something stronger was required to compel her appearance on Monday morning.

By Jessica Orsini (Jessica_Orsini) on Saturday, July 20, 2024 - 05:22 pm: Edit

The answers they were demanding are of the sort that require a thorough investigation to determine, the sort of investigation that isn't completed in the handful of days between the shooting and the committee hearings.

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Saturday, July 20, 2024 - 05:53 pm: Edit

If that were the case, (and it certainly should be,) then Kimberly Cheatle would have been correct and appropriate to say that.
but running away just looks unprofessional, and frankly, like the woman has something to hide.

Honestly, it could be a fight or flight reaction, and many people would, when confronted with unpleasant truths, do decide to run.

But again, we are talking about a Federal law enforcement Agent with 30 years of experience.

What the standard is, is honesty.

Not evasion or running away from her professional responsibilities.

This behavior is not what is expected of the head of a Federal Law Enforcement Agency.

By MarkSHoyle (Bolo) on Saturday, July 20, 2024 - 07:01 pm: Edit

She worked on several protective details for vice Presidents and was for a time Jill Biden’s bodyguard when Joe was VP.

Political. Deleted.

Jean
WebMom

By Jeff Anderson (Jga) on Saturday, July 20, 2024 - 09:22 pm: Edit

With respect, the thirty years of service Director Cheatle has on her resumee may be one indicator of experience, but it is QUALITY experience?

Please remember that in the 1988 Vice-Presidential debate, when questioned about his experience (or lack thereof?) Dan Quayle compared his quantity of experience to that of JFK and the rebuttal by Lloyd Bensen became what we now call a "Meme" for the campaign.

By Kenneth Humpherys (Pmthecat) on Sunday, July 21, 2024 - 10:24 am: Edit

The reason for separate law enforcement agencies is simple, if one agency is corrupt/overstepping authority, a separate agency acts as a check and an avenue for the 'common man' to turn to for justice.

It is the partly same reason we have different branches of the armed forces.

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Sunday, July 21, 2024 - 11:34 am: Edit

China tried a unified Service approach, everything under the Peoples Liberation Army.

I lost count on the number of polit bureau officials, high ranking generals and the odd billionaire oligarch who have been arrested in the last five years, many “disappeared”, but several having been publicly executed for crimes against the state.

Corruption has proven to be more difficult for the Chinese Communist Party to deal with than expected.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Sunday, July 21, 2024 - 02:34 pm: Edit

They key questions:
Why was Trump denied the increased security requested?
Why was Trump assigned JV agents?
Why did the Secret Service allow Trump on stage with a potential threat spotted on a roof?
Why was the roof not guarded somehow?
Why did Trump not get big sheets of bullet-proof glass like Obama got during his first campaign?

These questions could be answered in one minute if Cheatle would tell the truth. As she avoids answering, a months-long investigation will have to see if some records or some honest person surfaces. That investigation will come down to "it was a judgement call and could have legitimately gone either way" (Nothing to see here, move on.)

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Sunday, July 21, 2024 - 02:55 pm: Edit

We already know some of the answers…

Local Butler police had twelve uniformed and armed officers available.

Not enough man power available to handle all of the tasks the Secret Service passed on to LLE (local law enforcement). Note, normally the Secret Service would occupy “the high ground” all around the event, but in this case, only detailed two sniper teams.

The roof top the sniper chose was only one of more than six elevated locations with clear line of sight to where DJT was speaking.

It should be noted that two other local law enforcement police chiefs offered to assist with the security that day. Both were rejected by the Secret Service before the day of the event.

(Note: local law enforcement are already providing text messages transcripts where the Secret Service rejected the additional man power for the event.)

Note: LLE were alerted by concerned citizens that the sniper was walking around the location with a range finder. LLE texted the alert to the Secret Service 32 minutes before any shots were fired.

The Secret Service acknowledged receipt of the alert from LLE 15 minutes after receipt, approximately 17 minutes before shots were fired.

What I have not heard yet, is if the alert was sounded, would 17 minutes have made a difference?

Note: the source of all of the information above, was broadcast by Fox News.

By MarkSHoyle (Bolo) on Sunday, July 21, 2024 - 03:04 pm: Edit

Up until the shooting:
Robert Kennedy Jr had still been denied Security
Members of Congress had a bill pending? to remove Trump's detail.....

Ever since the 2020 election, a few members of Congress complained about the Trump family having security, even though it was Obama who pushed for family security for life....

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Sunday, July 21, 2024 - 03:26 pm: Edit

There were two warnings about Young Mister Crooks.

An hour before the shot, he was seen with a rangefinder, noted as suspicious, and they tried to track him but lost him. I can see that they would not have stopped Trump speaking for that.

Later, he was seen on the roof but no one was sure he had a gun. He was termed a threat, but as no one could see a gun, the speech was not stopped. This call is arguable.

Then the gun was seen by the cop trying to climb the roof. This was a few seconds before the first shot, probably too late to do much.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Sunday, July 21, 2024 - 04:06 pm: Edit

President Biden has dropped out of the presidential election race. He endorsed Mrs K Harris to be the presidential nominee. It is unclear what the Democrat Convention will do.

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Sunday, July 21, 2024 - 06:14 pm: Edit

Political. Deleted.

Jean
WebMom

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Sunday, July 21, 2024 - 10:50 pm: Edit

It does go to Kamela Harris, provided she is in one of the two spots on the ticket.

By Mike Grafton (Mike_Grafton) on Sunday, July 21, 2024 - 11:18 pm: Edit

"a separate agency acts as a check"

Well, if they weren't all part of the DOJ.

The real reason there used to be separate agencies is that each was established to serve it's department.

So
Treasury got Secret Service & ATF
FDA created DEA (IIRC)
Postal Inspectors
EPA investigators
DOI Forest Rangers
etc