{"blocks":[{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"It's been three weeks since 20 year old Thomas Matthew Crooks allegedly took several shots at former president Donald Trump from atop an American Glass Research building roughly 150 meters away from Trumps podium at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Grazing Trump's right ear, killing one bystander, and wounding two others before being neutralized by the Secret Service. In that time since the dust has begun to settle, an official narrative has started to take shape, the head of the secret service has resigned in disgrace, and yet for the most part still no one really knows what happened."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"How was a 20 year old just barely out of high school able to outsmart the most sophisticated security team on the planet and come within mere inches of ending the life of a former president as he campaigns for reelection?"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"As we dig further into this story and new evidence comes to light it only serves to further complicate an already complex web of contradiction."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"While we don't purport to have all the answers, the purpose of this article is to outline information and events as we know them in order to best discern the truth."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"WHO WAS THOMAS MATTHEW CROOKS?"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"The facts surrounding the background of Trump's would-be assassin are just as convoluted as the rest of this story, but a good place to start nonetheless. So who is Thomas Matthew Crooks? The truth of the answer is, we don't really know much. At least not in the sense of a consistent profile is concerned, no thanks to the contradictory media reports surrounding him and is ideology."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"What little information we do know about Crooks is that he was a 20 year old former student of Bethel Park high school, a straight A student with a clean disciplinary history graduating with honors in 2022 and going on to the Community College of Allegheny County where he recently graduated with an associate’s degree in engineering science. At the time of the shooting he was employed by the Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center as a dietary aide."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"As far as an official motive is concerned as of the time of this writing it is still under investigation by the FBI with no clear reasons for the shooting yet given."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"One may believe, despite the toxicity that identity politics has ingrained into society, that considering assassinations of politicians are always rooted in a political incentive that we may be able to discern some of Crooks' motive by analyzing his political identity."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"However that has proven to be one of the earliest areas of contention in this whole saga, with a series of media contradictions further muddying the waters amid a slew of misinformation spreading online, including falsely identifying Italian sports journalist Marco Violi as the would-be assassin in the immediate aftermath of the shooting prior to Crooks' identity being officially confirmed by the FBI. As well as afterward debunked images circulating on social media falsely claiming Thomas Crooks was transgender."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"According to information released by authorities Thomas Crooks was a registered republican, and yet statements by his former classmates raise questions to the certainty of his political beliefs. "}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Reporting from The Philadelphia Inquirer paints Crooks as having \"conservative political leanings\", with one former student, Max R. Smith, recalling a mock political debate the class engaged in, stating:"}},{"type":"quote","data":{"text":"

“The majority of the class were on the liberal side, but Tom, no matter what, always stood his ground on the conservative side,” Smith said. “That’s still the picture I have of him. Just standing alone on one side while the rest of the class was on the other... It makes me wonder why he would carry out an assassination attempt on the conservative candidate.”

","alignment":"left"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"However according to other reports Crooks was said to have had a strong dislike of all politicians including Donald Trump, according to former classmate Vincent Taormina as interviewed by Fox News."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Yet, even more contradictorily, a separate interview by Fox News with another one of Crooks' former classmates, Sarah D'Angelo, paints a different picture. D'Angelo states she had known Crooks for years, though the pair did not have a particularly close friendship, they had attended the same government studies classes. According to D'Angelo, Crooks had \"no outward political views\". This statement also aligns with statements of former coworkers who told CNN Crooks \"never expressed political views at work and wasn’t “a radical.”"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Oftentimes we can look to the social media activity of a culprit to provide clues as to their psychological state, motive, or political identity. However here Thomas Crooks' social media presence is conspicuously absent, a fact which raises questions of its own. Notwithstanding this however, Crooks was not entirely social media adjacent. Among the reports surfacing is information indicating he did have an active account on the popular gaming platform Discord."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Though following a thorough investigation a representative for the company would state —"}},{"type":"quote","data":{"text":"

\"Based on our investigation, the suspect rarely used Discord and had not been active in months, and we found no evidence that he planned this incident, promoted violence, or discussed his political views on Discord.\"

","alignment":"left"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Additionally initial reports Seemingly indicated Thomas Crooks also possessed an active account on the gaming community Steam, where he was alleged to have posted cryptic messages prior to the July 13th rally. However officials have since come out to affirm that the account in the shooters name was fake. "}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Furthermore, the founder of the alternative social media company Gab has come forward with information alleging that Thomas Crooks also seemingly had an account on their platform which was used to share pro-Biden messages. Though these claims have not been independently verified by investigators."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Congressional testimony from FBI director Christopher Wray has also revealed that Thomas Crooks used a number of encrypted messaging apps tied to overseas companies which has spurred some speculation online of foreign involvement. However, as explained in an analysis from PolitiFact, the use of encryption is widespread throughout numerous applications and not necessarily indicative of a broader conspiracy."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Regarding reports of his home too, discrepancies and contradictions are the norm. While multiple media outlets have now reported the political affiliations of Thomas Crooks' parents, his mother being a registered Democrat while his father a registered Libertarian, Fox News reports interviews with neighbors who assert that they \"appeared to never have campaign signs of any stripe in their Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, yard.\" "}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"One neighbor, a local GOP campaigner identified as Amy, went so far as to say \"the media would be hard-pressed to find a neighbor who could vouch for any signs having been seen in the Crooks' yard.\""}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Despite this bold assertion, the very next day Newsweek would report the exact opposite as yet another neighbor, Kelly Little, would attest \"there absolutely was MAGA-supporting signs for a while,\" adding that she had seen pro-Trump signs in the family's yard as recently as a few months ago."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" Finally, one last piece of the puzzle regarding Crooks' political affiliations pertains to information showing that on the day of Joe Biden's inauguration Thomas Crooks made a $15 donation to left wing political action committee (PAC) the Progressive Turnout Project (some mainstream media outlets incorrectly identify the PAC as ActBlue). It was a year later when Crooks turned 18 that he registered as a republican."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Some on the right have taken to pointing to the donation as \"evidence\" that Crooks was actually a leftist disguising himself as a conservative. However, a report published by investigative journalist Ryan Grim reveals that even here there is more to the story than meets the eye."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"According to Grim, rather than being a legitimate political action committee, the Progressive Turnout Project is in his words \"one of those spammy PACs that carpet bombs your inbox, delivering emails with splashy colors and wild fonts and using every trick in the book to convince people to give small amounts of money\", going on to say;"}},{"type":"quote","data":{"text":"

Crooks’s donation, the PAC told Drop Site in a statement, “came in response to an email about tuning into the inauguration.” In other words, the mere fact of his having given to this PAC on this day, based on that kind of an email, tells us very little about his politics.

","alignment":"left"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Aside from speculation on his political identity, other contradictory reports concern whether or not Crooks was the subject of bullying, and suggestions that this may have played a role in Crooks' actions. Former classmate Jason Kohler stated during an interview that Crooks was a \"loner\" and an \"outcast\" who was regularly bullied, while other statements such as those from the aforementioned Sarah D'Angelo dispute that claim."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"During her interview D'Angelo had stated that though Crooks was quiet he did have his own group of friends, calling him kind and saying that it didn't appear he was the target of harsh bullying. Another former student, Mark Sigafoos, stated in his interview in the earlier referenced report from the Inquirer that “I don’t think he was as harshly bullied as some people are saying.”"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"As far as the school is concerned, an official statement from the Bethel Park school district as well as statements made by former school counselor Jim Knapp, who retired the same year Crooks graduated, both deny that any bullying of Thomas Matthew Crooks took place."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Some law enforcement sources have suggested, according to the New York Post, that the uncertainty of Crooks' political beliefs combined with his researching of various mass shooters and assassins such as school shooter Ethan Crumbley and JFK gunman Lee Harvey Oswald, as well as the times and dates of both Democrat and Republican political events and images of various political figures found on his phone imply that his targeting of Trump was motivated more by convenience and the desire to carry out a high profile killing rather than by a specific political ideology."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"THE LEAD UP TO THE SHOOTING"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"A number of anomalies occurred in the lead up to the shooting which potentially raise a series of serious questions, most notably the prospect of whether or not anyone else had prior knowledge?"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Media reports indicate that leading up to the day of the shooting Thomas Matthew Crooks' actions were generally typical of someone planning a shooting. As per The New York Times, geolocation data from a cell phone linked to Crooks indicates that he was likely in the area of the Butler Farm Show grounds scoping out the site of the rally on July 7th after researching the location of the rally days prior. Notably it is mentioned this was a day before law enforcement and Secret Service officials performed their first security checks of the area."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Days later on July 12th, the day before the shooting, he spent time practicing on the gun range of Clairton Sportsmen's Club, a gun club about 25 minutes from his home where both he and his father are members and often go to shoot. This detail is notable due to earlier reports that interviews of former classmates reveal that Crooks was rejected from his high school rifle team for his poor shooting skills, which initially raised questions as to how the gunman could be so accurate at such a distance during his assassination attempt."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"We can likely infer that in the years following his ouster from the rifle team that he dedicated time to improving his marksmanship. Nevertheless, another contrasting report conflicts with this narrative, as TMZ reports, according to statements from the owners, staff, and members of the Clairton Sportsman's Club, Crooks and his father were relatively unknown to everyone. "}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"However other odd occurrences raise even more baffling questions in the days leading up to the attack."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"According to investigative journalist Derrick Broze, four days prior to the shooting a member participating in a Twitter spaces live stream stated on two occasions to have purportedly been told of an attempted assassination against Donald Trump in Pennsylvania."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"At the time of the livestream, former president Trump was in Florida. This certainly adds to the confusion as it seemingly appears as though someone had advanced knowledge of the attack. What are we to make of this odd instance?"}},{"id":"h1mg06wk-yrnjhrza","type":"embed","data":{"service":"twitter","source":"https://twitter.com/DBrozeLiveFree/status/1813271133992394802","embed":"https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?id=1813271133992394802","caption":""}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Furthermore, odd stock market activity the day prior to the shooting has also raised a series of questions as to the possibility of foreknowledge. Reports appear to indicate that stocks for the Trump Media and Technology Group (TMTG) were heavily shorted less than 24 hours before the shooting, indicating an anticipation of a significant drop in stock value by July 15th. Though this was later seemingly explained away as a \"clerical error\" by the investment firm Austin Private Wealth, where the filing took place."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"According to CBS News, when markets opened up on the Monday following the survived assassination attempt, Trump's stock prices surged. This comes only a month after Newsweek reported said stocks were approaching rock bottom."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Perhaps unrelated though still worthy of note, it may also be worth mentioning that once again the day before the shooting an announcement by Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, fully restored Donald Trump's ability to post on their platforms. Seemingly coincidentally just before the media firestorm in the wake of the assassination attempt. "}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"THE DAY OF THE SHOOTING"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Undoubtedly the majority of anomalies related to this event occurred on the day of the incident. Reports indicate that on the morning of July 13th Thomas Matthew Crooks would leave his home and once again travel to the site of the rally set to take place in the early afternoon. While there, it is reported he would conduct reconnaissance of the area by flying a drone over the rally site, somehow going completely undetected by the Secret Service who would have been already in the process of securing the site."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"From there it is reported that Crooks would travel to Home Depot where he would purchase a 5 foot ladder, and then proceed to Allegheny Arms and Gun Works, a local gun store near his home, to purchase the ammunition that he would use later that day. It is then said that he made his way home one final time to retrieve his father's AR15 rifle."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Various news outlets reported that the parents of Thomas Crooks called the police hours before the shooting took place, informing law enforcement that their son was missing and they were concerned for his well-being. The precise reason for their concern is currently unknown. "}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"As the hours of the day continue to tick away to the time of the shooting the abnormalities and supposed security lapses only continue to increase."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"CNN reports that three hours prior to the start of the rally Thomas Crooks first aroused suspicion from event security at a screening area when metal detectors found him to be in possession of a range finder, a device used by shooters to calculate the distance to a target, but took no further action and only kept an eye on him until he left the secure area."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"The Daily Mail reports he was later identified by law enforcement and Secret Service as acting suspiciously, constantly checking his phone and was once again seen with the range finder. The same report indicates that one hour before the shooting took place the Secret Service circulated a photograph taken of Thomas Crooks identifying him as a suspicious individual. Though despite this no further action was taken by authorities and they somehow lost track of him after this point."}},{"type":"image","data":{"file":{"url":"https://thefreethoughtproject.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjA4MTMxMTg5NzU0NTcwMzg0/6780aafdf10725303477f2d5236b3d6008e5044b.png"},"caption":"Source: Daily Mail \">The final photo of Thomas Matthew Crooks, taken and circulated by the Secret Service | Source: Daily Mail "}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Video taken by a rally goer obtained exclusively by WTAE ABC 4 News Pittsburgh appears to show Crooks pacing suspiciously around the building he would later take up as a firing position approximately one hour before the shooting took place."}},{"id":"18af1ley-xxtuldt1","type":"embed","data":{"service":"youtube","source":"https://www.youtube.com/embed/v5eP4Y69Oe0","embed":"https://www.youtube.com/embed/v5eP4Y69Oe0","caption":"","height":"auto","width":"100%"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Despite allegedly losing track of an identified suspicious individual with a range finder, a report from Pittsburgh's WPXI channel 11 news indicates that one of the members of the local ESU team dispatched from neighboring Beaver county to reinforce the rally also radioed in to identify Thomas Crooks as a person of interest upon observing his suspicious behavior on the ground and photographing him on the roof of the building from which he would later fire from, approximately half an hour before the shooting took place. "}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Further reports from ABC News confirm that members of the Secret Service sniper team then also identified Thomas Crooks on the rooftop of the AGR building approximately 20 minutes before gunfire erupted. Still no further action was taken."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"In a further damning escalation of events it was then later revealed by Senators following a briefing with the Secret Service in the aftermath of the shooting that 10 minutes prior to Donald Trump's appearance Secret Service communicated that the suspicious individual later identified as Thomas Crooks was upgraded from a person of interest to a threat. Despite this Trump was still allowed to go out on stage."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"In the final fateful minutes leading up to the shooting eyewitnesses Later speaking with news sources on the ground reported their frantic attempts to notify law enforcement of the threat. One witness, identified as Greg Smith, interviewed by the BBC's Gary O'Donoghue recounted attempting to get the attention of authorities for upwards of three to four minutes before the shots rang out."}},{"id":"qcpt7v72-yqe09ymu","type":"embed","data":{"service":"youtube","source":"https://www.youtube.com/embed/8EqVzRlPlBw","embed":"https://www.youtube.com/embed/8EqVzRlPlBw","caption":"","height":"auto","width":"100%"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"The Washington Post reports that Smith is among several witnesses who tried desperately in vain to alert law enforcement officials to Crooks' presence on the roof within the last few minutes before he opened fire."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Additionally, in recent days new video footage initially confiscated by the FBI has come to light. Shot from the perspective of a rally goer right next to the building where Thomas Crooks would fire from, the video shows several police on high alert surrounding the building with guns drawn up to two minutes before shots rang out."}},{"id":"b3tftslx-4hqu5qbr","type":"embed","data":{"service":"youtube","source":"https://www.youtube.com/embed/28lxF9LONGk","embed":"https://www.youtube.com/embed/28lxF9LONGk","caption":"","height":"auto","width":"100%"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"If a threat was credible enough for law enforcement to surround the building with guns drawn it should have been credible enough to get Donald Trump off of that stage. Still no action was taken."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Despite ample opportunity over the course of an hour with several compounding warnings it took until the very last minute for authorities to respond to Thomas Crooks."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Furthermore, despite statements made by Butler Township Manager Tom Knights confirming that in the moments before the shots were fired officers radioed a 'blanket tactical channel' of an imminent threat, a recent report from NBC News highlights that, for whatever reason, Secret Service and local law enforcement were not communicating on the same radio channel due to a \"unique command set up\" which stationed Secret Service and local law enforcement at different command posts, leading to communication failures. As such, acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe affirmed in a press briefing that warnings of a shooter on the rooftop made by local law enforcement were not heard by Secret Service agents. "}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"NBC News also reports that the Secret Service had previously identified the rooftop where Crooks would eventually take up his position as a potential security vulnerability the day prior. Despite this the Secret Service claims that local law enforcement were tasked with securing the building outside of the rally site perimeter, nonetheless, local police claim they informed the Secret Service that they lacked the resources and manpower to effectively secure the building."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"A report from local media WTVQ ABC 36 indicates that the very same building was being used as a staging area for a local law enforcement tactical team, likely the SWAT team sniper unit from neighboring Beaver County which the Washington Post reports was dispatched as reinforcements to assist with crowd over watch and stationed within the building, that somehow failed to identify the would-be assassin in their midst."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"In a posting on X (formerly Twitter), Representative of Arizona's second Congressional district and former Navy SEAL Eli Crane published videos taken during his walkthrough of the site of the shooting, demonstrating the close proximity of the over watch unit directly adjacent from the firing position of Thomas Crooks which somehow failed to neutralize him."}},{"id":"93y36lfl-f5cfzkub","type":"embed","data":{"service":"twitter","source":"https://twitter.com/RepEliCrane/status/1815432341373780041","embed":"https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?id=1815432341373780041","caption":""}},{"id":"bsv64rxr-bq7wgcby","type":"embed","data":{"service":"twitter","source":"https://twitter.com/RepEliCrane/status/1815453681267208597","embed":"https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?id=1815453681267208597","caption":""}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"CBS News and other outlets report that when Crooks finally took his firing position on the rooftop of the building he was positioned \"above and behind\" the sniper team stationed inside of it. However the footage posted by Representative Crane appears to contradict that narrative."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Questions have also been raised regarding the apparent finding of explosive devices in Thomas Crooks' car, along with a remote detonator discovered next to his body. According to reports, authorities found multiple improvised explosive devices inside of Thomas Crooks' vehicle and home amid searches conducted following the attempted assassination."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Though even here a seeming contradiction arises. While most reports detail Crooks' vehicle as a \"car\", oftentimes omitting the make and model, some reports such as in the New York Times explicitly describe the vehicle as a Hyundai Sonata. In stark contrast to other reports such as those published by Fox News describing the vehicle as a van, including video of a white van being searched by police. It appears this anomaly in reporting has yet to be explained."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Furthermore, reports are surfacing detailing that Crooks used a series of aliases beginning in the spring of 2023 to purchase over two dozen firearms as well as chemicals used to manufacture the explosives."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"However a number of people have raised questions regarding that fact, including military personnel such as former green beret sniper and explosives expert Matt Tardio, who has spoken out raising a series of compelling questions; including where did Crooks manufacture his explosives considering his parents would have likely smelled the strong odor of the chemicals used? Where were the explosives stored and tested? And how precisely he went about manufacturing said explosives? Tardio then insinuates Thomas Crooks could have been an asset for a foreign actor."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Tardio would not be the only person with a military background to question the seeming ease with which Crooks was able to carry out his assassination attempt of the former president."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" Dallas Alexander, a veteran sniper of Canada's tier one special operations unit Joint Task Force 2 (JTF2), a unit which holds the world record for the longest confirmed sniper kill, took to Instagram to voice his perspective."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Stating that throughout his 17 year career VIP protection including of Canada's Prime Minister was a frequent job with which his team was tasked, given his expertise in the field Alexander stated his opinion matter-of-factly; \"I have no doubt in my mind that the shooter had help from somewhere within an agency, an organization, or the government,”"}},{"id":"cccdktbf-bgymi5ws","type":"embed","data":{"service":"instagram","source":"https://www.instagram.com/p/reel:C9aU1CsOR9i","embed":"https://www.instagram.com/p/reel:C9aU1CsOR9i","caption":"","height":"auto","width":"100%"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"OTHER ANOMALIES"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"In the wake of the shooting blame continues to shift as authorities work to pass off responsibility to one another. "}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"While some look towards holding local law enforcement at fault for the lapses in security, as among other issues it has been revealed the local Butler Township police department was without a chief at the time of the shooting which likely contributed to failures in the chain of command, much of the scrutiny is focused towards the Secret Service whom for all intents and purposes is always charged with overall security of political figures."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"In addition to the various lapses and anomalies that took place on the day of the shooting numerous other failures raise questions concerning the seemingly lackadaisical approach of ensuring the safety of a presidential candidate during an election campaign."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Reports have surfaced indicating that despite offers made by local law enforcement to provide the Secret Service with drones for overhead surveillance of the rally, the Secret Service declined the offer. A particularly odd judgment call concerning the aforementioned fact that the Secret Service was aware local law enforcement was lacking the resources needed to effectively secure the venue. One would think they would take every advantage possible to cover any and all security concerns."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"It is worth considering then whether this supposed oversight will now be capitalized upon to increase drone surveillance of political rallies going forward, further aiding the expansive mass surveillance apparatus of the national security state. "}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"This odd behavior is even further compounded by the fact that reports indicate Secret Service had supposedly already heightened security at the July 13th rally in lieu of intelligence suggesting an alleged assassination plot from Iran, which was later said to be unconnected. This again poses the question why the agency would not take advantage of every possible opportunity to ensure tight security."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Amid a flurry of pointing fingers in the immediate aftermath of the shooting questions swirled regarding allegations of lax Secret Service protection, even there there is a notable lack of consistency."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"The Secret Service came under increased scrutiny following statements by Donald Trump himself, indicating he had never been given any warnings of a possible threat ahead of time, despite as previously mentioned the Secret Service having identified Thomas Crooks as a threat 10 minutes before Trump took the stage. Trump would also go on to later chastise former Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle following her resignation, stating —"}},{"type":"quote","data":{"text":"

\"She never gave me proper protection, so I ended up having to take a bullet for democracy,\" Adding, \"Many requests were made by on-site Secret Service for more people, always with a turn down or no response,\" …. \"I have the biggest crowds in history, and they should be treated accordingly.\"

","alignment":"left"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Trump's statements that his team had requested additional resources in recent years and had been denied by the Secret Service were apparently confirmed in a report from CNN citing officials familiar with the matter. While the Washington Examiner reports that the Secret Service implicitly denies that resources have been withheld for the July 13th rally, both sources citing Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"The excuses made by the former Secret Service director attempting to explain away the lack of an agent positioned on the roof of the AGR building have equally come under heavy scrutiny, blaming the decision on the slope of the roof despite counter snipers being placed on a rooftop with a much steeper incline."}},{"type":"image","data":{"file":{"url":"https://thefreethoughtproject.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjA4MzYyODQzMzc5MDgyODk2/photo_2024-08-05_18-27-35.jpg"},"caption":""}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Adding to the confusion, in recent weeks alleged whistleblowers from within the Secret Service have supposedly come forward, though under the cover of anonymity, revealing information to members of Congress that continue to compound this already convoluted fiasco."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Speaking to senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) and others, the whistleblowers have supposedly made a series of damning allegations, including claims that the Secret Service site agent in charge of security at the Butler rally was inexperienced and a known issue for the Trump team, as well as claiming that the majority of agents at the rally were not in fact Secret Service but rather belonged to Homeland Security."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Other allegations assert that acting Secret Service director Ronald Rowe ordered cuts to the agencies threat assessment team, and perhaps most damning of all — reports alleging that there was supposed to be at least one officer or agent stationed on top of the roof used by Thomas Crooks, but who ultimately abandoned their post due to the heat."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"All of these allegations, if true, continue to paint a picture of severe negligence on the part of the Secret Service which potentially add credence to the suggestions made by some that such negligence was purposeful. At the very least if these claims are to be believed at face value it paints a picture of gross incompetence. Though that still doesn't quite explain away a number of the other anomalous circumstances."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Paramount among these, information has arisen which raises questions whether or not the FBI, notably notorious for its history of obfuscation, is telling the entire truth about what it knew and when it knew it. "}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"As reported by The Western Journal, an investigation from the Oversight Project purports a bombshell revelation asserting that cell phone data indicates an unknown individual made several visits to the home and workplace of Thomas Crooks as well as to the Washington DC FBI field office in Gallery Place. Raising further questions of who this device belonged to, and exactly what was going on?"}},{"id":"2ve9cn8n-ct4wohjw","type":"embed","data":{"service":"twitter","source":"https://twitter.com/OversightPR/status/1815446057829974267","embed":"https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?id=1815446057829974267","caption":""}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"though for transparencies sake a potential conflict of interest where this matter is concerned should also be noted. While the Oversight Project is a self-described government transparency organization, the group itself belongs to the neoconservative think tank the Heritage Foundation."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"The same Heritage Foundation spearheading Project 2025 — reviled as a conservative road map to radically restructure the US government during the next republican administration (warned by some as posing an imminent threat to various American civil liberties, while countered by others such as independent journalist Michael Tracey who highlights that in spite of the uproar much of the project already strongly aligns with the pre-existing bipartisan agenda of Reagan-era imperialist U.S. policy) which, despite being disavowed by the Trump campaign, is largely made-up of former members of the Trump administration and whose policy platforms largely adhere to the MAGA agenda."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"One could potentially argue that the harsh critiques and so far unsubstantiated claims of the Oversight Project fall in line with the greater agenda of the Heritage Foundation's bid to restructure the government may be more than mere coincidence. Though that is yet to be seen. "}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Another matter worthy of being addressed is Trump himself. Since the day of the shooting numerous conspiracy theories abound regarding the entire incident, some focusing on Trump's injury. Yet both sides of the aisle have demonstrated a remarkable though typical lack of nuance."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"While many on the left have attempted to assert the entire event was a staged publicity stunt, many on the right, even those typically wary of false flags and government shenanigans, have been ardently hesitant to ask questions, with some going so far as to share easily debunkable misinformation. "}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Further still, even mainstream reports did their part to muddy the waters. Early reports by Newsmax and Axios and later amplified by Raw Story posited that statements from police claimed that Trump was hit by fragments of glass from a teleprompter rather than the bullet itself. Shortly thereafter these statements were walked back. "}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Speculation once again arose when FBI director Christopher Wray testified to Congress once again raising the question as to whether or not Donald Trump's ear was actually hit by a bullet and not, as Wray suggested, shrapnel. The FBI director immediately came under heavy scrutiny for his comments which the FBI subsequently once again walked back by later issuing a statement reaffirming that Trump was indeed hit by a bullet."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"However despite all of this. legitimate questions as to the nature of Trump's injury do still remain. The newly surface photographs of his on bandaged ear post shooting appear remarkably undamaged."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Independent journalist and host of The Last American Vagabond Ryan Cristian recently analyzed some of these claims."}},{"id":"bqwf6s82-10xkzxni","type":"embed","data":{"service":"twitter","source":"https://twitter.com/TLAVagabond/status/1818730148881219681","embed":"https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?id=1818730148881219681","caption":""}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Adding to this is the burning question of whether or not Thomas crooks actually acted alone. While the FBI was quick to publicly state that he did (prior to any in depth investigation) that has not stopped many from raising the question due to all of the obviously present abnormalities. "}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"CBS News along with a slew of other corporate media emphatically state \"there is no evidence of a second shooter\". Which, while technically true for the time being there is still enough speculative and circumstantial evidence in the form of eyewitness testimony which warrants a thorough investigation rather than callous dismissal."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"One thread on X (formerly Twitter) contains a compilation of at least six different witnesses statements attesting to a second shooter, including from US Ambassador Kip Tom who was seated in the front row. "}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Meanwhile audio forensic analysis from the National Center for Media Forensics at the University of Colorado in Denver indicates that between two to three weapons were fired at the rally on the day of the shooting. This would be consistent with reports that local police also returned fire on Thomas Crooks, implying the three weapons fired belonging to Crooks, the Secret Service counter sniper, and a local law enforcement officer respectively."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"CONCLUSION"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"All in all, these glaring discrepancies continue to compound mystery on top of mystery. We are left with few if any concrete answers, and a myriad of confounding questions."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"No matter how we look at it every possible theory has gaping holes in it."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"If there was more than one shooter, Trump's likelihood of survival drastically goes down. Making the fact that he was only seemingly grazed in the ear by a bullet all that more miraculous. Or if not to kill Donald Trump, what then would the purpose be for such an operation with multiple gunmen?"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"If it truly was the act of a crazed lone gunman how could he possibly, regardless of any prior preparation, be knowledgeable enough to effectively exploit every security vulnerability to his advantage? And how is it that he would know such vulnerabilities would even be present?"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"If we are to believe the alleged attempt on Trump's life is truly just a grandiose failure of protocol it would have to be an astounding mixture of luck on the part of Thomas Crooks and profound negligent incompetence on the part of every official present that day. From the Secret Service, to the state police, to the local police, to the event staff security. Such a catastrophic failure on all levels would have to be so astronomical it would border on statistically improbable."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"What of the prevailing notion that the attempt on Trump's life was a sinister plot by \"deep state\" actors attempting to rid themselves of their most troublesome adversary? "}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Are we to seriously believe that the same shadowy institutions that have been able to successfully carry out the murder of their foes, including sitting president John F Kennedy and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr — the same deep state that successfully orchestrated the murder of thousands of American citizens to usher in a new imperialist foreign policy with the false flag attacks of September 11th, 2001 — the same cabal that fooled the world into three years worth of lockdowns, unscientific mandates, corporatist wealth transfer, and toxic experimental injections — the same supposedly all-powerful entities seemingly ushering in a New World Order under all of our noses — somehow failed so spectacularly that multiple seemingly highly trained marksman (or an MK Ultra stooge) weren't able to eliminate a stationary target at an outdoor event that was allegedly set up perfectly to accomplish exactly that?"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Conversely, what exactly would the motivation be in that scenario for the so-called deep state to eliminate Donald Trump? Considering, as we have reported multiple times previously, despite the prevailing false dichotomy Donald Trump is not in fact any significant threat to the establishment. To the contrary, the irrefutable evidence clearly demonstrates the opposite."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"From being a tool for the military industrial complex, to pardoning corrupt bankers, appointing corporate lobbyists, the persecution of Julian Assange, the expansion of the police state, the reauthorization of warrantless mass surveillance, increased gun control, and shilling for big pharma both before and during the COVID crisis and much much more; It is painfully obvious to anyone who bothers to objectively analyze the facts that Donald Trump is not a friend of liberty. "}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"His entire administration was spent serving the establishment while simultaneously being propped up by that very same establishment as a false prophet through political theater meant to reinforce the fake left versus right paradigm and make him appear as a hero to the common man, ensuring the continuation of the statist status quo. Therefore any assertion that the same establishment would want him dead, in reality, holds very little weight. "}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Beyond this, what will the fallout from this fiasco be? One can easily look towards a number of aspects in the narratives purported as being potentially useful as a pretext to further advance technocratic agendas. "}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"The allegation that Thomas Crooks used multiple aliases to purchase his bomb making materials online seems coincidentally timed right as efforts have increased to implement online digital ID verification."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"The allegation that Thomas Crooks is said to have used encrypted messaging apps seems coincidentally timed just as anti-privacy legislation has been recently introduced to restrict encryption."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"What are we to make of all of these glaring mainstream media and mainstream alternative media narrative contradictions that to the casual observer almost seem as if they're being deliberately amplified, almost as if it's a new form of meta-propaganda?"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"All of these questions and more continue to persist even weeks after the attempt on Donald Trump's life. They present the clearest case of all why, for those of us concerned with the truth, we must always question everything. "}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Regardless of ones political leanings the ramifications of this event are historic and they will not go away. Rest assured they will be called upon in months and years to come as justification for any number of political chicanery. It will, regardless of ideology, persist to have a profound impact on all of our lives. And for that reason we must not stop until we get to the bottom of it."}}]}

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