pic.twitter.com/aZgsx4dH2p

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 14, 2024

ATL Bear said:

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whiterock said:

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There is no explanation for why there were no SS teams occupying the roof of the building the shooter used. It's a textbook spot an assassin could have used to execute a shot. It's so obvious. When doing the site survey.....look at a map, look at satellite imagery.....and that leaps out to the eye as the most obvious place to secure. Not just as a theoretical or a potential, not a suitable spot, but a PERFECT spot. CLOSE IN. GOOD ANGLE.

Digging deeper.....

Every terrorist act starts with a casing. The tangos are going to do their own site survey. They'll look at the maps. They'll form to tentative plans. Then they'll do a walk thru. They have to know what obstacles they might face on the way in, while there, on the way out. This kid didn't load up in the car and go sit in traffic until he could wander around and find a place to use. He left his home, armed, knowing exactly where he had to get to to take the shot....how to ingress without being noticed.....how to evade security perimeters, how to evade counter-surveillance, etc.... He did all that without being spotted by SS. He did the casing. He did the ingress. And he got in position to squeeze off a round.

The counter-terror imperative is to spot the planning, the casing, the preparations, the ingress.
Saying the SS failed on this one is a profound understatement. It's inexplicable how they could have not had a counter-sniper team posted at the spot the shooter used.

The agents on scene were heros. But the heroism does not excuse the catastrophic failure of planning, preparation, and execution of sound defense of the protectee. SS must separate leadership from service over this.

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This will be investigated and critical blunders will be exposed. My only comment is that when covering a large open outdoor area like this they don't typically put snipers in every position, only positions that serve as overwatches for all or most potential threat areas. So not having someone on the building isn't the failure from my perspective. Failing to manage ingress, either physical or surveillance, slow decision making, failed coordination with proximity support (the agents closest to Trump) and local law enforcement likely covering the area in question, and the most impactful and potentially scandalous one is, given the size of Trump events, how did the denial of additional resources sufficient to better secure him play into the failings. That last one gets the Director canned and puts culpability on some Congress people.

But I am confounded how the sniper team appeared to have the perpetrator in their LOS yet didn't fire until after he had. ROE is pretty clear on that. The entire exchange was 10 seconds from first shot to downed shooter. That doesn't happen unless there's already active engagement. And I'm assuming it was that team that killed the shooter and not some other team. Absolutely inconceivable.

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They didn't have to put a sniper team on that building. A couple of local cops would have been sufficient.

The point is to spot the most obvious positions which threaten the protectee, then deny possession of those positions to any adversary. Make an adversary shoot his way into position, thereby revealing himself. That gives time to get the protectee covered and exfil'd before the adversary can secure the position and project his threat downrange. There are several reports that a police office climbed a ladder, saw the perp, then scampered down the ladder when the perp pointed his rifle at him. If only that cop had fired off a round.....just ONE......immediate action drills commence and Trump is covered up before the perp can get reconfigured to squeeze off a round.

I'm neither a swat guy nor a sniper by trade, but presidential protection training is typically a CIA mission done with covert action funds in third world countries, so I have managed some "stuff.' The oversight here is so glaring. How on earth could they have left that rooftop unaddressed in their planning.......it's like choosing to build a fire next to the fuel storage tanks. WTH were they thinking?

Lots of conspiracy theories flying around about the assassination attempt.

Here’s what I’ve learned in the last 24 hours: pic.twitter.com/YVBmU1DWmW

— Rep. Jeff Jackson (@JeffJacksonNC) July 15, 2024

boognish_bear said:

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Time to point fingers

Secret Service says that it had no jurisdiction outside their perimeter, where the shooter was nestled. Say that’s state responsibility. State cops, on the other hand, say they can’t stop a gun-toting citizen from operating outside the perimeter, since PA law ok’s it. Jeez!!

— Dickie Scruggs (@DickScruggs) July 14, 2024

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Time to update the meme with PA State Police as well

How the hell are members of the public spotting an assassin on a roof just 150m from President Trump.. before the Secret Service did? pic.twitter.com/t2jKePjL63

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) July 15, 2024

boognish_bear said:

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How the hell are members of the public spotting an assassin on a roof just 150m from President Trump.. before the Secret Service did? pic.twitter.com/t2jKePjL63

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) July 15, 2024

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I'm not saying the SS covered themselves in glory here, but the reason the civilians spotted the guy first is that there are a lot more civilians than SS and always will be.

Amazing how many people's first rection was to get out their phones instead of hitting the deck.

“It was a 20 year old lone gunman with no social media footprint” pic.twitter.com/VoG0TaKX5c

— Swig 🇺🇸 (@OldRowSwig) July 15, 2024

Redbrickbear said:

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“It was a 20 year old lone gunman with no social media footprint” pic.twitter.com/VoG0TaKX5c

— Swig 🇺🇸 (@OldRowSwig) July 15, 2024

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I'm not one prone to go down rabbit holes....but the no social media footprint for this dude seems really odd

boognish_bear said:

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Redbrickbear said:

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“It was a 20 year old lone gunman with no social media footprint” pic.twitter.com/VoG0TaKX5c

— Swig 🇺🇸 (@OldRowSwig) July 15, 2024

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I'm not one prone to go down rabbit holes....but the no social media footprint for this dude seems really odd

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At least no social media anymore... wink wink, nod nod...

Chants of “Fight Fight Fight” open the RNC. ✊🏻✊🏻✊🏻 pic.twitter.com/vFRLLULJJz

— Richard A. Caster ✊🏻 (@RichardCaster) July 15, 2024

Aliceinbubbleland said:

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And another brilliant move GOP.

the RNC teleprompter goes out and Mike Johnson has to immediately flee the stage. yikes pic.twitter.com/oBsx9l15gH

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 15, 2024

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It's amazing they no one prints out their speeches anymore.

Everyone just completely relies on electronic devices

I mean we all know they read from preprepared speeches....just keep a physical copy in your pocket in case of things like this...

Redbrickbear said:

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Aliceinbubbleland said:

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And another brilliant move GOP.

the RNC teleprompter goes out and Mike Johnson has to immediately flee the stage. yikes pic.twitter.com/oBsx9l15gH

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 15, 2024

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It's amazing they no one prints out their speeches anymore.

Everyone just completely relies on electronic devices

I mean we all know they read from preprepared speeches....just keep a physical copy in your pocket in case of things like this...

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Or better yet, know what the hell you're gonna talk about!

Kamala straight up called Biden a racist at the Dem debate...then took the VP position.

you guys do understand how politics work, right?

Jack Bauer said:

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"Republicans pounce on assassination attempt..."

“It cannot be stressed enough: Violence should have no place in American political life. But one cannot let the matter rest there…It took only minutes for Trump’s allies and supporters to turn the bloody episode into a battering ram against Democrats…” https://t.co/bxl09K7lwo

— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) July 15, 2024

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Because Democrats have never taken advantage of violence to use as a battering against Republicans. They'd never use something like a police shooting, or a mass shooting, or a riot…

Forgot how much I missed this page during my 4 year political sabbatical...