I wrote yesterday that there was something that was just off about the attempted assassination of Traitor Tot yesterday afternoon. Well, today the Sheriff, FBI, and Secret Service went before the cameras to come clean, to tell you everything we have. And now it makes less sense than it did last night.
For starters, the whole bunch of them were full of sh*t. No law enforcement officer tells you everything they know. For starters, law enforcement investigating a high profile crime keep what they call key questions. Most high profile crimes have wet brains who call up to confess and to taunt the police. If they’re not totally ridiculous, they’re asked the key question(s) that only the cops and presumably the bad guy would know. Also, investigations take time, and cops aren’t about to give out potential evidence they have still pending verification. So we didn’t get everything.
But what we did hear was worse, far worse. But I’ll lead off with the one that’s stuck with me all damn day, simply because it makes nonsense out of everything else. The Secret Service Acting Director stated that Traitor Tot’s visit to Trump International was OTB. And no, that doesn’t mean Off Track Betting. Anybody with an official Secret Service Decoder Ring, available in Cap’n Crunch boxes everywhre knows it means an Off The Books visit or trip.
In other words, Trump’s visit to the golf course wasn’t on the schedule. Apparently he woke up this morning, had a double stuffed omelet and extra greasy hash browns, and told his security detail head, F*ck it, let’s go golfing at Trump Int’l today. So the team looked at the plans, set up a 3 tier security perimeter, and off they went, coordinating with local authorities.
So many things wrong. For starters, information released by law enforcement proves that cell phone tracking shows that the suspect got to the outside golf course perimiter, parked his truck off the road on the shoulder, and was in that area for almost 12 hours before being discovered by a Secret Service advance man for being an idiot.
Common sense says that if the suspect was there for 12 hours, then the goddamn truck was sitting there for 12 hours. And we know it was because a passing local motorist thought it looked suspicious, took a picture of the truck and its license plate, and turned it over to the cops. This is how they were able to zero in on and locate the truck so quickly after the suspect took off after being fired at.
Now you gotta know that the Secret Service started setting up their perimeter at least two hours before El Pendejo ex Presidente’s arrival. And in all of that time, nobody, local cops, County Sheriff, or Secret Service bothered to cruise that public access road just outside the preimeter of the fence?! You’re doing something wrong when a local citizen minding his own business knows more about an attempted assassination than the Secret Service does. But then again, in July, several rally attendees and passersby tried to warn the local cops and Secret Service of a man walking around on the roof with an assault rifle. Clearly their interagency communications haven’t improved.
But here’s what really sticks in my craw. This was an OTB trip, which means the decision was made at the last moment. How the hell did the suspect know where he was going to be and when, especially if he showed up at the site at two in the freakin’ morning?
One possible explanation that was hauled out was that the suspect used logical deduction. Trump likes to golf, Trump was in south Florida, so why not stake out Trump International and see if he could get lucky? This could explain why he showed up in the middle of the night under the cover of darkness to set up.
Here’s why not. By far and away Trump’s most popular and convenient links is Mar-A-Slob-O. He plays most of his golf there, just ask the Secret Service. Not only that, but in addition to Mar-A-Slob-O and Trump International, Trump also owns Trump Doral just down the road. This ass clown was betting 12 hours of possible exposure on a 1-3 chance of seeing Trump. How lucky is that?
Just a quick example to show how ridiculous this is. I wouldn’t know Taylor Swift if I bumped into her on the Strip. But let’s say I’m obsessed with Taylor Swift. But I know that Taylor Swift likes to catch the Kansas City Chiefs games when she’s free, to watch Travis Kelsey play. Now, there’s nothing on her schedule even indicating that she’s free to go to the game on Sunday. But I have a hunch. So I creep out to Arrowhead Stadium in the middle of the ight, lurk around in cul-de-sacs and shadows, pick a random gate out of probably about 20-30 possible entry gates, and patiently wait for Taylor Swift to walk by, so I can jump out and slobber all over her or whatever. Good luck with that one.
Look, as far as I’m concerned, you can’t rack up over 100 criminal arrests on charges in less than 12 years in North Carolina and be considered a master criminal. Proof positive, one of the things he left behind was a bag with ceramic tiles in it, which he apparently planned to put in body pouches to make body armor. Like that’ll work. This guy is lucky to be able to tie his shoes. How is he going to pull something like this off? As Mr. Spock would say, I’m sorry Jim, but that is illogical.
I thank you for the privilege of your time.
I hate to correct you Murf but Mar A Lago doesn’t have a golf course. Not even a putt-putt one. I’m not even sure it has a putting green on the grounds. Trump cheats like hell so why would bother practicing his putting? Now, he owns a couple of courses quite near Mar A Lago that can be driven to in ten minutes or so which is about as much patience as he’s got. There’s Doral and the one he played at yesterday – Trump International which is bordered down one side by a wide, busy street with all kinds of non Trump stuff across the road. A security nightmare.
Now, being a golfer (or former one) something else I can point out is that a scorecard with a layout of virtually any course in America is easily available. You can call one up online and print it out. And people play the holes in succession so while someone might start out way the hell out of view if a goober with bad intentions picks a spot to hide along the course the target will eventually come into view. At that point the question of guts and/or craziness kicks in. Maybe they chicken out when it’s time to take the shot. THIS guy clearly wanted to get away. NO suicide misssion for this one.
You DO make a great point about his vehicle sitting there on a busy thoroughfare for all that time. That it wasn’t patrolled and no one ran the plates is rather incredible now that I think about it. When the little device in the cop car started spitting out details on the owner you’d think the radio waves would have lit the hell up with danger calls. The agents had set up a good plan but still, Trump shouldn’t have been allowed to start his round in the first place.
He’s too goddamned predictable about where he plays. The would be shooter had a 50-50 chance of getting a shot at Trump because on a Sunday morning without rain he’s going to the golf course! And if he’s at Mar A Lago that’s two choices to stake out. If the goober had guessed wrong he’d likely have hung around for a week and tried again.
But again you’re absolutely right. To say it was an unscheduled trip is like saying when I was married my ex and I would head to the Commissary either Sat. or Sunday and it was almost always one of two choices we could use. If we didn’t go on Sat. then for sure on Sunday morning we’d go and anyone who knew us knew it.
The vehicle apparently belonged to his daughter. So maybe no red flags.
Aha, tRump incompetence. Can even F-up another assassination. And no shots fired AT the “target.”
Still awaiting the medical reports from Butler.
Until I found out Routh maybe was lurking and maybe got lucky, I assumed he did what I would do! Hang out near the Mar-a-Lardo gate and when a caravan of black SUVs comes out…follow it! I think it really is that easy! Even if there are decoy caravans and they go separate ways, there are probably “tells” about the real one! But, of course, being on a hard-to-protect golf course is what Trump forces on the Secret Service because the courses belong to him! But, Joyce Vance, law professor at U of Alabama and on MSNBCall the time, said every golfing Prez before Trump did what his protective service recommended when he wanted to golf. Go to a more private course or golf at the nearest military base! Duh! I don’t care what Trump wants, the Secret Service works for ME and I want the SS to protect people the way it sees fit!!🤬
The biggest wrong is calling it an assassination attempt in the first place: it was a security breach. Period. No shots were fired and we only have, what, trump’s word that he was being aimed at?
the only charges filed against the guy are firearms-related. no attempted anything charges.
Another problem for me is this… when the “would be assassin” was spotted, why not whisk trump away, and call for backup to secure the area as opposed to taking a long shot allowing the perp to escape. It’s really weird to me that you would take a wild shot at a suspect, warning him and allowing him to escape before the perimeter was set up…also, when he was arrested, wasn’t he in blue jeans and a plaid shirt? Not really trying to conceal himself…
I’m ashamed to admit I never even thought about part of what you said. For the record the agents with Trump “covered” him (maybe Trump’s getting tired of five or six hefty guys piling on top of him like he’s a running back being gang tackled in a football game?) – before whisking him away their first job would be to physically shield him until an initial assessment could be made on whether it was safer to keep him covered or move him.
The more interesting part takes me back to what I know about shooting. Being a counter-sniper isn’t quite the same as hunting BUT when using a firearm, especially a high powered rifle it’s incumbent on one to know what’s BEYOND their intended target. Blindly firing at a threat, or say a deer you don’t see clearly in the woods but only ‘pretty sure’ is there is a huge no-no. PLUS one would assume the counter-sniper(s) was aware of just why the f**k the rifle was poking through a fence. That fence borders the golf course property because a wide, busy street is on the other side!
With Trump still at least one hole back (turned out to be four or five hundred yards back which the counter-sniper would have or should have known if there was proper communication between the members of the protection detail/team there was time for their spotter (and after the Butler fiasco they goddam well should have gone back to STANDARD procedure of any sniper having a spotter right next to them!) to dial in any shot. Not to mention send out a radio call to local LE to direct them to the area and try to catch the guy from behind – or keep him trapped while the Secret Service moved in from the golf course. The whole “shooting first – ask questions later” aspect seems fishy in retrospect given Trump was well back and there’s no way in hell the would-be assassin had a line of site.
I don’t like going down the CT rabbit hole but this dude clearly hasn’t been playing with a full deck for a long, long time. It wouldn’t have been that difficult to manipulate him to try to do what he tried to do. And discreetly track him. It wouldn’t take Trump’s Team being aware of such a plot – only one or two people in fact. It’s my undestanding many of the Trump detail from Butler have been swapped out but a few might still be with him. If he doesn’t win (and they’ve got reason to think he won’t) their careers are f**ked, or maybe something came from those who are on ‘administrative duties’ as in awaiting appearing before Professional Standards. Engineering a half-assed, easily stopped assassination attempt to revive the feeling of those few days between Buttler and the RNC would be in a lot of people’s interest.