First of all I want to note the news this evening is that the ‘person of interest’ that had been detained in the murder of Charlie Kirk has been released. So a manhunt is underway because we don’t know who shot Kirk, much less why. Kirk was influential to an astounding degree, especially considering how young he was. His Turning Point USA has been a major MAGA force, and while Kirk himself has made clear he doesn’t think there’s anything in the Epstein files that’s bad for Trump his people do. And are pressuring HIM to pressure Trump to release it all now. I don’t want this to turn into a tinfoil hat/CT piece but I will say Team Trump is evaluating how they can use Kirk’s murder to shift the narrative on Epstein.
Kirk, or more specifically his followers have been raising hell about releasing the Epstein files. MAGAs collectively shouting RELEASE THE FILES is something Trump hadn’t counted on. Even ordering them to move on didn’t work. Add in MAGA influencers who have clamored for release of the files won’t shut up. That included Kirk because HIS people and organization have been pressing the matter. As this article from Mediate tells us while Kirk recently said he’d talked with Trump and was ‘done with Epstein’ Turning Point USA isn’t:
Kirk’s organization Turning Point USA held a summit in Florida over the weekend where multiple speakers, including Megyn Kelly who earned plenty of cheers as she slammed Bondi, hammered the administration’s handling of Epstein.
Let’s not go down rabbit holes here. After all, the longer Kirk’s murderer is at-large and worse unnamed the more likely it is that CT talk could get ramped up in MAGA about someone, not Trump but ‘someone’ close to him had Kirk killed because he couldn’t control Turning Point and their demands for release of the Epstein files. That of course would be bad for Trump. On the other hand, without their leader who they knew at least was presenting their demands to Trump dead it could turn out to be awfully convenient for Trump. Assuming Team Trump is deft enough to spin things. That could be an awfully big ‘if.’
So how do things stand tonight? From where I sit we, and more importantly authorities don’t know jack. A man was quickly detained by the University’s police but let go because they say he was innocent. There was confusion for hours about whether someone was in custody with local or state LE. It turned out someone deemed a person of interest WAS detained. However after questioning this guy too was cleared. And released. There is a massive manhunt underway. There’s reporting of video of a man in black jeans with his face covered by a bandana and possibly carrying a rifle being caught on video. I find it hard to believe after so many hours have passed anyone who saw someone like that hasn’t come forward, and given LE enough information to have a starting point for tracking how the guy got away.
So, all these hours later we don’t have a clue about who shot and killed Kirk or why. I will repeat that this could turn out either really bad or as awfully convenient for Trump. What strikes me tonight is how well the shooter seems to have covered his/her tracks. It sure looks to me like the murderer was skilled but there’s a HUGE number of people in this country who possess that level of shooting skill.
Kirk was struck by a single shot in the neck from (it’s said) 200 yards away. One shot. Even if a semi-auto like an assault rifle that’s only one piece of brass to “police” (in the jargon that means pick up) and if it was a bolt-action rifle seeing a hit in the neck a knowledgeable shooter would know it would turn out to be a kill shot. So no need to even work the bolt and eject a shell casing to have to pick up.
Of the writers here on Politizoom I guess I’m the resident expert. Even Ursula who has experience with handguns doesn’t have my level of training and experience. To most people 200 yards might seem like a helluva shot. Not really. I saw a Congress Critter on MSNBC earlier today, a fellow Marine talk about how in boot camp we learned to be deadly accurate from 200 yards all the way out to 500 using ‘iron sights.’ With the old M-16. It has a rear aperture sight that’s a ‘peephole.’ You look through it and center the tip of the front sight post, in what’s called sight-alignment and place it on your target which is called sight picture. And squeeze the trigger. It does NOT take Marine Corps level training for people to do this. My point is that a practiced shooter using plain ole iron sights can learn to hit a target like a human head or neck at 200 yards. The hard part is controlling emotions, and therefore breathing and muscle movement.
Optics, as in scopes are now common on rifles. They can be and sometimes are fitted to assault weapons even making that shot even easier. If the rifle is properly zeroed it’s not that hard. It’s been over ten years since I’ve fired a rifle but with a weapon zeroed for that distance give me ten minutes and I could give you a three shot grouping that would fit inside a silver dollar coin. My point is to NOT go assuming this was a professional hit, at least based on the shooter being 200 yards away.
On the other hand one assumes since authorities know where the shot came from and have no clues as to who took it professional assassination or not this particular shooter was awfully meticulous in planning. To include getting away with the rifle itself and any gear used to stabilize it during the shot. At the very least this is someone dangerous. And whether they acted solely on their own or working with others OR at the direction of others they were extremely well prepared.
We just don’t know. The fact we know so little so many hours later makes me wonder in some awfully uncomfortable ways. This was a meticulously planned and carried out cold and calculated murder. As I’ve explained the number of people with the skill to make that shot is disturbingly high. However the number of those who have the skill set to do what this shooter/murderer did, to be able to get away so cleanly and leave so little in the way of clues behind is a lot smaller. But it’s well more than a mere handful of people. IF the person is caught we might learn why he/she shot and killed Kirk. It might all be just one diseased but high functional minded individual deciding it had to be done. It could just as easily be the result of someone with a lot to lose figuring they could spin Kirk’s death to Trump’s advantage on the Epstein scandal who engaged the shooter’s services.
It’s at this point I can’t help but think of the first rule of political assassinations (which are arranged) is to kill the assassin. If this was the result of someone (not necessarily Trump I must emphasize) figuring Kirk’s death could benefit Trump that person forgot that rule. And is dead and buried (perhaps after being cremated) somewhere in the Utah desert already. So, as I said if a suspect isn’t identified and soon the QAnon CT machine will ramp up. Worse, this could provoke retaliatory assassinations against Democrats.
I’ll close with this. I don’t think for all his tough talk Trump would actually order, at least directly the death of a longtime political ally who kept telling him what he didn’t want to hear. One who had lost control of his own part of MAGA. On the other hand I can’t help but wonder if, even though Kirk said he was done with Epstein but couldn’t control Turning Point USA and his own legion of followers and told Trump so that Trump didn’t lose it.
Epstein is a scandal of Trump’s own making. Just as the GOP old-guard was horrified to see their Tea Party crowd morph into MAGA and out of their control, Trump is horrified that the MAGA inspired ‘Release the Epstein Files’ has grown beyond HIS control. He’s flailing, and I think more scared than he’s ever been. So what I wonder is if Trump had his own ‘Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?’ moment and loyal lackeys go off and do just that. Or arrange for it to be done. I’m not saying I believe it happened but I’ll say discounting the possibility might not be wise. I wonder what Joe Rogan is thinking tonight?
What I AM certain of is that Team Trump has been at work trying to figure out how to play this tragedy to his advantage. I will always believe he was pissed at Kirk over Charlie’s having pressured him about the Epstein files. Trump can pretend all he wants to be sad over Kirk’s death but it’s bullshit. If he didn’t say it out loud Trump at least THOUGHT “Good – the little prick caused me trouble and couldn’t control a group I need on my side, Good riddance!” That’s why I say any Trump tears over what happened to Kirk are Crocodile Tears.
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Well put. If Trump can stay relatively quiet in his response to this, then, that silence could well be taken as agreement/endorsement to this death, its cause, and motivation behind it it all. Simply a thought.
Sorry but Trump’s incapable of being even “relatively” quiet about anything, especially something which he can leverage to his own benefit. I expect him to make a bigly martyr out of Kirk, drag out the post-mortem ceremonies, maybe even have a state-ish funeral. All to distract attention, again, from the looming Epstein Files. Wonder what King Charles will have to say about it over tea and crumpets?
The qualifier “… If …” was used, as in “… If Trump can stay relatively quiet …” Yes, Trump will be incapable of keeping his yap shut on this. There’s too much fodder in it for him to let it pass and not take advantage of.
It must have come as quite a shock to the NRA Magats to find someone from ‘the other side’ has a gun – and knows how to use it.
They might start suspecting he or she isn’t alone.
Hmm. There are times when evidence suggest there may be more to the story. Epstein in possession of ruinous material on Trump and other powerful pedophiles. He dies in custody under Trump and Barr. Now, with the heat Kirk caused, he mysteriously gets killed in a Trump state by someone who has skill and planning. Trump gets a staged attempt on him which boosted his tough guy image, although watching the videos, Trump was not hit by a high powered bullit, Kirk was. The difference is stark. Are the rich fascists capable and willing to kill as a political tool? Sure they are. Like what’s been shredded out of the Epstein files…we will likely never know.
Let’s not go down any rabbit holes here..As you dive headlong into THE most idiotic rabbit hole possible. You’re all Epstein obsessed and look more foolish by the day because of it.
You, as a cult member, already occupy the rabbit hole. Wonder why they detain two people and then release them? Patel is another member of the American Nazi Party, as was Kirk. Since, under oath, said he didn’t remember being on a right wing podcast EIGHT PHUCKING TIMES, I’m sure this toady will find your killer…by the way who have they detained for Epstein’s suspicious exit? Who’s been investigated? Crickets. Notice how the gop senate voted down releasing the files? What are they covering up? We all know Trump is a pedophile rapist. A nothing burger. Obsessed? You mean like the pussy grabber was obsessed, with his buddy of FIFTEEN YEARS, with underage girls? You keep good company. Keep defending them.