Author Archive: Glenn Reynolds

MARK STEYN: What They Wanted. “Just a decade ago, Trump was an amiable bipartisan non-ideological telly-celeb schmoozing with Bill and Hill and doing cameos in Home Alone sequels. The Democrats chose to upgrade him to Hitler – complete with moustache. . . . And, just for the record, Saturday night was not an assassination attempt: One Republican voter was killed, and at least two others are injured. That’s to say, an American family has had a great big hole blown in its heart – because on a summer afternoon they went to a campaign rally. Just another day in the United States’ uniquely unique ‘peaceful transfer of power’ – and on to next week.”

Flashback:

JOHN LUCAS: Some Further Thoughts on the Attempted Assassination of President Trump, Including Some About What Was Behind it. I think that every soldier who is facing fire for the first time thinks, ‘How will I perform? Will I acquit myself with honor?’ Trump showed the world how he reacts under fire. After being shot, he got on his feet and launched a figurative counter-attack, fist in the air and exhorting, ‘Fight! Fight! Fight!’ CNN’s Jamie Gangel took great exception to Trump’s response to his attempted assassination.”

Well, of course. They don’t want you to fight back, they want you to give up.

OPEN THREAD: Discuss the events of the weekend. Did anything happen?

CHANNELING TEDDY ROOSEVELT:

JEFFREY CARTER: Wading Into The Fray.“There is nothing more exhilarating than to be shot at with no result.”

TRUMP SHOOTING IS SECRET SERVICE NIGHTMARE but here’s the key bit:

Typically, the Secret Service has an advance team assess a location ahead of a campaign event to make a security plan, Mihalek said. Agents will take physical measures of the area, determine the necessary personnel and work with counter snipers to examine nearby buildings and their distances to where the president or the presidential candidate will be. . . .

Cheatle returned to the Secret Service after working as a senior director at PepsiCo North America overseeing facilities, personnel and business continuity.

In her previous stint at the Secret Service, she was the first woman to serve as assistant director of protective operations. Her appointment to lead the Secret Service made her the agency’s second female director. When he appointed her director, Biden said he and first lady Jill Biden got to know Cheatle while she served on his security detail during his vice presidency.

“She has my complete trust,” said the president in 2022.

Related:

Trump’s Secret Service detail was given additional assets that is part of the protocol for the presumptive nominee due to his heavy campaigning, which includes additional manpower, counter-sniper, drones and robotic dogs, the law enforcement official said. On Saturday, there were four counter-sniper teams on site, the official said.

Additionally, Trump’s teleprompter is protective and the flag and podium banners are made of steel, the law enforcement official said.

A man who was at the rally said that soon after Trump started speaking, he saw a man “bear crawling” up the building.

“We’re pointing at the guy,” said the witness, named Greg, adding, “he had a rifle — you could literally see him with a rifle.” He told the BBC that he and others told the police and were pointing him out to U.S. Secret Service agents, and he estimated that the man was on the roof for “three or four minutes” before shots were heard.

Other witnesses told CBS Pittsburgh station KDKA that they also saw the gunman and tried to alert officers before the shooting.

I don’t understand why buildings with a clear sight line weren’t either secured, or at least held under constant observation.

Plus: “Federal investigators said the gunman was not carrying identification, so they analyzed his DNA to provide a biometric confirmation of his identity.” I’m surprised they had a DNA sample to compare it to so fast. I wonder where that came from?

METAPHOR ALERT: The man who scooped the American press corps is blind and from Britain.

THE FACES OF HATE:

WELL, IT’S PROBABLY THEIR BIGGEST WORRY:

PJ MEDIA’S ASSASSINATION-ATTEMPT LIVEBLOG CONTINUES.

TODAY, CROCODILE TEARS. YESTERDAY, CALLS FOR VIOLENCE:

“We deplore any thought of violence against Literally Hitler.”