Task Force Details ‘Stunning Security Failures’ That Led To Attempted Trump Assassination In New Report
The report shows multiple security lapses and communication failures.The report shows multiple security lapses and communication failures.Democrats set stage for 2 Trump assassination attempts with these 5 statements
There have been two known assassination attempts against President Donald Trump in the past 65 days. In the lead-up to the first, Democrats and their allies in the media spared no expense vilifying and dehumanizing Kamala Harris' opponent — characterizing him as a threat to democracy, to minorities, and to freedom itself.
After the first assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, Democrats and media partisans were met with desperate appeals to tone down their vitriol and incendiary rhetoric, including by a victim of a recent Democratic terrorist attack.
Rather than engage in some soul-searching or exercise self-restraint, the left doubled down after both incidents.
Below are five claims Democrats and/or their allies in the media advanced that effectively set the stage for attempts on Trump's life.
1. 'Democracy is on the ballot'
The Washington Post complained Thursday about President Donald Trump's suggestion that he "took a bullet to the head" because of what Democrats and their allies in the media say about him.
Days later, Ryan Routh, a Democratic donor with an intense interest in Ukraine's war effort, allegedly tried to assassinate Trump in Florida.
New York magazine then couldn't wait a full day after the second assassination attempt to double down and restate, "Trump is a threat to democracy."
Unlike Thomas Matthew Crooks, Routh had a massive online presence, which sleuths managed to document before social media companies began their routine scrub. It is clear from Routh's posts that his radical views were informed in part by Democratic talking points — that contrary to the Washington Post's suggestion, Trump was right again.
Prior to his arrest, Routh reportedly posted about how "DEMOCRACY is on the ballot" this election.
This is one of Kamala Harris' go-to lines, which has also been parroted by other Democrats.
On July 2, Harris posted an image of Trump captioned, "Donald Trump vows to be a dictator on day one."
In the corresponding message, she wrote, "Democracy is on the ballot in November."
— (@)
Harris has also coupled this statement with combative language.
For instance, on June 21, Harris posted on Facebook, "Our democracy is on the ballot. It is only as strong as our willingness to fight for it."
2. 'Greatest threat'
Democrats routinely refer to Trump as a threat to democracy, which appears to be a euphemism for their hold on power.
'He is a threat to our democracy and our fundamental freedoms.'
Shortly after a Biden official's group got the Democratic incumbent's top rival temporarily removed from the primary ballot in Colorado late last year, Biden tweeted, "Trump poses many threats to our country: The right to choose, civil rights, voting rights, and America's standing in the world. But the greatest threat he poses is to our democracy."
Years after calling Republicans "enemies of the state," Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) similarly suggested in April that Trump is "a great threat to our democracy."
The Democratic National Committee has repeatedly recycled this language. For instance, on June 27, the DNC circulated the following message:
Donald Trump, who’s repeatedly promised to be a dictator on 'day one,' if elected and warned of a 'bloodbath' if not, continues to give election deniers and insurrectionists a platform — from installing dangerous conspiracy theorists to leading 'election integrity' efforts at the RNC and promising pardons for January 6 insurrectionists. Democracy is at stake this November and if Donald Trump retakes power the survival of our democracy will be at risk.
Kamala Harris also claimed on June 27, "He is a threat to our democracy and our fundamental freedoms" — a line she has repeated numerous times.
3. Nazi comparisons
Short on imagination and desperate for a historical parallel to underscore Trump's supposed threat to America, Democrats and their media allies decided early on they would go with Adolf Hitler.
In a 2019 speech, Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) said that Hitler "rode a wave of nationalism and anti-Semitism to power. Replace anti-Semitism with 'all Latinos crossing our borders are rapists, drug dealers and murderers.' Does that sound familiar?"
'We'd better fight.'
Johnson, who is now facing re-election, added, "Americans, particularly black Americans, can't afford to make that same mistake about the harm that could be done by a man named Hitler or a man named Trump."
The Times (U.K.) noted that in December 2023, CNN talking head Jake Tapper compared Trump's rhetoric about illegal aliens to Hitler's genocidal rhetoric about Jews.
"If you were to open up a copy of Hitler's 'Mein Kampf,' you would find the Nazi leader describing the mixing of non-Germans with Germans as poisoning. The Jew, Hitler wrote, 'poisons the blood of others," said Tapper. "Donald Trump's language mirrors this directly."
Harris campaign spokesman Ammar Moussa similarly claimed, "Donald Trump parroted the autocratic language of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini — two dictators many U.S. veterans gave their lives fighting."
Former Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill recently suggested on MSNBC that Trump is "even more dangerous" than Hitler and Benito Mussolini.
The New Republic ran a photoshopped image of Trump as Hitler on the cover of its June issue, claiming, "We at The New Republic think we can spend this election year in one of two ways. We can spend it debating whether Trump meets the nine or 17 points that define fascism. Or we can spend it saying, 'He's damn close enough, and we'd better fight.'"
In an article published on the website of Poynter, the outfit that runs PolitiFact, so-called media ethicist Kelly McBride and medical ethicist Art Caplan wrote, "Trump's racist rhetoric should be viewed in the repugnant tradition of Hitler." Politico captured the essence of the article prior to its apparent deletion.
There are, of course, various versions of the authoritarian smear. The Harris campaign apparently refrained from cracking a history textbook and simply suggested that Trump will sincerely become a "dictator" this time around.
4. 'Clear and present danger'
In 2021, New York Democrats Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries claimed Trump was a "clear and present danger."
Ocasio-Cortez said Trump presents a "clear and present danger" both to the Congress and to the country.
Jeffries, who later turned his sights on Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, indicated that every moment Trump is in office is a "clear and present danger to the safety and security of the American people."
Former Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge J. Michael Luttig resurrected this talking point a year later, claiming Trump, his allies, and his supporters remained a "clear and present danger to American democracy."
The leftist press has dutifully kept this suggestion alive.
The Philadelphia Inquirer's editorial board, for example, ran a piece in January stating, "Donald Trump is a clear and present danger," while also making sure to play some of Democrats' other greatest hits, including "democracy is on the line."
5. 'Bull's-eye'
Just days before the July 13 assassination attempt, President Joe Biden said on a private phone call with campaign donors, "I have one job, and that's to beat Donald Trump. I'm absolutely certain I'm the best person to be able to do that."
Biden added on the July 8 call, "We're done talking about the debate. It's time to put Trump in a bull's-eye."
Biden later told NBC News' Lester Holt, "It was a mistake to use the word."
While Biden tried to retroactively soften his meaning, the damage was done. After all, he had worked to characterize Trump as a villain worthy of a bull's-eye.
For instance, in his infamous red-lit September 2022 speech at Independence Historical Park in Philadelphia, Biden claimed, "MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic."
Although Biden's July "bull's-eye" remark is a relative standout, years earlier, Rick Wilson, the co-founder of the Lincoln Project — the anti-Trump group that staged a fake white supremacist rally in 2021 to smear then-candidate Glenn Youngkin ahead of the Virginia gubernatorial election — told MSNBC's Chris Hayes that the donor class will have to "go out and put a bullet in Donald Trump."
As with Biden, the argument in defense of Wilson's language was that it was supposedly figurative.
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Alexander Vindman tries to outdo his wife's ghoulish response to the latest attempt on Trump's life
Kamala Harris booster Alexander Vindman and his wife seized upon the second attempted assassination of President Donald Trump as another opportunity to attack the Republican. Their latest salvos did not go over well online.
Vindman served as the star witness in the impeachment inquiry regarding President Donald Trump's July 25, 2019, phone call with Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In the years since, the Ukrainian-born former White House official has leaned hard into his new career criticizing Trump.
Days after Vindman reposted a Harris promotional video containing an unsubstantiated smear and the claim that "Trump is a danger to national security," a Democratic donor with an intense interest in Ukraine's war effort allegedly set about killing Trump in Florida.
Following reports of gunshots outside the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach and a possible assassination attempt, many went online to express concern for Trump and his family — including President Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
Vindman and his wife alternatively channeled their hatred of Trump.
Shortly after the assassination attempt was thwarted, Rachel Vindman, the Harris booster's wife, tweeted, "No ears were harmed. Carry on with your Sunday afternoon."
'The "tolerance" of the "Left" ladies and gentlemen.'
Rachel Vindman was evidently making light of two shootings: the latest as well as the assassination attempt on July 13 when Trump was shot, former firefighter Corey Comperatore died trying to protect his family, and two others were badly injured.
Some found it hard to believe that the Harris booster's wife would rush to make such a callous comment.
Former New York Times reporter Alex Berenson asked, "Did you really just say this?"
Comedian Rob Schneider wrote, "The 'tolerance' of the 'Left' ladies and gentlemen. At least these demons expose themselves as the loathsome cold hearted charlatans that they are."
Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) wrote, "Does this represent the stance of the whole Vindman family? Especially the one running for Congress?"
Waltz was referring to Alexander Vindman's twin, Eugene Vindman, who is running for Congress as a Democrat in Virginia's 7th District.
Fox News host Laura Ingraham wrote, "This lovely specimen is the wife of chief impeachment witness against Trump Alexander Vindman. Today she mocked the 2nd attempted assassination of Donald Trump. Of course, if same had happened to Zelenskyy, she'd demand an international inquiry."
Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America, tweeted, "This is disgusting."
Rachel Vindman later revealed that her initial message was being interpreted just as intended, stating in a subsequent tweet, "Sorry you're triggered [laughing emoji]. I mean no I'm not. I don't care a little bit."
"Trump has been inciting violence against his enemies for years. He douses a situation in gasoline, lights a match, & walks away claiming no responsibility," added Rachel Vindman. "Look at what is happening in Springfield, OH right now but he wants to claim he's a victim. You cannot have it both ways."
Alexander Vindman soon joined his wife in attacking Trump and downplaying attempted political assassinations.
When Trump co-campaign manager and U.S. Marine veteran Chris LaCivita suggested that Alexander Vindman should condemn his wife's statement, Vindman instead wrote, "I condemn you. I condemn your lack of integrity, your attacks on immigrants, your desecration of Arlington National Cemetery."
Vindman was not referring to the Biden-Harris administration's trampling of graves and toppling of the Jewish American-designed Reconciliation Memorial but rather Trump's recent visit — in which the Republican joined several Gold Star families in paying respects to the fallen, specifically the 13 service members killed in the Biden-Harris administration's botched withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Vindman added, "Your candidate @realDonaldTrump has incited political violence for a decade. He could reduce the temperature of this election cycle. But you MAGA thrive on bullying. Fact is you are all weak."
The Harris booster proceeded to insinuate that Trump was at fault for his targeting, writing, "Donald @realDonaldTrump instigated attacks on legal immigrants resulting in bomb threats. His constant stoking of political violence doesn't receive enough scrutiny. And the violence he inspires doesn't receive enough condemnation."
When Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) suggested the Vindman family "is saying if Trump won't shut up he deserves to be killed," Alexander Vindman responded, "You & the MAGA extremists have polluted our politics. On November 5th the American public will cancel Trump & Trumpism."
Alexander Vindman's twin, Eugene Vindman, took a different approach, writing, "I am grateful that no one is hurt, and thankful for the law enforcement agents who acted bravely and swiftly in the line of duty."
Eugene Vindman is running against Republican Derrick Anderson, a former A-Team leader in the Green Berets and Special Forces detachment commander who previously served in the Trump administration.
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Sen. Blumenthal makes telling admission about forthcoming report on attempted Trump assassination
Following a closed-door meeting Thursday with acting U.S. Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe, Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal (Conn.) provided a chilling indication that the truth about the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump will leave the American public "shocked, astonished, and appalled."
Days after Trump was shot in Pennsylvania by an ActBlue donor who allegedly shared pro-Biden content online, U.S. Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.) announced that the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee was launching a bipartisan investigation into the security failures that led to bloodletting that occurred on July 13.
In the months since, members of the committee have conducted transcribed interviews with officials linked to the Butler rally.
Committee member Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) indicated this week, "There are more questions than answers at this point in our bipartisan Senate investigation of July 13th. We will continue to press the Secret Service and FBI for witnesses and documents."
'We are going to absolutely insist on the truth.'
Johnson noted further that the committee will issue a preliminary report in the "very near future."
Rowe gave members of both the House and Senate an update Thursday, which appears to have vexed some lawmakers.
Johnson referenced "some frustration that was voiced, I think, with Acting Director Rowe," reported the New York Post.
The briefing also appears to have left Blumenthal with the impression that the committee's forthcoming report will create serious waves. The Connecticut Democrat said that Americans will be shocked by what the report will say about "the failures of the Secret Service in this assassination attempt of a former president."
"But I think they also ought to be appalled and astonished by the failure of the Department of Homeland Security to be more forthcoming, to be as candid and frank as it should be to them in terms of providing information," added Blumenthal. "We are going to absolutely insist on the truth and the whole truth in documents and testimony."
When pressed about what he learned at the closed-door meeting, Blumenthal would not go into specifics. However, he reiterated that the report "will absolutely shock the American people — it should — about the lapses and lags in the protection of his supporters that day and the breakdown of communication."
Blaze News investigative reporter Steve Baker, who has dug deep into what happened July 13 along with reporter Joe Hanneman, cast doubt on whether the committee report will be as explosive as Blumenthal has suggested.
"Honestly, beyond the 'shock' of unprecedented incompetence by the USSS, I don't know what else they will have to show. Maybe the 'insinuation' of 'deliberate incompetence'?" said Baker. "Beyond that insinuation, I seriously doubt they will provide evidence of a conspiracy behind the assassination attempt."
"Blaze News' own expert sources are convinced there are specific signs of professional 'grooming' behind the actions of Thomas Crooks, but Crooks' groomers are part of a very small group. Likely no more than three operatives. No more than five people 'in the know,'" continued Baker. "These are the kind of operatives who will never talk. They themselves will likely believe they were doing the business of 'God and Country' in saving us from the 'democracy-destroying authoritarianism' of a second Trump administration."
As for reports out of Congress, Baker suggested that "we will only ever hear more statements and more questions about the gross 'failures' and 'incompetencies.' It will die there, short of some miraculous revelation or the emergence of an unlikely whistleblower from within our intelligence community."
The report may prove toothless; however, more officials involved in the July 13 Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, may soon be out of work.
The Post noted that when asked whether more people should resign, Blumenthal replied, "Unquestionably and indisputably, there needs to be more accountability. People need to be held responsible."
"Without accountability, this kind of failure and lapse will happen again because there needs to be that sense that someone is the point person," added the Connecticut Democrat.
Sen. Paul told reporters after the briefing, "I think the people in charge of security that day shouldn't be doing it again."
Kimberly Cheatle resigned in disgrace as Secret Service director, despite initially signaling she intended to remain in the role, and a handful of agents were reportedly put on leave weeks later.
USSS Assistant Director Michael Plati is also stepping down.
A spokesman for Plati told Fox News this week, "Mike has been discussing this for more than a year. He's retiring on the date of his 27-year anniversary working for the Secret Service. He approached Acting Director [Ronald] Rowe about his retirement last month, before the DNC. He wasn't asked to retire or resign, and anyone saying otherwise is lying."
The Secret Service similarly suggested Plati "was not asked to resign or retire by anyone."
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No, God Wasn’t Making A Political Statement By Sparing Trump
Conflating religion and politics does an injustice to both.Keen observers noticed a major change in the makeup of Trump's Secret Service detail
Keen observers noticed there was a significant change in the makeup of President Donald Trump's U.S. Secret Service detail between the time of his attempted assassination Saturday and when he strode confidently into the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee Monday evening.
At least three female agents accompanied Trump in Pennsylvania and did their apparent best to pitch in when bullets started flying. However, when Trump entered the convention this week with a bandaged ear, he was flanked by several hulking male agents with nary a female agent in sight.
'When you primarily go after DEI, you end up with D-I-E.'
When the Secret Service was faced earlier this year with criticism about its DEI practices in the past, agency spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said, "U.S. Secret Service employees, whose work is vital to the continuity of government, are held to the highest professional standards. At no time has the agency lowered these standards."
Confronted, however, with the sight of women of smaller stature and in what some have suggested was a state of relative disarray, some critics have questioned whether the agency really afforded Trump the best security available — a question that has been branded "misogynistic" by various liberal publications.
Elon Musk, for instance, angered exponents of DEI hiring practices by tweeting, "Having a small person as body cover for a large man is like an undersized Speedo at the beach – doesn't cover the subject."
"Look, I'm not sure about who the individuals are on the individual detail of the Secret Service, but I can tell you under this Biden administration, the one thing I've seen is massive DEI hires," Republican Rep. Cory Mills (Fla.), a former U.S. Army sniper, told Fox News on Sunday. "And I can tell you, when you primarily go after DEI, you end up with D-I-E."
Former FBI Assistant Director Chris Swecker told the New York Post, "The women I saw up there with the president — they looked like they were running in circles. One didn’t know how to holster, the other one didn’t seem to know what to do, and another one seemed not to be able to find her holster. DEI is one thing. Competence and effectiveness is another, and I saw DEI out there."
The New York Times, the AFP, and the Financial Times appeared prickled by the suggestion that women may be scientifically disadvantaged in the role.
Lauren Bean Buitta, the founder and CEO of Girl Security — an outfit that pushes for more women in the security establishment — told the Financial Times, "Somebody is going to have to point to me the medical, anatomical proof that being born with a uterus, somehow or another, makes me less capable of identifying a threat and neutralizing a threat."
While Buitta and others took issue with the criticism, the Secret Service may have internalized it.
Kimberly Cheatle, the Biden-appointed director of the Secret Service who won't step down despite assuming responsibility for the abject security failure, stated Monday that the security plan at the RNC was "strengthened in the wake of Saturday's shooting."
"As the conventions progress, and in accordance with the direction of the president, the Secret Service will continuously adapt our operations as necessary in order to ensure the highest level of safety and security for convention attendees, volunteers, and the city of Milwaukee," added Cheatle.
When Trump entered the RNC on Tuesday, he was again accompanied by a security detail solely comprising large men.
The Post noted it was unclear whether the makeup of Trump's detail on both nights was a reflection of the strengthening of the RNC security plan.
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CNN contributor catches herself reflexively going back to violent anti-Trump language
Former Biden White House communications director and CNN contributor Kate Bedingfield proved unable Monday to refrain from employing the kind of violent rhetoric that many suspect originally set the stage for the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.
Bedingfield was on a panel commenting on the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee when CNN talking head Anderson Cooper showed a clip from President Joe Biden's recent interview with NBC News' Lester Holt.
In the clip, Biden complained that the press had broken with tradition and finally discussed his decrepitude rather than continuing to lay into his opponent.
"Why don't you guys ever talk about the 18 to 28 lies he told?" Biden asked Holt. "Where are you on this? Why didn't the press ever talk about that? 28 times. ... I had a bad, bad night. I wasn't feeling well at all. And I had been — well, I'm not going to make any — I screwed up."
'That was not the phrase that I meant.'
Cooper subsequently wondered why Biden had himself proven incapable of pushing back against Trump's supposed lies during the debate, then noted recent polling that "does not look good" for Biden.
Bedingfield seized upon Cooper's comments as an opportunity to talk Democratic strategy, emphasizing that Biden has made clear he is "not going to step down."
"So, at some point Democrats have to decide that they want to try to win this election and turn their fire on Donald Trump," added Bedingfield.
Bedingfield immediately realized that her natural choice of militaristic language with regard to Trump was imprudent, especially just days after a radical literally turned his fire on the former president.
"I shouldn't have said 'turn their fire.' I apologize," Bedingfield said as the other panelists chuckled amongst themselves. "That was not the phrase that I meant. They need to turn their focus on Donald Trump."
The "War Room" account for the Trump campaign highlighted Bedingfield's comments, noting, "Former top Biden staffer and current CNN contributor Kate Bedingfield just said Democrats need to 'turn their fire on Donald Trump' — days after a deranged lunatic shot him in a failed assassination attempt. Democrats just can't help themselves."
Bedingfield replied, "I immediately caught myself and apologized — it was intended as a turn of phrase to mean focus on him, but I agree it's absolutely inappropriate in this moment."
Former Acting Director of U.S. National Intelligence Richard Grenell clapped back, writing, "Not only in this moment."
While Bedingfield apparently managed to keep from publicly slipping up for at least one full day following the rally shooting, some of her fellow travelers alternatively wasted no time vilifying Trump.
The New York Times' print edition of Sunday Opinion ran an op-ed Sunday condemning the wounded Republican, stating in bold on a dark, full page depicting a silhouette of Trump's head, "He failed the tests of leadership and betrayed America. Voters must reject him."
'We urge voters to see the dangers of a second Trump term.'
The op-ed from the Times' editorial board, first published digitally last week, claimed that Trump is a man "as demonstrably unsuited for the office of president as any to run in the long history of the Republic, a man whose values, temperament, ideas and language are directly opposed to so much of what has made this country great."
According the piece advanced by the Times in print just hours after Trump was shot and after his supporter, the heroic former fire chief Corey Comperatore, was murdered, "He has demonstrated an utter lack of respect for the Constitution, the rule of law and the American people. Instead of a cogent vision for the country’s future, Mr. Trump is animated by a thirst for political power: to use the levers of government to advance his interests, satisfy his impulses and exact retribution against those who he thinks have wronged him."
The Times' editorial board added, "We urge voters to see the dangers of a second Trump term clearly and to reject it."
Kathleen Kingsbury, the Times' opinions editor, suggested in an essay that "there is no connection between our prior decision to run this editorial package in print and Saturday’s incident — we would have changed our plans if we could have," reported the New York Post.
While the timing of the Times' op-ed may have been accidental, MSNBC analyst David Corn's vilification of Trump Sunday in the leftist blog Mother Jones was fully intentional. Corn stressed, "Only one of the candidates in the 2024 contest incited a violent assault on the US Capitol to overturn an election and still threatens American democracy. What happened in Butler, Pennsylvania, does not change that."
CNN commentator, former Jan. 6 committee member, and Biden booster Adam Kinzinger wrote roughly 24 hours after Trump was shot, "The Trump campaign and surrogates will try to intimidate Biden supporters from going after the former President politically. Do not let up. Trump is a threat to democracy and he must be stopped."
Sunday afternoon, Vox published an article entitled, "Yes, it's still fair to call Trump a threat to democracy."
"In the wake of this weekend's assassination attempt, however, some have called on partisans to do more than this: They have suggested that we must not merely condemn violence, but also avoid rhetoric that could hypothetically inspire it," wrote Vox's Eric Levitz.
Levitz figured he'd instead double down, writing, "Donald Trump really does present a threat to the norms of liberal democracy and the welfare of millions of US residents."
Levitz was joined in attacking Trump over the weekend by former George W. Bush speechwriter and Atlantic editor David Frum.
Frum wrote, "Fascist movements are secular religions. Like all religions, they offer martyrs as their proof of truth. ... The Trump movement now improves on that: The leader himself will be the martyr in chief, his own blood the basis for his bid for power and vengeance."
"Those who stand against Trump and his allies must find the will and the language to explain why these crimes, past and planned, are all wrong, all intolerable — and how the gunman and Trump, at their opposite ends of a bullet's trajectory, are nonetheless joined together as common enemies of law and democracy," added Frum.
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Cop writes, 'D**n. Only about an inch away from making America great again ...' after failed Trump assassination. Bad idea.
After the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump over the weekend, a North Carolina police officer hopped on Facebook and wrote, "Damn. Only about an inch away from making America great again…” WNCN-TV reported.
As you might imagine, the post proved a costly miscalculation.
'My attempt at dark humor was completely out of line and in poor taste.'
Detective Sgt. Brandon Richardson — a 24-year veteran of the Tarboro Police Department — is now on on administrative leave pending an internal investigation, WNCN reported. Tarboro is a town of just over 11,000 residents and sits a little over an hour east of Raleigh.
The police department in a Facebook post of its own Monday said it "is aware of an inappropriate social media post made by one of our officers. We take this matter very seriously, as it does not reflect the values and standards of our department."
The department's message added that after they caught wind of the post, officials took "immediate steps to address the situation: An internal investigation has been launched to determine the context and details surrounding the post. The officer involved has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of this investigation. We are reviewing our social media policies to ensure they align with best practices and clearly communicate our expectations."
WNCN reported that Richardson issued an apology on his Facebook page that appears to have been taken down. The station reported that his post read in part, “My attempt at dark humor was completely out of line and in poor taste. I realize now that my words were not only inappropriate but also deeply offensive to many of you. For that, I am truly sorry.”
Richardson's post added that he takes full responsibility, WNCN noted, adding that he made an appeal to “keep Mr. Trump and his family in our thoughts as he heals from this physical and mental wound.”
WNCN reported that Richardson joined the Tarboro Police Department as a patrol officer in 2000 before being promoted to detective with the department’s investigation division in May 2014.
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Biden-appointed Secret Service director won't step down after Trump shooting
DEI and ensuring that women make up at least 30% of the department may be among the U.S. Secret Service's top priorities, but its core function is still ostensibly to "ensure the safety and security of [its] protectees, key locations, and events of national significance."
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, 53, acknowledged in an interview Monday that her agency failed to execute this core function at the Trump rally over the weekend — where the former president was grazed by one of a hail of bullets and a beloved father of two was slain in the stands.
While Cheatle admitted failure and told ABC News that the "buck stops with me," the director revealed that her ownership of fault effectively means nothing.
Sources close to the Biden family recently told the New York Post that Cheatle, who previously served in the Secret Service for 27 years, then briefly ran global security for PepsiCo., secured the favor of Jill Biden and her advisers, including Anthony Bernal.
"Cheatle served on Dr. Biden's second lady detail and Anthony pushed for her," a Democratic insider told the Post. "Anthony has no national security or law enforcement experience. He should have no influence over the selection of the USSS director."
Another insider said, "I heard at the time [Cheatle] was being considered for director that Anthony had pushed her forward as an option."
"Anthony is obsessed with being DEI-compliant," a third source told the Post.
President Joe Biden appointed Cheatle to lead the agency in 2022.
'What I was seeing was DEI.'
Biden said at the time, "She is a distinguished law enforcement professional with exceptional leadership skills and was easily the best choice to lead the agency at a critical moment for the Secret Service. She has my complete trust, and I look forward to working with her."
It appears that Biden's confidence was again misplaced.
"It was a total security breakdown from start to finish," former FBI Assistant Director Chris Swecker told the Post. "From the total security plan for the rally to the reaction once the shots rang out."
"What I was seeing was DEI," continued Swecker. "The women I saw up there with the president — they looked like they were running in circles. One didn’t know how to holster, the other one didn’t seem to know what to do, and another one seemed not to be able to find her holster. DEI is one thing. Competence and effectiveness is another, and I saw DEI out there."
"It was obviously a situation that, as a Secret Service agent, no one ever wants to occur in their career," Cheatle told ABC News.
When asked who bore most responsibility for the security failure, Cheatle said, "What I would say is the Secret Service is responsible for the protection of the former president."
"The buck stops with me," continued Cheatle. "I am the director of the Secret Service, and I need to make sure that we are performing a review and that we are giving resources to our personnel as necessary."
"It was unacceptable, and it's something that shouldn't happen again," added Cheatle.
Despite admitting responsibility for this "unacceptable" failure, Cheatle said she does "plan to stay on" in her role.
Various lawmakers and officials have called on Cheatle to step down.
'There was a complete breakdown of communication all the way down the line.'
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), for instance, refrained from criticizing the agents on the ground who threw themselves on President Donald Trump when the bullets started flying but insisted that the "head of the Secret Service should resign over this."
Cruz also latched on to Cheatle's characterization of Trump simply as a "former president," noting Trump is "the first in modern history to run for president again, and he has been the focus of several prosecutions and controversies — understatement intentional."
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) told cable news, "There was a complete breakdown of communication all the way down the line, and so that starts at the top. The head of the Secret Service needs to go. That's obvious. But I doubt that will happen."
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) introduced the Secret Service Accountability Act Monday to hold Cheatle accountable "for the agency's incompetence and failure to protect President Trump during the Butler, Pennsylvania, campaign rally."
"Saturday's assassination attempt on President Trump's life was either intentional or the result of gross incompetence by the United States Secret Service," Boebert said in a statement. "Under Director Cheatle's failed leadership, the United States Secret Service has prioritized woke DEI policies over the core responsibilities of the Secret Service, including protecting our nation's leaders. This lack of leadership contributed to the first assassination attempt of a President in 43 years. Director Cheatle has got to go!"
The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability has asked Cheatle to provide information related to the incident, including:
- a complete list of all law enforcement personnel with roles in protecting Trump at the rally;
- all audio and video recordings in the possession of the Secret Service related to the rally;
- all memos and or notices issued by Cheatle to Secret Service personnel regarding the assassination attempt; and
- other intel and correspondences related to the rally and assassination attempt.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told reporters days after Trump was shot on Cheatle's watch that he has "100% confidence in the director of the United States Secret Service."
Cheatle has in turn expressed her confidence in the security plan for the Secret Service at the Republican National Convention.
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