Woman Accused Of Trying To Kill Trump Now Walks Free Days After Third Assassination Attempt
'Surely a sniper with a terminal illness cannot be a big ask'
Brewer fantasizes about Trump's death AGAIN — and even Wisconsin Democrats are appalled
Kirk Bangstad, the owner of Minocqua Brewing Company in Wisconsin and the treasurer of a federal super PAC of the same name, is among the American leftists who apparently savor news of violence against conservatives and other Americans with opposing political views.
Bangstad rushed, for instance, to state, "F**k Charlie Kirk," immediately after the Turning Point USA founder's assassination at Utah Valley University, then wrote weeks later, "May his soul never find peace."
Beyond relishing in Kirk's demise, Bangstad — a twice-failed Democratic political candidate who was ordered to pay a six-figure sum for defamation in 2023 and was charged with harassment last year — vowed in an alarming message posted in January to give fellow travelers "free beer, all day long, the day he dies."
Though the post did not mention President Donald Trump by name, Bangstad's remarks to reporters and subsequent posts made clear he was referring to Trump, whom he unsuccessfully attempted to block from the 2024 presidential ballot in Wisconsin.
In the post — made after Bangstad circulated a wanted poster for a federal agent, called for "regime change" in the U.S., and stated that "it's just a matter of time" before "every ICE agent will face justice" — the brewer insinuated Trump's death was imminent, writing, "Show us this post when it happens in a few months and we'll make good on that promise."
While Wisconsin Democrats were virtually silent about Bangstad's extremist content earlier this year — content that the U.S. Secret Service previously told Blaze News was on the agency's radar — they piped up after the brewer wrote the following last weekend after yet another attempt on Trump's life, this time at the White House Correspondents' Dinner:
Well, we almost got #freebeerday. Either a brother or sister in the Resistance needs to work on their marksmanship or he faked another assassination to get a a [sic] positive news cycle. We'll never know. Regardless, we stand at the ready to pour free beer the day it happens.
A spokesman for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel — whose female reporter Bangstad has tasked his followers with hounding — that the radical brewer's "rhetoric is completely unacceptable and should be retracted immediately."
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"We're not afraid to call out this sort of inappropriate behavior no matter where it comes from — our GOP colleagues should learn to do the same," said state Democratic Party spokesman Phil Shulman.
"I denounce those who had any reaction to last night's shooting other than outrage at the state of political violence in our country," said former Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, who is presently running as a Democrat for governor. "It's completely unacceptable, and I am thankful for the actions of law enforcement who acted swiftly and bravely to keep everyone safe."
A campaign spokeswoman for Democratic state Rep. Francesca Hong, who is also running for governor, told the Journal Sentinel that Bangstad's post "is intentionally inflammatory and a symptom of the normalization of political violence."
Missy Hughes, another Democratic candidate in the Wisconsin gubernatorial race, stated, "Such vile rhetoric is completely unacceptable and must be universally condemned."
Even a former underling has turned against the brewer.
Rebecca Cooke, a Democrat running in Wisconsin for the U.S. Congress who worked for Bangstad during his failed 2016 congressional campaign, said, "This rhetoric is dangerous and unacceptable — showcasing just how broken our political system is."
The criticism by fellow travelers appears to have broken Bangstad's thin skin.
The brewer, who has apparently been selling voodoo dolls bearing the faces of Trump administration officials and "I wish it was free beer day" T-shirts, wrote on Facebook, "Leave it to the Corporate Dems and politically naive Democratic gubernatorial candidates to take the bait and condemn 'political violence' or 'politically violent rhetoric' after the 3rd questionably/arguable fake assassination attempt against Trump."
"Aggression and accusation is the MO of Trump and MAGA," Bangstad wrote. "Flat-footed answers and retreat is unfortunately the MO of Corporate Dems and the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. Time to flip the scrip [sic] and for Democratic leaders and journalists to force Trump and his regime to prove they're not lying before covering a story about political violence and yet another 'would-be assassination attempt.'"
After claiming that his assertion that leftists need to "work on their marksmanship" was "hyperbole," Bangstad wrote in a post on Tuesday, "The day 'he' dies will do a LOT to end that suffering. Sure, JD Vance will bring with him a more intelligent treachery to the world stage if Trump passes — but when the symbol of American weakness, ignorance, and bigotry finally breathes his last breath — the entire world will be able to breathe a little easier."
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Secret Service suspends 6 agents over Trump assassination attempt — but some argue the real story is who didn't get punished
Nearly a year after the assassination attempt against President Donald Trump at the infamous campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, six U.S. Secret Service agents have been suspended. However, some are saying that the real story is who in the Secret Service didn't face any consequences over the fatal fiasco.
Matt Quinn, the deputy director of the Secret Service, told CBS News that six agents had been suspended without pay. The suspensions range from 10 to 42 days as punishment for the egregious failures during the assassination attempt against Trump on July 13, 2024.
'We were all sitting ducks that day. Our blood is all over their hands. I am angry.'
The news outlet noted that the Secret Service employees would be placed on restricted duty or roles with less operational responsibility when they return to work.
"We are laser-focused on fixing the root cause of the problem," Quinn stated on Wednesday.
Quinn defended the decision not to terminate any of the agents by saying, "We aren't going to fire our way out of this. We're going to focus on the root cause and fix the deficiencies that put us in that situation."
"Secret Service is totally accountable for Butler," Quinn confessed. "Butler was an operational failure, and we are focused today on ensuring that it never happens again."
The Secret Service has faced significant criticism for allowing gunman Thomas Crooks to open fire on the stage of the rally from a rooftop a short distance away.
A Secret Service sniper killed Crooks, but not before he was able to fire multiple rounds toward the rally stage, where Trump was speaking.
One of the bullets grazed Trump's ear, which caused blood to stream down his face. Corey Comperatore — a 50-year-old firefighter, father, and devoted husband — was fatally shot while attending the Trump rally. Two other rallygoers were wounded during the deadly shooting.
Helen Comperatore, the widow of Corey Comperatore, told Fox News in an interview that aired on Thursday, "We were all sitting ducks that day. Our blood is all over their hands. I am angry. I lost the love of my life. They screwed up."
The widow continued by listing several security lapses by the Secret Service, "Why Butler? Why was that such a failure? Why weren't they paying attention? Why did they think that that roof didn't need to be covered? I want to sit down and talk to them. I have the right to. They need to listen to me."
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) said of the suspensions, "Given the shocking security failures that day, this is the absolute bare minimum."
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Susan Crabtree, a national political correspondent for RealClearPolitics, revealed the identities of the six agents who were suspended without pay. Crabtree also noted two Secret Service supervisors who played significant roles at the Butler rally and later received promotions.
Citing multiple sources in the Secret Service community, Crabtree reported that the agents who were suspended are:
- Myosoty Perez, an "inexperienced" site agent.
- Dana DuBrey, a mid-level agent and Perez’s local counterpart agent.
- Meredith Bank, the "lead advance agent charged with coordinating security" with local aw enforcement, according to RCP.
- Tim Burke, the Secret Service's special agent in charge of the Pittsburgh Field Office.
- Brian Pardini, second in charge of the Pittsburgh Field Office.
- John Marciniak, the agency's lead counter-sniper at the Butler rally.
RELATED: Reporter who attended Butler rally REVEALS what President Trump said BEFORE 'Fight, fight, fight!'
However, some are pointing out that the higher-ups responsible for the Butler rally’s security not only dodged consequences — they got promoted.
Crabtree wrote on the X social media platform that there is a "big contingent in the Secret Service that believes the Pittsburgh office is unfairly taking the fall" for the Trump rally debacle.
Crabtree reported that two key Secret Service supervisors who "signed off on the Butler security plan and two who were on the final walkthroughs before the J13 rally" were never disciplined, yet did receive "big promotions."
Crabtree noted, "One of those supervisors on the final walkthroughs, Nick Menster, was assigned this year as the No. 2 in charge of the Lara and Eric Trump protective detail."
Crabtree continued, "The other, Nick Olszewski, ironically, became the chief (special agent in charge) of the Inspection Division, which is responsible for ensuring the accountability and integrity of the agency’s personnel and operations."
Larry Berger, an attorney for several of the suspended Secret Service agents, hinted that legal action could be taken against the agency.
"We avoided more severe sanctions, and now we’re assessing the next steps," Berger told Crabtree.
Two weeks after the assassination attempt against President Trump, then-Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned following bipartisan pressure. Cheatle was replaced after Trump's inauguration by Sean Curran, who was on stage with Trump during the attempt on his life.
Blaze News reached out to the Secret Service for comment, and the agency did not confirm or deny the identities of the agents who were suspended.
On Thursday, the Secret Service announced new organizational reforms for the agency following the conclusion of investigations into the failures during the attempted assassination of President Trump.
The Secret Service noted that it has implemented 21 recommendations made by congressional oversight bodies and that 16 more are in the process of being enacted.
Curran said in a statement on Thursday, "Since President Trump appointed me as director of the United States Secret Service, I have kept my experience on July 13 top of mind, and the agency has taken many steps to ensure such an event can never be repeated in the future. Nothing is more important to the Secret Service than the safety and security of our protectees. As director, I am committed to ensuring our agency is fully equipped, resourced, and aligned to carry out our important mission each and every day."
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Trans-identifying Democrat accused of threatening to kill Trump
A Pennsylvania man who purports to be a woman has been arrested and held without bail after he allegedly threatened to kill former President Donald Trump last week.
On Friday, Paul Gavenonis, 74, approached a transportation office employee at Penn State University and attempted to purchase a commuter lot parking pass. During a conversation with the employee, Gavenonis mentioned a Trump rally scheduled to take place at PSU the following day.
'Frankly, I hope somebody would get him.'
As their conversation continued, Gavenonis then allegedly made violent threats against the former president. "I hate Donald Trump. I’d like to shoot that guy," he reportedly said while pretending to rack a gun with his hands, according to the New York Post.
"You can’t take a gun in or the students will see it," he allegedly added after discussing scaling a tall building.
Gavenonis' alleged comments worried the employee, who reported them to the authorities within minutes. Gavenonis was arrested just after 10:30 p.m. Friday, jail records showed.
When questioned by the U.S. Secret Service, Gavenonis allegedly admitted that he "probably" could kill Trump at a rally and that he had a rifle at home.
"Frankly, I hope somebody would get him," he also told federal and local law enforcement, according to the arrest affidavit.
Gavenonis was eventually charged with making terroristic threats and disorderly conduct, a court docket showed.
He was also denied bail in part because he was deemed "suicidal," the docket noted.
Both the court docket and jail records list Gavenonis as a white female. The Centre County Public Defender’s Office also claimed he uses she/her pronouns, the Post reported.
When Blaze News reached out to the Centre County jail, Lt. Mark Waite provided Gavenonis' booking photo but did not clarify whether he is being housed in a male or female facility.
The Kansas City Star reported that Gavenonis is a registered Democrat.
Three months ago, Trump came within millimeters of losing his life after Thomas Crooks fired multiple shots at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, about 140 miles west of the Penn State campus in State College. One bullet tore through Trump's ear, while another killed former fire chief Corey Comperatore. Two others were critically wounded.
Then last month, Ryan Routh allegedly set up a sniper's nest at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, with the intention of assassinating Trump. Fortunately, the suspect was spotted before he could fire a shot.
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