As you know, an independent congressional group --- in addition to the official task force --- is investigating the July 13 shooting of President Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.  (Of course, every mention of this horrific event is meant to include the murder of firefighter Corey Comperatore and wounding of two others.)  Texas Rep. Chip Roy reached out last week to Dan Bongino, who spent Monday in DC going over what they know so far.

The Secret Service has tried to maintain that they didn’t really deny security assets to Trump for his Butler rally but might have denied a few things in the past.  That narrative, Bongino says, is “absolute bull-(bleep).”  To use a more printable word, it is a lie.

He says he can’t tell us how he knows this, but the Secret Service isn’t the only agency that knows about the repeated requests for security.  As for the Secret Service, “there is a documented, very long, very detailed paper trail [that can’t easily be deleted] of numerous people requesting pretty significant security enhancements to President Trump that were...denied.”  One of those who denied requests:  now-acting Secret Service Director Ron Rowe, then second-in-command.

It’s also true that about a year ago, agents on Trump’s detail and other security personnel said to top officials, “We cannot secure Mar-A-Lago like this,” but were told that they “don’t secure social clubs.”  Never mind that the Secret Service is obligated to protect former Presidents, period.

As for the shooter, Bongino is still convinced he didn’t act alone.  He bases this belief on “a body of facts and data that indicate that this guy did not have the requisite skill level” to pull this off “without some form of assistance.”  Yes, it’s POSSIBLE he did it by himself, but very unlikely.  When you think about it, he said, “this is only one of the most significant political attacks and assaults on our democracy --- genuinely --- in modern American history.”  But the media are already acting as if it were no big deal, “business as usual.”  As we’ve discussed, he thinks it’s quite possible that the shooter was “honeytrapped” by an enemy of the United States such as Iran.  This kid “looked like the exact sort of person they target.”

He’d like to be able to ask these questions, if the Secret Service and FBI would ever appear for a press conference.  But no, they’ve been in a rush to conclude things: “washing the roof, burning the guy’s body.”  We’ve seen no official autopsy report, no toxicology.  Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson said this was “baffling” to him.  If anything, actions like these encourage conspiracy theories to develop in the absence of information.  Is that what they want?

An examination of the body might show tattoos that tell a story; any such evidence has been destroyed.  A record would be in the autopsy report, but that remains sealed.  The toxicology report might show evidence of SSRIs (certain antidepressants) or other drugs.  And what about the encrypted messaging accounts the shooter had, with platforms based in Belgium, Germany and New Zealand?  “That’s not normal behavior,” Sen. Johnson told Judge Jeanine Pirro.

Bongino pointed to a report in the NEW YORK POST that SWAT counter-sniper Ben Shaffer said it was “absolutely” concerning that the roof of the AGR building had been so quickly scrubbed and the shooter’s body “disposed of” before an official autopsy report could be released.  Shaffer said this during the panel discussion Bongino participated in on Monday.

Shaffer found it “odd” that not only was the body released for cremation --- this was ten days after the attack --- but that it had been done without the knowledge of the coroner, who has responsibility over that.  An expert who spoke, former Navy SEAL Erik Prince, who founded the military contractor Blackwater in the 1990s, said, “It sounds like destruction of evidence.”

Of course, there are questions about how he learned how to build IEDs (improvised explosive devices) and install remote detonators.  “How did he do those searches and not get popped?” Florida Rep. Michael Waltz, a member of the official task force investigating the shooting, asked the NEW YORK POST last week.  One can only guess that the FBI is much too busy surveilling MAGA grandmothers and abortion-clinic protesters to stay on top of something like this.

On Monday, the FBI put out the usual sort of statement paying lip service to cooperation.  “Any suggestion the FBI is interfering with congressional efforts to look into the attempted assassination...is inaccurate and unfounded.”  Are they accusing Sen. Johnson, a member of the Senate bipartisan investigation, of making unfounded claims?  Why, they’ve always been so transparent before!

Sen. Johnson told FOX NEWS’ Maria Bartiromo that “all I can really tell you is that the Secret Service, the FBI, are basically dragging their feet; they’re stonewalling us.  And we’ve gotten some transcribed interviews, but the documents we request are heavily redacted; they’re delivered the day of the interview, so we really can’t use the documents to conduct the interviews effectively.”  Also, they say they’ve done hundreds of transcribed interviews, but they’re not turning those notes over.

“So, we’re not getting squat, from my standpoint, from the Secret Service or the FBI.”

“...If you wanted to design an investigation to raise suspicions and drive conspiracy theories, this is exactly how you’d do that investigation.”  It occurs to us that the FBI and Secret Service might be doing just that, to keep us sidetracked with wild conjecture.

“...We remain committed to maximum transparency,” the FBI actually said in their statement, “as we continue to share information with Congress, which includes participating in open hearings and conducting multiple direct briefings and [publishing] information for the public regarding the ongoing investigation.”  I think their idea of maximum transparency is much different from mine.  They’re quoted at greater length in the NY POST report if you’d like to roll your eyes some more…

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-rally-counter-sniper-backs-bombshell-evidence-tampering-claims-by-house-gopers/ar-AA1ptx9R

Bongino made the point that the FBI “has been spying on us for a long time,” no matter how much they try to deny it.  They’ve still got a back door in FISA (the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) that lets them spy on Americans just as they have in the past.  “They likely have this guy’s metadata --- emails, texts, and everything --- [so] if he’s acting alone, just put the information out there and show us.”  We might actually trust the FBI if they would show us the evidence.  This way, no.

He also said there’s no reason to redact material for these committee members, as the documents could always be viewed in a SCIF (sensitive compartmented information facility), or secure room.  Then, someone like Sen. Johnson could explain to us that there’s a solid rationale for withholding the evidence for now.

And here’s an enhancement of sorts to something we already knew.  Not only did the Secret Service turn down requests for additional security for Trump (which would make acting Director Rowe a liar), but, according to a whistleblower who spoke to Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, agents at the Pittsburgh field office were specifically warned in advance NOT to make such requests ahead of the Butler rally, that those requests would be DENIED.

They were told Trump couldn’t have any additional security because he was a “former” President, not the incumbent President or Vice President.  Presumably, Kamala Harris could have as much security as agents thought she needed in a given situation, but Trump would be limited because of his current rank (as opposed to threat level).  The various former Presidents have different threat levels.  Trump’s is sky-high.  And they already knew about that threat from Iran.

Also, those with the highest threat levels need THE top security professionals, regardless of skin color, gender, etc.  In other words, forget DEI, which would likely cause more people to D.I.E.  If they’re not going to give Trump what he needs, they can’t secure his events, and “then what’s the point?” Bongino asked.  “Let him get his own security then.”  That’s just what we’ve been saying for weeks.  That’s especially so if his poll numbers start climbing as we approach the election.  If they go up, so does his threat level, guaranteed.

Bongino’s podcast delves into all this and goes on to talk about Special Counsel Jack Smith and his revised Trump indictment.  (If you missed our report on that, see Wednesday’s newsletter.)

https://bongino.com/ep-2318-a-big-piece-of-the-secret-service-puzzle-revealed

Speaking of Smith, investigative reporter Julie Kelly has a great analysis of his blatant attempts at election interference.

https://www.declassified.live/p/jack-smiths-weak-watered-down-election

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