Trump Assassination Attempt! Who is at fault?

I am simply going to speculate on what I know and believe. Regardless of who was at fault, this is another example of multi agency mission failure, very similar to Uvalde. Here is why. At the end of the day, was the shooter allowed to get within a very dangerous distance and fire a shot that could have seriously injured or possibly killed Donald Trump. The answer is yes! In the protection field your job as a detail is to protect your principal from death, serious bodily injury, embarrassment or harassment. The amount of pre planning and advance work is crucial for a successful visit. Before I chastise anyone, my first question to the detail leader would have been the following: What available resources were you given to effectively protect this candidate? Remember, he was a former president and candidate. I promise you they don't receive the same amount of protective resources as the current active president. I have been on site, with a private detail at an event when George Bush Jr arrived for a fund raiser and 7 to 10 days prior the USSS was already on site planning and staging. By the time he actually arrived there were over 500 personnel on site and over 50 vehicles. This was about 20 years ago so I can’t even imagine what improvements they have made now. But again, this is for the current active president. Not a candidate or former president or Donald Trump, because he is not well received by certain powerful government figures. Is it possible that he was denied additional protection? Yes of course. Remember Benghazi, how many times were they denied additional security at a temporary U.S. embassy with an ambassador in a very unstable country. Or was Donald Trump already being provided the standard protection package? We most likely will not know. I personally was surprised at how much personnel were onsite when it was time to evacuate him. I saw several different shooters dressed for war that were quickly in position to support. I personally did not expect that many shooters that quickly. Again, I don’t know what resources former presidents/candidates get, but I do believe based on what I witnessed on videos that there was plenty of personnel to do the job correctly.

Lets talk about the counter sniper team on the roof top. Their is a lot of speculation of how the shooter was able to get on the roof without being observed and or detected. Numerous reports have indicated that he was observed, and radio calls were made by several officers including many spectators at the event. Rumors state that he was seen and was  a suspicious person of interest almost 30 minutes prior to the first shots fired. So again, I believe most trained observers were on to him, including the sniper observer team. I believe they had their scopes on him but were waiting on confirmation for a green light or to verify who he actual was, due to all the different agencies on site. My question is why was he never stopped or questioned prior to getting into position? Apparently, there was an assigned sniper/spotter team in that same building but they chose to be in an air conditioned room instead of that roof top. I don’t blame them, that metal roof was hot and probably very uncomfortable for them to do their job correctly. Please understand there is a huge training difference and set of standards for military trained snipers and LEO snipers. In a separate incident a deputy did arrive to the roof top to investigate the subject, supposedly the subject pointed his AR-15 at the deputy who then quickly got off the roof to avoid being shot at. Again, I don’t know the specifics, or the angles. But my question is why didn’t those deputies immediately do their job as sworn officers and stop the threat. I don’t know all the circumstances but seems irresponsible to me. We also don’t know the time frame. If I was a staged shooter and I saw that my position was compromised, would I stay focused on completing my mission or shoot at the officers that are responding to my position. We wont know. I do feel that the deputy had a responsibility and didn’t respond accordingly. We now have reports that the reason the local pd sniper team didn’t fire was because for almost 3 minutes they were waiting on the USSS to give them a green light. That I truly believe. This is a USSS mission, and they have the final say. I wouldn’t be surprised if the policy of the USSS is not to fire until fired upon. Again, I wasn’t at the brief, and I personally don’t know the deadly force procedures for USSS sniper/counter sniper teams. I personally witnessed our DDM/Sniper/Counter Snipers team not engage on anything without permission unless it was obvious the gunfire/attack had started. So I will not fault the local sniper/counter sniper team not engaging if they didn’t have authorization from the USSS. Of course once the shooter began firing then it was real clear what his intentions were and deadly force was then justified. The reaction of the local police counter sniper team once shots were fired was questionable, but then again I am not surprised. Remember the difference in training, mindset and standards between PD counter snipers and military snipers.

The cover and evacuate, defensive circle immediate action execution. If you watch the video there is an agent on the bottom left screen and one other agent that the moment shots are fired without hesitation run up on stage and body bunker Donald Trump. The majority duck for cover. I get it, its normal human reaction when shots are fired. That initial delay could have been the difference between life and death. However, the first agent that did get to him without hesitation needs to be recognized and given a  medal for heroism. Once the entire defensive circle was set up and the need to evacuate him off the X was crucial, there was hesitation. But not entirely the details’ fault. Trump did very clearly say he wanted his shoe and took advantage of the situation for a photo/video op. I also believe when the call “shooter is down went out, and Trump was physically assessed with no imminent injuries then the sense of urgency to move was then reduced. Who dictates the evacuation, the team or the client. Technically the team does. However, in this case I could understand the pause and the delay at the request of the principal.

The female agent who could not effectively holster her handgun. Yes, very embarrassing. You could see she wasn’t sure what to do. Again, it shows the very basic capabilities of the agent. I am not surprised though, regardless of her gender I would almost guaranty you the majority of that team has met the minimum shooting requirements of the USSS presidential protection team and no more. A few may have gone and done more training on their own but remember the majority of this team spends their time travelling and planning with very little time for training. The shooting and handling standards do not surprise me. Look at most police officers. Most just qualify once a year and the majority won’t train on their own. This is the same for some federal entities. Don’t let the agency name fool you, it’s very common. I also read several arguments about the capabilities of the female agents. I support diversity but only if they all meet the required standards and capabilities. If you are going to make exceptions or lower the standards you are putting the team, the client and the operation at risk. Regardless of their gender, if they can’t execute proper techniques to evacuate the principal or stop the threat, then they may not meet the qualifications. However, you know it’s a sensitive topic nowadays and that’s why we give away participation trophies. I have worked with some bad ass females, and I would never question their capabilities and I have worked with some that should not be filling that position. When leaders are forced to fill certain positions with certain individuals then they don’t have a choice, it’s the country we now live in. Every day we lower our standards and principals to appease the majority. I was disappointed with the defensive positioning of the agents around the stash vehicle when they were trying to finalize his evacuation. You had three female agents around the vehicle and most were not even stationed as body bunkers over the windows of the passenger, driver and principal. This is an immediate action that should have been rehearsed repeatedly but probably wasn’t due to complacency. You could clearly see several PD or even USSS shooters in full kit in the vicinity. They had the rifle plates and firepower. Why weren’t they positioned accordingly. Again, inner agency rivalry regarding who had the overall handle. You could clearly see the female agents were confused and not sure what do while the one was deciding to holster her handgun or not and one pointing her handgun at the crowd. I would have loved to see the QRF shooters in full kit around the stash car and the agents behind each priority window in the tuck position. They all need to attend CDG courses, LOL!

Conspiracy theories!!!! Was this an inside job? Was the USSS in on it? I don’t believe so. I think this was just another nut job of a young man that had nothing else to live for and suffered from some form of mental illness just like Uvalde and several other incidents we have experienced in this troubled and disturbed country. We need to pray for our young people. Some are disturbed, hurt and angry. Many suffer from depression, bullying and lack of self confidence causing them to lash out in extreme ways for attention. This is an unfortunate culture we have created and need to fix. I believe that if the deep state wants Donald Trump killed they could easily do it. This was not a professional hit. This was a kid who walked to a roof top, got in position and almost killed Donald Trump because all the supporting agencies in the area made several very costly mistakes.

Lastly, I believe God was watching over Trump. That statistical chart he was referring to required him to turn and look at, saved his life. If you understand MOA, bullet travel and basic ballistics, Trump should have been hit in the back of the head, but that slight split second of a turn with perfect timing is what caused a bullet graze over the ear verses a shot in the back of the head. God saved Donald Trump, here is a man that is filthy rich, 78 years old and has endured so much hate and disgust yet continues to fight for the God fearing, hard working, American patriot, while others continue to sell off this country.

Pray for our country and keep training!!! www.criticaldefensegroup.com

God bless and Semper FI!!!!