Video shows Republican Sens. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and John Barrasso of Wyoming confront U.S. Secret Service Director Kim Cheatle Wednesday at the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer subpoenaed Cheatle on Wednesday to appear in a hearing on July 22 to answer questions regarding the attempted assassination of 2024 Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on July 13 during a Pennsylvania rally.
Fox News’ Aishah Hasnie reported that the U.S. Secret Service director was in a “luxury suite” before she was spotted and confronted by Republican senators, including the 72-year-old Blackburn and Barrasso, who demanded answers before following her around the event.
Secret Service snipers spotted failed assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks on the roof 20 minutes before Trump took the stage, according to ABC News. Video shows Cheatle, who refused to resign, providing no explanation when an outraged Barrasso asked her why the former president was put in harm’s way.
Blackburn chided Cheatle for doing nothing despite knowing “an hour out” that a “potential threat” was at the rally. The Tennessee senator asked Cheatle why she allowed Trump to take the stage in the presence of a potential threat.
“I don’t think that this is the forum to have this discussion,” Cheatle said.
The senators erupted at Cheatle’s response, with one heard saying the Secret Service director “hung up” on them earlier. Cheatle said she did “not want to take away from” the RNC, to which Barrasso replied, “We can find a place to go right now.”
“Thank you very much,” Cheatle said as she began to make her exit.
“No, no, no. We’re going with you,” Barrasso shot back as he and Blackburn followed her out.
“This is exactly what you were doing today on the call — stonewalling!” Barrasso said.
“This was an assassination attempt! You owe the people answers! You owe President Trump answers!” Blackburn shouted.
On Tuesday, Cheatle told CNN in an interview that the Secret Service was “solely responsible” for security at Trump’s Pennsylvania rally.
“The buck stops with me. 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,” Cheatle said. “It was unacceptable and it’s something that shouldn’t happen again.”
Trump was shot in the ear during his rally in Butler County. One attendee was killed and two others were injured, including one man who was put in a medically induced coma due to the severity of his wounds.
http://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.png00The Daily Callerhttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngThe Daily Caller2024-07-19 15:34:492024-07-19 16:40:15‘You Owe President Trump Answers!’: Video Shows GOP Senators Confront Secret Service Director Kim Cheatle
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN — Donald Trump wasn’t slated to appear at the Republican National Convention until Thursday.
But when he unexpectedly showed up on Monday, it wasn’t the shock factor that moved delegates and attendees alike, it was his very presence, his walk, his ear bandage, his raised fist in the air and his decision to attend the convention at all just days after nearly losing his life in a failed assassination attempt.
Over the course of several days, social media has buzzed with simulations, photos and diagrams displaying just how close Trump was to death. It was nothing other than divine providence, Trump wrote on Truth Social, and it’s a topic he’s discussed with confidants in recent days, many told the Daily Caller. They described a new strength and determination to meet the moment on the former president’s face and in his voice.
“By the end of [Monday] night, I was able to work up to the rope line. So when he came down off the stairs and walked through, he saw me. He came up to me and put his hand through Secret Service to shake my hand. He looked me right in the eye. He said, ‘that was a heck of a day, wasn’t it? I said, yes, it was, sir,’” Blake Marnell, a California delegate often seen at Trump rallies donning a brick suit, told the Caller. “The truth is, he’s a heck of a guy and we’re lucky to have him.”
Donald Trump Jr. told the Caller he had to wait nearly an hour and a half to get news that his father was okay. In a phone call with his father not long after escaping death, Trump Jr. told the Caller they cracked some jokes.
“I just said, listen, most importantly, how’s the hair? [He said] It’s fine. It’s a little bit bloody. And I think that was probably a moment that we all needed, because my kids and family were around on speaker phone and listening to it. And it was tough. I try to explain to a ten year old that their grandfather was just shot in the face. It’s not a conversation you ever want to have,” he said.
On Saturday, six minutes into his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, the sound of gunshots rang out from beyond the crowd. Trump grabbed his neck before ducking down behind the lectern. Moments later, the former president emerged from a pile of Secret Service agents and with his face bloody and a fist into the air, he gave his supporters the message of “fight.”
Thomas Crooks, a 20-year-old from a nearby area, had perched himself on a rooftop about 150 yards away before firing at Trump in what was later deemed an assassination attempt.
In the aftermath of the assassination attempt and just days before his speech at the RNC, Trump decided to completely rewrite his speech, according to the Washington Examiner. Trump told the outlet that he changed his speech from “a humdinger” attacking the Biden administration, to instead focusing on unity and using his near-death experience to draw the country together.
“I haven’t talked directly to the president. But I’ve spoken with my colleagues and I actually had a good long conversation with [Rep.] Ronny Jackson, who spent the day after the shooting with President Trump. And he said he’s a very different person,” Republican New York Rep. Claudia Tenney told the Caller. “I think he understands and realizes that was an act of God, and he was saved by God. I mean, just the fact that he turned his head.”
After watching the rally with his wife on TV and seeing the events unfold, Speaker Mike Johnson was reminded of the time President George Washington managed to avoid gunfire while riding across a war-torn battlefield in the French and Indian war.
“Coincidentally, historically, the bulletproof President George Washington … the famous story in the French and Indian war in 1755, when he’s riding a horse in an open field and they’re all taking shots and he gets off the horse,” Johnson told the Caller. “He has four bullet holes in his coat, but none of them hit him. He’s just a young Army Colonel at the time, but he writes this down and says, ‘the Divine Providence spirit must be making for something happening in the future.’”
Johnson explained that the Washington story happened less than 50 miles from where Trump was during his rally on Saturday, and just a few days apart.
“I sent that to Trump, and I’m like, okay, maybe it’s coincidence, but I don’t think it is. I think it’s providence and we recognize it as such. And I think President Trump does as well,” he told the Caller, adding that Trump agreed with him that God saved his life.
Shortly before touching down in Milwaukee, Trump admitted that he considered skipping the first few days of the convention in the aftermath of the assassination attempt. But RNC Chairman Michael Whatley knew that was not going to happen, he said Thursday morning at the Faith & Freedom breakfast. The former president was scheduled to appear on Thursday, but he called Whatley up on Saturday with just a few words.
“I’ll be there tomorrow,” Whatley said Trump told him.
Walking into the Fiserv Stadium on Monday, with his ear bandaged, Trump was noticeably emotional as ‘God Bless The USA’ played.
“It really hit home for me watching him come out on the convention floor, and he was as emotional as I’ve ever seen him and I got emotional. Because you realize, okay, 15-30 minutes after the assassination attempt, we got the news that he was okay, all things considered. And then you start thinking, Well, gosh, praise God for him, for the country. Lord knows what would’ve happened to this country had that assassination been successful,” Heritage Foundation President Dr. Kevin Roberts told the Caller.
“But then you sort of move on to the next steps, the vice presidential pick, some of the policies, but then you see him coming. And he is a strong man, and we love that about him right? But to see that very strong man, be even stronger by feeling the gravity of what happened,” he added.
It was an entrance that struck many alike, especially those close to the president, who noticed a different perspective written on Trump’s face.
“When he came in and sat — I’ve been in his company many times when he was in office — he always had this really energized look no matter where he was and what he was doing. It struck me that he looked a little more reflective, still the courageous guy he was with his fist in the air, but I think probably like any other human being he had some different perspective around what took place,” Thomas Hodgson, Chairman of Trump campaign in Massachusetts, told the Caller.
The emotion, in part, Johnson told the Caller, could be because of the weight of the moment Trump feels of his presidential campaign.
“We’ve talked openly about this and so he feels the weight of that and the responsibility that comes along with that. He believes that he has been spared for a reason and as he said in the last couple of days, it is to unify the country and lead it again. And that is a very sobering and exciting prospect.” Johnson told the Caller. “And I think that’s what you see on his countenance on his face.”
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – When Donald Trump took the stage for the RNC finale and told attendees he was going to address the assassination attempt he survived, the stadium of thousands fell completely silent.
“You will never hear it from me a second time, because it is actually too painful to tell,” Trump began.
Just under a week after a failed attempt on his life, Trump took the RNC stage for his much-anticipated nomination acceptance speech. After barely dodging death on Saturday, Trump scrapped his entire speech and instead rewrote it himself, a Trump official told reporters ahead of the speech. Rather than heavily attacking the Biden administration, Trump wanted to focus on unity and use his near-death experience to bring the country together, the Washington Examiner first reported.
And so he did. A reflective and calm Trump closed out the RNC convention on Thursday, embracing unity and compassion during his emotional address.
All throughout the weekend, attendees, delegates and speakers remarked how Trump was alive and in attendance because of divine intervention. The president agreed.
“I stand before you in this arena only by the grace of Almighty God,” the president said, noticeably emotional like the delegates surrounding him on the convention floor. Trump told delegates that he shouldn’t be on the stage today, and they responded by drowning him out with chants of “yes you are.”
Trump told the story of that Saturday in Butler, Pennsylvania, where he was “happily” giving a speech. Six minutes into that rally, gunshots came from beyond the crowd, leading Trump to grab his neck before ducking down behind the lectern. Secret Service agents rushed to cover Trump, but within moments he rose, face bloodied, and raised a fist in the air.
“Fight,” he told his fans.
While Trump recounted that story, the crowd broke out into “fight” chants as they had done throughout the week.
Tragically, the shooter claimed the life of one of our fellow Americans, Corey Comperatore, and seriously wounded two other great warriors, David Dutch and James Copenhaver.
— Team Trump (Text TRUMP to 88022) (@TeamTrump) July 19, 2024
After paying tribute to the Lord for sparing his life, Trump led a moment of silence for former fire chief Corey Comperatore, who was fatally shot while attending the rally. Rolling out Comperatore’s firefighter jacket and helmet, Trump kissed the uniform and saluted the crowd.
The former president explained that more than $6 million had been raised for Comperatore’s family in the wake of his death, and that he would be donating $1 million himself.
From there, Trump used the tragedy to emphasize the political moment and call for not just a unified party, but a unified country.
“Our resolve is undoubted and our purpose is unchanged to deliver a government that serves the American people better than ever before,” Trump proclaimed. “Nothing will stop being in this vision because our vision is righteous and our thoughts pure, no matter what obstacle comes our way. We will not fret, we will not bend, we will not back down and I will never stop fighting for you, your family and our magnificent country.”
The president made a point to keep President Joe Biden’s name out of his speech, only mentioning the 81-year-old once before pledging to not do so again.
“I’m not going to use that name again,” Trump said.
Instead, Trump compared his record to Biden’s without mentioning the administration by name, and stacking statistics against each other, touting his border policy initiatives, the economy and crime rates in a lengthy speech. Prior to the former president taking the stage, a video played of former President Ronald Reagan, reading his famous “are you better off today than you were four years ago” line, a theme that carried similarly throughout Trump’s speech.
The president also used moments in his speech to outline actions he plans to take in his administration, adding that he will conduct “the largest deportation” operation ever if elected again.
While touting his record, Trump emphasized to his audience the importance of Americans staying together in order for the country to be made “great again.” In other instances, the former president broke from his policy talk and reflected again on his life being spared during his rally.
At one point, Trump credited a graph he was looking at on the stage on Saturday, which allowed him to turn his head just enough that the bullet hit his ear, rather than his skull. Images of the graph flashed around Trump as he again reflected on the blessing to be standing on the stage.
“The last time I put up that chart, I did not really get to look at it.”
-President Donald Trump referencing the attempted assassination on his life in Pennsylvania at the RNC Convention.
— Derrick Van Orden (@derrickvanorden) July 19, 2024
“Just a few short days ago, my journey with you nearly ended,” Trump reflected. “And yet here we are tonight, all gathered together, talking about the future, promise, and total renewal of a thing we love very much — America. We live in a world of miracles.”
http://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.png00The Daily Callerhttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngThe Daily Caller2024-07-19 03:56:592024-07-19 04:16:32‘Too Painful To Tell’: Trump Walks Through Brush With Death, Embraces Unity In Emotional RNC Finale
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – One day after Donald Trump announced his running mate would be Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, Ohio Republicans started considering who could be his replacement in the Senate in conversations with the Daily Caller.
Contingent on a Trump-Vance win in November, Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine would be left to pick a replacement for the seat. Following the announcement, one-time presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy told the Caller he would “strongly consider” taking the seat if it were offered to him, while other reportsindicated that DeWine was leaning toward choosing State Sen. Matt Dolan, who earlier this year lost a primary to Bernie Moreno for Ohio’s other Senate seat. Various reports float names under consideration, so state Republicans talking to Daily Caller gave some suggestions themselves.
“Oh, he would be amazing,” Debbie Lang, an Ohio Republican Party central committeewoman, told the Caller of Ramaswamy. “He’s great. He’s such a supporter of President Trump. He can articulate our conservative values. He’s wonderful. He’s our future. He’s a young man and he’s brilliant. And so he would be good.”
State Sen. Sandy O’Brien also threw her support behind Ramaswamy in a conversation with the Caller.
Ramaswamy was at one point a contender for the coveted spot of Trump’s running mate, but reports indicated in March that he had been ruled out. Since, the topic of taking a position in a potential second Trump administration has been the speculation around the rising star of the GOP. Now, the Senate seat may be on the table.
“If asked to serve, I would strongly consider the position,” Ramaswamy told the Caller Monday. He stressed that he would first consult Trump on what the best path forward would be for the country, however. He also lauded the pick of Vance as running mate and characterized him as “one of our best fighters” in the Senate.
Of course, the seat would only need to be filled if Trump and Vance win the election, putting serious consideration off for at least another four months. DeWine would then be left to appoint an interim replacement before a special election could be held in November 2026. Under the state statute, DeWine is free to appoint “some suitable person having the necessary qualifications for senator,” according to the New York Times.
DeWine and the former president were recently at odds after they endorsed different candidates in Ohio’s GOP Senate primary. Trump endorsed Moreno, who would go on to win, while DeWine backed Dolan, who the former president calls a “RINO.” Days before the election in March, DeWine refused to endorse Trump, saying he was focusing on local elections.
Ohio Delegate Mike Gondak told the Caller that whoever throws their hat in the ring needs to think of the toll of the job and whether that is something they can handle. Gondak had some names to suggest for the job, including former Ohio Republican Party Chairwoman Jane Timken, who unsuccessfully ran for Senate in 2022, losing the primary to Vance along with several other candidates. Gondak also floated the name of Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost.
“Jane Timken would be great. Vivek has raised his hand, he would be great if he was interested as well. We’ve got a stable of statewide officeholders that are going to be term-limited here soon. So it’s an amazing opportunity for the Governor because he has two years left to leave his mark,” Gondak told the Caller.
Though some are enthusiastic to learn who could be replacing Vance, other Ohio Republicans told the Caller that the speculation was premature. The focus instead should be ensuring that Trump wins along with Moreno, who is taking on Democratic Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, they said. Moreno has closely aligned himself with Trump during the campaign, which earned him the primary endorsement. Moreno was also endorsed by Vance and Donald Trump Jr., among other Trump allies.
“Every minute we spend talking about anything beyond this November’s election is an advantage to Joe Biden, a man who can barely finish a sentence. It’s an advantage to Kamala Harris because nobody gets to see how incompetent she is and it’s an advantage to Sherrod Brown because we don’t talk about how Sherrod Brown acts like a radical liberal in Washington,” Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted told the Caller.
DeWine was asked directly about who he would appoint to the seat, but similarly punted the question.
“We have to win first,” the governor told Fox News Digital.
MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin – Minutes into the first delegates session of the Republican National Convention, the Fiserv Forum erupted into chants of “fight,” a nod to the message Donald Trump gave to rally-goers after dodging a bullet meant to kill him.
It was a nod that made clear that the near miss on Trump’s life just days prior was on the mind of everyone. Leaving one dead and two critically injured, the assassination attempt could have held the RNC convention back. Trump himself admitted that he considered skipping the first two days of the convention to compose himself. But instead, attendees told the Caller, the tragedy did just the opposite.
“[The mood is] energy, excitement, pissed off or fired up. And if the election were today, or next week, Trump’s gonna win and Donald J. Trump and whoever the nominee VP nominee is, we’re gonna win a landslide,” Mike McMullen, a Pennsylvania delegate who witnessed the shooting on Saturday, told the Caller. “He’s going to win states that Republicans don’t win.”
And energetic and excited it was – multiple RNC guests approached this reporter unprovoked to quickly share their enthusiasm and love for Trump before catching someone else and spreading the word more.
Before the “fight” chants broke out, and before he officially began the first session, Republican National Committee Co-Chairman Michael Whatley asked attendees to join him in a moment of silence for the tragedy that unfolded Saturday. The Secret Service rushed a bloody Trump off the stage during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Though the bullet grazed Trump’s ear, 50-year-old Corey Comperatore was killed.
The shooting left the country reeling, but the convention is rolling on.
“Rewind a week ago, this was not the convention environment that we envisioned. But I do hope that if there is one silver lining that comes out of what happened on Saturday night, let it be that first of all, Americans got to see an American president who was brave in his most vulnerable moment… he took the hit, he took the bullet, he took the fire, felt the blood, stood up and said he was still willing to be ready and would not stop fighting for the people who actually put him there,” former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy told reporters at the Heritage Foundation’s Policy Fest. The event also began with a moment of silence for the tragedy.
A promotional video showed at the Policy Fest featured images of Trump surviving the assassination attempt, emerging from a swarm of Secret Service agents with blood on his face and raising a fist into the air. Marie Georgievski, an Ohio alternate delegate, told the Caller that among guests and delegates at the convention, attendees have been inspired and moved with a desire to support Trump.
“I thought that was an inspiring moment, regardless of what you believe. I talked to President Trump actually, that night was about 12:30am. I think he was on his way out of the hospital at the time, and his level of calm, and his level of strength in that moment, frankly, was a phone conversation that inspired me. I can only imagine, hopefully, the inspiration that offers to all Americans,” Ramaswamy continued.
The excitement, in part, could be attributed to the anticipation of Trump’s pick for vice president. Attendees speculated who Trump would choose as reports trickled in on those being ruled out.
“If it’s not Rubio or Burgum, who do you think it will be?” one attendee exclaimed.
The vice presidential pick, amid the response to the attempt to take Trump’s life, brought a sense of unity to the convention. Later, in a Truth Social post, Trump announced that he was choosing Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance as his running mate.
“The party has never been so united. With a united party, President Trump will unite the nation,” New York GOP press secretary David Laska told the Caller.
“Right now everyone is buzzing about the VP. More broadly, there is palpable excitement in the air. We know we are witnessing history and we can’t wait for President Trump to take the stage,” he added.
Following the attack on Trump, President Joe Biden spoke three times, even giving an Oval Office address in an attempt to urge Americans to tone down divisive political rhetoric. The 81-year-old was briefed several times on the shooting and later moved to boost Secret Service protection for Trump, himself and Vice President Kamala Harris.
The seriousness of the attack has not been lost on convention attendees, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told the Caller.
“I think the mood is more serious. There’s a seriousness of what this election means, but also how fragile life is and the damage could be done if somebody just raises the rhetoric,” McCarthy said.
“Think about how close, but just in a slight finger nail, President Trump wouldn’t be alive today, and what would that do to the entire nation? I think it’s the responsibility of all Americans to take a deep breath, lower the rhetoric, there’s enough contrast in policies between these two men running for president. Let’s debate that,” he continued.
“I think there’s a sense of relief, but also determination,” Wisconsin GOP communications director Matt Fisher told the Caller.
McMullen, just feet from the stage where Trump got shot on Saturday, could’ve stayed home after what he witnessed. He could’ve understandably decided to skip the convention, out of fear that something like what happened on Saturday could happen again.
But he was far from deterred.
“As crazy as it sounds I mean, I’m not saying he’s crazy, but he gets up and does a fist pump and gives a thumbs up. Who the hell does that?” he told the Caller.
“That just shows the plight and the resolve of Donald J. Trump. Donald J. Trump is going to win Pennsylvania,” McMullen continued. “And as you know, Pennsylvania is the Keystone State. We win Pennsylvania, we win it all.”
MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin — President Donald Trump selected Republican Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance to be his vice presidential candidate, announcing his decision on the first day of the Republican National Committee’s (RNC) convention.
A day ahead of his official party nomination, Trump ended the anticipation and speculation of who his running mate for the 2024 presidential election would be. Vance will now join him on the campaign trail, just a few days after the former president survived an assassination attempt.
“After lengthy deliberation and thought, and considering the tremendous talents of many others, I have decided that the person best suited to assume the position of Vice President of the United States is Senator J.D. Vance of the Great State of Ohio,” Trump said on Truth Social. “J.D. honorably served our Country in the Marine Corps, graduated from Ohio State University in two years, Summa Cum Laude, and is a Yale Law School Graduate, where he was Editor of The Yale Law Journal, and President of the Yale Law Veterans Association. J.D.’s book, “Hillbilly Elegy,” became a Major Best Seller and Movie, as it championed the hardworking men and women of our Country. J.D. has had a very successful business career in Technology and Finance, and now, during the Campaign, will be strongly focused on the people he fought so brilliantly for, the American Workers and Farmers in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Minnesota, and far beyond….”
Vance has traveled a long arc from Trump critic to running mate.
In 2016, Vance called himself a “never-Trump guy” and labeled the future president’s policies “absurd.” However, by 2020, Vance’s view of Trump turned around, and he endorsed the Republican nominee for president.
The two would further mend their relationship in the following years. Vance issued a formal apology in 2021 for his past comments about Trump, and said he had been a good president. Trump then endorsed Vance in his 2022 run for Senate after the pair met at Mar-a-Lago.
Vance, a Marine with degrees from Ohio State and Yale Law School, achieved notoriety with his 2016 memoir ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ about his upbringing in Appalachian America. He has taken the mantle of a key leader in the “new right” of the Republican Party, advocating for international non-interventionism and a focus on working class and family issues domestically.
Vance was a popular pick amongst Trump’s family and ideological allies, with Donald Trump Jr. advocating heavily for his selection. He was considered by many analysts to be more ideologically aligned with Trump and the “MAGA” movement than other contenders like Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum.
Four months until election day, Trump is leading his challenger President Joe Biden in polls, both nationally and across key swing states. Biden and Trump met on the debate stage for the first time in this election cycle on June 27. When Biden stumbled through his answers looking lost and confused, Democrats began calling for the president to drop out of the race.
The 81-year-old has assured his base that he was not dropping out, even as the calls persist.
It is unclear if Vice President Kamala Harris and Vance will meet on the debate stage, as both presidential campaigns have committed to separate meetings. The Biden campaign accepted an invitation in May from CBS News for Harris to debate Trump’s running mate. But the Trump campaign previously accepted an invitation, ahead of the former president’s pick, for Vance to debate Harris on Fox News.
