Trump cuffed his right ear and disappeared into an SS bodybunker then which he reemerged bloodied. There are no verifiable images or videos of any blood prior to the bodybunker. The only evidence of blood before this is the eye witness testimony of an SS agent named Nick Menster, identified as the Assistant Special Agent In Charge of the Donald Trump Detail [ASAIC DTD] in the report released on December 5th by the ‘Task Force on the Attempted Assassination of Donald J. Trump’.

“Former President Trump, upon feeling a bullet graze his right ear, dropped to the stage andtook cover. Secret Service agents immediately rushed the stage to form a [LES] over him. DTD ASAIC [ASAIC DTD] recalls seeing “a dark liquid pooling in front of [the former President].”
- UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, TASK FORCE ON THE ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION OF DONALD J. TRUMP, FINAL REPORT OF FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS, Issued by: CHAIRMAN MIKE KELLY (R-PA) RANKING MEMBER JASON CROW (D-CO) MEMBERS OF THE TASK FORCE, December 5, 2024, Page 46

The high ranking member of Trump’s SS detail was Special Agent in Charge[SAIC] Sean Curran. Curran's number two was Deputy Special Agent in Charge[DSAIC] Matthew Piant, and directly beneath him was Assistant Special Agent Menster[ASAIC].

1. Sean Curran [SAIC]
2. Matthew Piant [DSAIC]
3. Nick Menster [ASAIC]

According to the report, on July 8 Menster[ASAIC] received intel from Matthew Piant[DSAIC] of an Iranian plot to assassinate Trump using a long-range method,[1] like a shooter with a rifle. Piant[DSAIC] and Menster[ASAIC] withheld this intel from their subordinates delegated to coordinate security measures for the Butler rally, [2]and used it to request an SS countersniper team to cover the event,[3] but not a counter surveillance unit, an asset used for monitoring the perimeter of outdoor events for long range threats, such as a shooter with a rifle.[4] The SS countersniper team leader, identified in the report as [CS TL], arrived at the rally site on July 10 to liaise with local law enforcement sniper teams on a coverage plan for the event.[5] Local sniper teams were positioned on the perimeter of the fairgrounds looking in at the staging area for the rally.[6] And the SS counter snipers were positioned on top of two barns directly behind the staging area looking out at the perimeter of the fairgrounds.

Now, the area of interest here is a section of the AGR complex roof, located just past the northern perimeter of the fairgrounds, referred to in the report as the 3 o’clock position from the rally stage. This is where Crooks would spend the last 6 minutes minutes of his life on July 13.

One local sniper team was positioned inside a second story room of the AGR complex, looking out a window without a clear line of sight to this section of the complex roof.[7] A second was positioned in a grandstand on the southern perimeter at the opposite end of the fairgrounds, which had a line of sight to the 3 o’clock position of the AGR roof, but was not within effective spotting range and had orders to focus on the rally staging area in the center of the fairgrounds.[8]

[CS TL] divided the SS countersniper team into two units. Unit 1, which he positioned on the south barn roof with clear line of sight to the 3 o’clock position of the AGR roof. Unit 2, which he positioned on the north barn roof, with an obstructed view of the 3 o’clock position of the AGR roof due to a tree. [CS TL] then assigned himself and another sniper, referred to in the report as [CS Sgt. Tech], to Unit 1 on the south barn, and delegated overwatch of the AGR complex to Unit 2 on the north barn.[9] Thus, [CS TL] created a blindspot at the 3 o’clock position for every sniper team at the event except for his own. When questioned [CS TL] could not give a straight answer for when he had become aware of this blindspot, modifying his response in three separate interviews.[10] On July 12 supervising agent Nick Menster[ASAIC] reviewed and approved the blindspot at the 3 o’clock as part of the security plan in place for the following day.[11] There is some confusion surrounding this, the messiness of which I have omitted so not to confuse three simple facts.

1) Intel of an Iranian plot to assassinate Trump was used by Matthew Piant[DSAIC] and Nick Menster[ASAIC] to acquire an SS countersniper team for the Butler rally, but not a CSU, and they withheld this intel from their subordinates.
2) The [CS TL] of the assigned SS countersniper team created a blindspot at the 3 o’clock position on the AGR roof for every unit at the event except his own.
3) The supervising agent who reviewed and approved the security plan was Nick Menster[ASAIC].

However, blame for the 3 o'clock blindspot has been placed on a [Site Agent] assigned to coordinate the security plan Menster[ASAIC] signed off on. According to the report, this [Site Agent] raised concerns about the 3 o’clock position with Menster[ASAIC] prior to the event, but then nothing was done about it for some reason. Both [CS TL] and Menster[ASAIC] speak vaguely using plural third-person pronouns when discussing anything to do with this in the report.

"Line of sight mitigation efforts culminated with the DTD supervisor walkthrough on July 12. USSS supervisors [ASAIC DT] and [CNOS Insp.] and met Special Agent [Site Agent] and [Site Counterpart] for a walkthrough to explain preparations for the site. According to Senior Special Agent [Site Counterpart] campaign staff were also involved at a point during this walkthrough. When [ASAIC DTD] took the stage to observe the site, he asked the group about mitigating the line of sight concerns from the AGR complex area. He testified:
'I said that they had some farm equipment they were going to use in that area of the red combine tractor. They were going to have fencing that separated, you know, the main site from not the main site. And then, they were going to have uniform police officers covering that 5 o'clock to past the 3 o'clock, or 2 o'clock and 1 o'clock area. So kind of that whole right side of the stage. They said that there was going to be a police presence […] I believe I recall Agent [Site Agent] telling me she walked that area with the police and […] had a plan for that area with the uniform presence." - TASK FORCE ON THE ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION OF DONALD J. TRUMP, FINAL REPORT OF FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS, Page 65

According to local LE, [CS TL] spoke in a similarly confused manner during the planning stage of the event.

"The Butler ESU Deputy Commander recalled a similar conversation with the CSTL He testified:
'And, once again, we aired some concerns about that big open area from the eastern approach, the tower, the woods, that side of the building all through up to the fences. And at that point [CSTL] -- and he said it in like a third person that he was informed or they were supposed to be putting a fencing or curtain translucent up across the fence. I didn't clarify which fence, but my impression how he's phrased it, he was told that there was going to be some sort of fencing put up.”
- TASK FORCE ON THE ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION OF DONALD J. TRUMP, FINAL REPORT OF FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS, page 67

On July 13 [CS TL] took his position on barn roof B at 5pm alongside [CS Sgt.Tech], but forgot to grab a local LE radio put aside for him.[12] At 5:10pm Crooks was spotted using a rangefinder near the base of the AGR complex by local LE.[13] At 5:45pm [CS TL] received a text message about this from local LE.[14] From this time on, [CS TL] stated he and [CS Sgt.Tech] paid close attention to the AGR complex,[15] where they alone had clear line of sight to the 3 o’clock position. At 6:05pm surveillance video captured Crooks climbing onto the AGR complex roof, and nearby witnesses then see Crooks run or walk across multiple sections of its roof towards the 3 o’clock position, between 6:05 and 6:08pm.[16] [CS TL] was unable to explain why he and [CS Sgt. Tech] did not spot Crooks during this time.[17] Crooks then lay prone in the 3 o’clock position for two minutes until 6:11pm, when 10 shots can be heard fired, of which the FBI can account for 6.[18] The 10th and final bullet was fired by [CS Sgt. Tech], who made the killshot on Crooks from the barn B roof.[19]

As the shots were being fired Nick Menster[ASAIC] and Sean Curran[SAIC] rushed the stage and formed part of the body bunker that covered Trump for around 30 seconds. It is sometime during this period the first image of a bloodied Trump was taken.

Sean Curran[SAIC] then broke with protocol to allow Trump to collect his shoes and pose for an iconic photo, in which he can be seen staring into the camera on the right.

A general rule of power is that loyalty must always be rewarded. Which makes for a glaring irregularity when duty calls for failure.

But how does Crooks fit into this?

Refs:

[1] “DTD ASAIC ASAIC DTD who was not formally read into the intelligence, received a phone call on July 8 at approximately 11:30 p.m. from his direct superior, Deputy Special Agent in Charge {DSAIC) regarding a “larger credible threat” and was advised that that the assigned USSS “counter-sniper team will help us with that long range threat.”434 Additionally, told to be “more focused” on “line of sight issues.” - page 74

[2] ‘’ ASAIC [ASAIC DTD] testified that he spoke to Senior Special Agent [Lead Advancer] the Lead Advance Agent for the Butler Rally, as well as Special Agent [Site Agent] the Site Agent for the rally, about this threat by phone on July 9. Senior Special Agent [Lead Advancer] testified, “I received a call on the 9th about credible intelligence that he could not tell me what it was. I asked him to pass it on to my supervisor.” Senior Special Agent [Lead Advancer] further testified, “The impression was that it was [LES] because there had been previous talks about that within political members” as there had been previous talk about [LES] in the context of “[o]ther political figures – besides Trump.” Special Agent [Site Agent] testified that she was not part of any conversations about specific threats the week leading up to July 13 but that she had historic knowledge of a threat from regarding “a drone attack planned at a golf course somewhere in Florida.” “ - page 75

[3] "In the morning on Tuesday, July 9, the Secret Service, campaign staff, and airport personnel conducted an airport walkthrough for the visit.28 Secret Service and PSP established motorcade routes. Separately, DTD requested counter-sniper assets from the Secret Service Special Pperations Division (SOD) due to a long-range threat from a foreign state actor that was not specific to the rally on July 13." - page 11

[4] “According to DTD ASAIC(Piant) there was a presumption that the asset would not have been approved for a former President.” Page 70

[5] “On Wednesday, July 10, USSS counter-sniper assets and TSD arrived in Pittsburgh.46 Secret Service advance personnel and PIT SAIC walked the Butler Farm Show grounds for a manpower walkthrough, which precedes a manpower request to Secret Service Headquarters in order to assess what human resources should be requested.” , Page 13

[6] "On July 12, Butler ESU completed its operations plan. According to this plan, Butler ESU would be assisted by the Beaver County ESU (Beaver ESU) and Washington County SWAT (Washington SWAT).80 On the east side of the Butler Farm Show grounds near Brady Paul Lane and Meridian Road, Butler ESU CAT and ( ) assets would be positioned behind the barns situated behind former President Trump, and there would be a Butler County command post near the local Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) lodge.81 Members of the CAT would be “dedicated” and would “not deviate from their mission.”82 Snipers, who came from Butler, Beaver, and Washington teams, would be located in the grandstand, press box, and AGR.83 The plan divided the Butler Farm Show grounds into seven sectors of responsibility, and almost all teams would be on the property, inside the secure perimeter.84 The local sniper team positioned in the main AGR building would be outside the perimeter.85 Sniper teams and Beaver ESU team leaders were issued a Butler County radio, and a radio was set aside for the Secret Service." - Page 16

[7] "Butler ESU decided to position one of their sniper teams in the grandstand area and place a second team inside the second-story windows in one building of the AGR complex. According to Butler ESU, there were several reasons they did not place a team on the roof of the AGR complex. First, this would have required the team to be responsible for 360-degree coverage, whereas if they were placed inside one of the AGR buildings, the doors to the building would be locked and the snipers could focus exclusively on the overwatch area in front of them.344 Second, placing a team on the roof may also have been of limited utility because a portion of their overwatch line of sight would be obstructed.345 Third, if the snipers had been stationed on the roof, they would have been visible to onlookers, and it was their practice to be covert and avoid being seen" - page 56

[8] "The local snipers settled on placing a second team of local snipers in the announcer’s booth at the grandstand.347 From there, local snipers could see a majority of the AGR roofs including where Crooks was, but at a 380-yard distance.348 Butler ESU believed that distance to be inconsequential, however, given their understanding of their responsibility as crowd and venue overwatch, not coverage of buildings outside of the perimeter." page 56

[9] "Compounding the issue, the Secret Service counter-sniper teams were not appropriately focused on the AGR complex as a result of a poor division of responsibilities between the 1 and 2 teams.365 While the two teams were generally responsible for the entire site, 2 was assigned to primarily focus on the 12 to 3 o’clock areas as viewed from the stage, which included the entirety of the AGR complex.366 However, their view of the easternmost portion of the roof—where Crooks walked across and from which he fired—was almost entirely obscured by a tree just south of the AGR property."" - page 60

[10] “CSTL testified that he was aware of this tree obstruction when he gave 2 their assignment, but he failed to mention the obstruction to 2 or to instruct the 1 team to cover the obstructed area. Further complicating matters, CSTL has identified three different times when he first recognized that 2 had an obstructed view of the AGR roof. During a transcribed interview with the Task Force, CSTL identified his time on the barn roof on July 10 as the moment when he recognized the obstruction. 369 During an interview with the Senate, identified his time spent on tactical paperwork, likely on the evening of July 10, as that moment. 370 And his USSS Mission Assurance Report (MAR) interview suggests he may not have known there was an obstruction until after the incident on July 13” - page 61 [Curiously, the specific date of [CS TL]’s Mission Assurance Report interview has been omitted from the House report citation of it, though assumedly he modified his story in the reverse order it’s presented in the above quotation]

[11] "ASAIC [ASAIC DTD] also testified that when SSA [Lead Advancer] joined the group during that walkthrough, or shortly after its conclusion, she “assured [him] that she had spoke to the counter- sniper team, that they were confident they could cover those buildings in addition […] [T]hey had the […] local counter-sniper team at that specific location as well.”390 The combination of police presence, fencing, and counter-snipers at and around the AGR complex appeared to have been approved by DTD supervisors following this walkthrough. By the evening on July 12, [ASAIC DTD] testified that “[t]he combine is good to go at the 3 [o’clock]."" - Page 66

[12] TL mentioned that a local radio was available for Technician CS TL use. Technician CS TL never retrieved the local radio. He testified that after the meeting, he became distracted by issues of radio interference and did not pick up the local radio as a result. - Page 20

[13] page 29

[14] p 170

[15] "CSTL also testified that upon receiving a BOLO from local snipers regarding Crooks at 5:45 p.m., he paid “specialized attention” to the AGR complex, and that he and were paying “particularized attention” to the AGR building.373 However, CSTL did not see Crooks running on the roof and was unable to explain why that was the case.374 testified that upon receiving a message from CSTL regarding Crooks at 5:51 p.m. Technician checked the AGR area for an individual matching Crooks’ description, and then turned his attention back to his team’s assigned area, which did not include AGR.375 and CSTL agree that their attention focused strongly on AGR at around 6:09 p.m., when Technician transmitted that “locals are working something at the 3 o’clock." -Page 63

[16]" According to the FBI, Crooks parked his vehicle on Whitestown Road in the vicinity of AGR and returned to his vehicle several times between 4:44 p.m. and 5:47 p.m.241 Crooks used his vehicle to store improvised explosive devices and the drone that he flew earlier.242 Footage obtained from a local business also shows Crooks climbed to the roof via A/C units in an alcove of the building in the AGR complex at approximately 6:05 p.m. 243 Video from a local business, PSP dash camera footage, and police body camera footage show Crooks’ movement across multiple AGR complex roofs between 6:05 and 6:08 p.m. 244 Bystanders also saw Crooks pulling himself up to the roof and taking position.245 Several called the police, while others attempted to get the attention of police on the ground. "- page 37

[17] "" CSTL also testified that upon receiving a BOLO from local snipers regarding Crooks at 5:45 p.m., he paid “specialized attention” to the AGR complex, and that he and were paying “particularized attention” to the AGR building.373 However, CSTL did not see Crooks running on the roof and was unable to explain why that was the case.374 testified that upon receiving a message from CSTL regarding Crooks at 5:51 p.m. Technician checked the AGR area for an individual matching Crooks’ description, and then turned his attention back to his team’s assigned area, which did not include AGR.375 and CSTL agree that their attention focused strongly on AGR at around 6:09 p.m., when Technician transmitted that “locals are working something at the 3 o’clock.” Page 63 -

[18] The FBI reconstructed the shooting to establish bullet trajectories for the 10 rounds fired on July 13.784 They successfully identified six of the 10 bullet trajectories.785 Specifically, the FBI identified all six trajectories as originating from the north of the stage in the direction of the AGR complex from which Crooks shot.786 Two trajectories, “T5” and “T6,” traveled over the stage, with one hitting the vinyl cover for a jumbo television screen trailer behind the right bleacher, and the other hitting the barn door of a green warehouse south of the stage and bleachers. - page 126

[19] page 46.