On July 13 at 6:11 p.m., on a stage in Butler, Pa., former President Donald Trump came an inch away from being assassinated. But for luck, “divine intervention” and his own quick thinking and actions, Trump would have been killed that day.
As has been shockingly and painstakingly detailed, the U.S. Secret Service did nothing to stop the eight bullets that were fired at Trump and beyond him, tragically, into the crowd.
I say that as someone who has had the honor and privilege to know quite a few Secret Service agents over the years. Be it while working in the Reagan and George H.W. Bush White Houses; around the details of former President Bill Clinton; or having friends with spouses who worked for the agency. I have known tens of agents over the years, and every single one that I met was incredibly dedicated to the job. All are truly exceptional human beings. Every single one.
That being the case, how was this nightmare allowed to play out live across the nation and the world? Some believe that it is due to the “rot,” incompetence and partisanship within the leadership of the Secret Service, the FBI and other three-letter agencies.
Whatever the truth, we must find it as quickly as possible before the next bullet finds its mark. To that point, just this week the Department of Justice in concert with the FBI foiled another potential assassination attempt against Trump and other U.S. officials being organized by a man with alleged ties to the government of Iran.
Sadly, all of this raises another very troubling question: Does everyone in our government want to find the truth? Do some not want all the dots connected? Do some not want accountability? Can some hate a political candidate so much that they can rationalize away their responsibilities to themselves, to their organizations, and to their nation in the name of their “ideology” and “cause?”
While such questions are chilling, they pale in comparison to one I have heard repeatedly asked by highly intelligent, highly experienced people these last three weeks. The gist of that question being: “Was the security perimeter around former President Trump purposefully weakened to allow the unthinkable to happen?”
For those who would instantly scream “conspiracy theory” and “irresponsible wild speculation,” I will tell you that millions of Americans are already discussing and forwarding to others variations of that question. I would further state that the more such troubling questions linger regarding this assassination attempt, the less healthy it is for our nation.
I suspect that most people reading this were not alive when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963. It was a killing that broke the heart and the spirit of our nation.
But it was also an assassination the mainstream media covered 24 hours a day for months. A mainstream media comprising many who truly admired or even loved that young charismatic president, personified by CBS anchor Walter Cronkite, who wiped away a tear as he announced live on the air that Kennedy was dead.
Contrast that time to today, and I believe it is fair to say that we have a mainstream media that has unprofessionally and unethically moved on as fast as possible from the Trump assassination attempt.
As much of the media from 1963 admired JFK, much of the mainstream media of today openly loathes former President Trump. Some would seemingly rather fawn over Vice President Kamala Harris and her campaign than dedicate the time and resources needed to uncover what happened before, during and after the attempt on Trump’s life — unknown facts critically important to the wellbeing of our nation.
As these troubling questions and theories swirl; as the leadership of the Secret Service and other agencies seemingly stonewall. And as the media’s indifference to an assassination attempt from less than a month ago grows, I maintain that there is one person who would move heaven and earth to get to the unvarnished truth: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
While RFK Jr. is now an independent candidate running against both Trump and Harris, I can argue that ultimately will be a net-plus for the investigation.
But regardless, I can think of no person in the nation who personally or more deeply understands political assassinations and potential coverups of such assassinations than Kennedy.
For any member of the media (at least those not trying to smear him to the benefit of the Democrats and Harris) looking for an eye-opening tutorial on the entire subject, I suggest you read Kennedy’s book, “American Values: Lessons I Learned from my Family.” Tragically, because assassins’ bullets did claim the lives of his father and his uncle, Kennedy has a self-taught PhD in the subject.
Some have speculated that had the bullet fired at Trump been one inch more to the right, our nation may have erupted into chaos and violence. Fortunately, we never found out.
More than anyone, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. understands the horrifying fallout that follows an assassination. We must protect all of our leaders, regardless of their politics or beliefs, from such threats. It is our responsibility as a people and a nation.
I believe a new “Kennedy Commission” would get us closer to that goal — and to the truth.
Douglas MacKinnon, a political and communications consultant, was a writer in the White House for Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, and former special assistant for policy and communications at the Pentagon during the last three years of the Bush administration.