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Report: Vance Gave Clinton Camp A Warning About Trump

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Hillary Clinton via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Vice President JD Vance reportedly opened a private channel to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign in 2016, urging her team to change course in the Midwest as Donald Trump closed in on the White House.

The previously unreported episode adds a striking new chapter to Vance’s well-known evolution from a fierce Trump critic into the president’s running mate and one of the most prominent figures in the MAGA movement.

According to a new Vanity Fair profile by Chris Whipple, Vance repeatedly asked an intermediary connected to Clinton’s campaign to put him in touch with Jake Sullivan, who was serving as one of Clinton’s senior policy advisers.

The intermediary recalled Vance saying, “I hate Hillary. But I hate Trump more.”

A Midwestern Warning Clinton Did Not Heed

Vance reportedly believed Clinton was in danger of losing the industrial Midwest and wanted her to make an urgent appeal to voters in Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

The source told Vanity Fair that Vance wanted Clinton to spend less time campaigning with celebrities and more time confronting the anger surrounding her 2002 vote to authorize military force in Iraq. His argument centered on working-class communities that had sent family members to war and felt forgotten by national leaders.

Vanity Fair reported that Vance eventually spoke directly with Sullivan roughly six weeks before Election Day.

A second source close to Sullivan confirmed that a conversation occurred but offered a narrower recollection. That person did not remember Vance laying out a broader strategy for the so-called Blue Wall states. The source did recall Vance pressing Clinton’s team to repair the damage from her “basket of deplorables” remark about Trump supporters and warning that she needed to sharpen her focus.

Clinton ultimately lost Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania—three states Democrats had carried in every presidential election since at least 1992. Trump captured all three by narrow margins, breaking through the Democratic firewall and winning the presidency.

Vance’s Office Pushes Back

Vance spokesman Taylor Van Kirk disputed Vanity Fair’s description of the outreach.

Van Kirk said Vance did not work for either campaign and was encouraging politicians in both parties to pay attention to working-class communities like his hometown of Middletown, Ohio. The spokesperson said the vice president’s office “100 percent reject[s]” the suggestion that his purpose was to help Clinton win.

The report does not claim that Vance formally joined Clinton’s campaign or held any official role. Its central allegation is that he privately delivered political advice to a senior Clinton adviser because he wanted Trump defeated—a characterization his office denies.

From Never Trump To Trump’s No. 2

Vance’s opposition to Trump in 2016 was never a secret. While promoting his bestselling memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, he publicly called himself a “Never Trump guy,” described Trump as unfit for office and ultimately voted for independent conservative Evan McMullin rather than Trump or Clinton.

His position changed in the years that followed. As Vance entered the 2022 Ohio Senate race, he apologized for his earlier attacks and aligned himself with Trump’s political movement. Trump endorsed him in a crowded Republican primary, Vance won the Senate seat, and Trump selected him as his running mate in 2024.

The new account is especially notable because Vance’s reported advice identified the very weakness that helped decide the 2016 election: Clinton’s failure to hold key Midwestern states. It also reveals just how far the future vice president may have been willing to go at the time to stop the man whose administration he now helps lead.

Still, the most explosive interpretation remains contested. Vanity Fair’s sources portray Vance as trying to help Clinton defeat Trump. Vance’s team portrays the conversation as a bipartisan plea for Washington to stop ignoring working-class America.

Vanity Fair’s account, including confirmation from a second source that Vance and Sullivan spoke, offers the clearest description yet of the distance between Vance’s 2016 politics and his role in the Trump White House today.

Don Bacon Hints At 2028 Presidential Run After Leaving Congress

Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

An outgoing Republican Congressman signaled he could mount a future bid for the White House.

“I got asked the other day, ‘You say you’re interested in being an executive — is that governor or president?’ I go, ‘Yes,’” Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon told NBC News in an interview last week in his office.

“If there’s an opportunity, and I can make a difference, a unique difference, I would like to keep serving. I just don’t want to do two-year elections,” he continued in the interview, which was published on Sunday.

Bacon announced last week he would not seek reelection in the vulnerable swing district, which includes Omaha and rural areas of Nebraska. In 2024, Bacon was one of three Republicans elected in districts that voted for former Vice President Harris over President Trump.

Bacon, a five-term congressman and retired Air Force brigadier general, has represented the 2nd District since 2017. Known for his relatively moderate approach and clashes with President Donald Trump, Bacon has occasionally broke with his party on major issues. He voted to certify the 2020 election and co-sponsored bipartisan legislation like the “Improving Reporting to Prevent Hate Act” with Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), aimed at improving the accuracy of hate crime reporting.

Bacon acknowledged it would be difficult to win a White House bid, particularly as a House member and as a Republican who still embraces Reaganism and a hawkish view of foreign policy.

“I don’t think it would be very easily done,” he said. “All I know is I have a heart to serve our country, and I have a vision.”

Bacon suggested he’d be interested in serving as Defense Secretary “if God opens up that door,” but acknowledged his doubt that a Republican president would tap him for the post.

Bacon also said that he would not run for governor against Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen (R), who was elected in 2023 and who, NBC News reported, is a “close friend” of Bacon’s.

Bacon’s exit opens one of the most competitive House seats in the country. The 2nd District — which includes Omaha and parts of Douglas, Sarpy, and Saunders counties — has a Cook Partisan Voting Index of D+3. Once a Republican stronghold, the district has been trending leftward thanks to shifting demographics and political realignment, particularly during the Trump era. (RELATED: Rep. Don Bacon To Retire, Opening Key Battleground In Omaha’s 2nd District)

Before Trump, the GOP had a lock on the district. George W. Bush carried it handily in 2000 and 2004. Even Mitt Romney won it by 7 points in 2012. But the tide began to shift in 2008, when Barack Obama flipped the seat — marking the first Democratic presidential win there since 1964.

Trump won it narrowly in 2016, but Joe Biden carried the district by about 6 points in 2020, and Democrats held it again in 2024. These wins came despite Nebraska remaining solidly red overall.

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Byron Donalds Leaves Door Open to Trump Campaign Stop in Florida

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Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) is leaving the door open to President Donald Trump campaigning alongside him as Florida’s race for governor moves into its final stretch.

Asked Tuesday on NewsNation’s “On Balance” whether Trump would come to Florida to campaign with him, Donalds replied, “Well, that’s his decision if he’s going to come down.”

The answer stopped short of announcing a joint appearance, but it also made clear that Donalds would welcome Trump’s continued involvement after the president backed his bid to succeed term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Donalds credited Trump’s endorsement with providing “a great lift” among Republican voters. He also emphasized that the endorsement was only one part of the campaign, pointing to the work his team has done across Florida over the past 18 months.

The alliance has been central to Donalds’s run from the beginning. Trump endorsed him in February 2025, before Donalds formally entered the race, and renewed his support ahead of the primary. In an August endorsement reported by the Tampa Free Press, Trump called the congressman a “TOTAL WINNER” and said Donalds would work with him to advance an America First agenda in Florida.

That support helped Donalds emerge from a crowded Republican field. He will face Democratic nominee David Jolly, a former Republican congressman and prominent Trump critic, in the Nov. 3 general election.

The matchup presents Florida voters with a clear contrast. Donalds has built his campaign around his conservative record, his alliance with Trump and a promise to preserve what he calls the “Florida Dream.” Jolly, who left the Republican Party before later becoming a Democrat, is campaigning as a critic of both Trump and the state’s current Republican leadership.

Republicans enter the fall contest with a strong record in statewide elections. No Democrat has won a Florida gubernatorial election since Lawton Chiles in 1994, according to The Guardian. A Donalds victory would also make him the first Black governor in Florida history.

Donalds said his general-election campaign will focus on “kitchen table issues,” including insurance premiums, housing costs and the effects of rapid population growth.

He argued that Florida must reduce government-related expenses that add to the price of a new home, expand housing more efficiently and protect residents’ quality of life while creating more high-paying jobs. Donalds also said he plans to crisscross the state during the 77-day sprint to Election Day.

For now, no joint Trump-Donalds campaign event has been announced. But Donalds has left the invitation open—and made clear that the final decision belongs to the president.

Melania Trump Admits She’s Concerned Over Husband Safety

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Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Former First Lady Melania Trump admitted she’s worried about her husband former President Trump’s safety in the final weeks leading up to the November election, blaming Democrats for creating a “toxic atmosphere.”

“I think, you know, when they call him, he’s a threat to democracy, let’s ask ourselves who is really a threat to democracy. They are ongoing with lawfare against the former president, as well as, you know, trying to get him off of the voting ballots and trying to silence him,” she said Tuesday on “The Five.” 

“So, yes, of course, I was always afraid [of] what can happen and that they continue with that kind of language [that] is just – it’s a toxic, toxic atmosphere.”

Over the summer, former President Trump faced two assassination attempts on his life. 

The first was in Butler, Pa., in July when would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks fired shots that grazed his ear. The second came in September when suspected would-be assassin Ryan Routh was spotted at the 2024 GOP presidential nominee’s golf course in West Palm Beach, Fla., allegedly poking a rifle out of the tree line near where Trump was playing golf.

Melania Trump also opened up about her priorities and goals should she return to the White House next year and vowed to continue her “Be Best” and “Fostering the Future” initiatives for children and women.

She launched the “Fostering the Future” initiative after leaving the White House in 2021, which seeks to secure educational opportunities and scholarships for children in the foster care community, according to a description on her website.

“I have many students now, so I will continue with that, and we need to give back to those children and support them so once they have education, they could have a great job, and after that, they could give back to communities,” Trump told “The Five.”

Paxton Offers Conditions For Potential Exit From Texas Senate Race 

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) said Thursday he would consider dropping out of the closely watched Republican Senate primary against Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) if Senate Republicans meet several conditions, a statement that comes as President Donald Trump prepares to weigh in on the race.

Paxton said he would consider exiting the contest if Senate leadership agreed to eliminate the filibuster — the 60-vote threshold typically required to advance most legislation in the upper chamber — and pass a bill requiring voters to show proof of citizenship to register to vote.

The legislation, known as the SAVE America Act, has already passed the House but remains stalled in the Senate, where Republicans lack the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster.

Paxton framed his proposal as part of a broader effort to advance Trump’s agenda in Washington.

“John Cornyn is a coward who has refused to support abolishing the filibuster to pass this bill. Now, Fake News reporters and the establishment are trying to destroy me with misinformation,” Paxton wrote Thursday on the social media platform X.

“The truth is clear: No one has been more loyal to Donald Trump than me—fighting the stolen 2020 election, being in Mar-a-Lago when he announced his 2024 campaign, and standing with him in NY in the face of lawfare,” he added. “For the good of our country and for the good of passing President Trump’s agenda, I am determined to help him get this done.”

Paxton’s comments come a day after Trump said he plans to issue an endorsement in the Texas Senate runoff and urged whichever candidate he does not back to exit the race to unify the party.

In a lengthy post on Truth Social, Trump said the GOP must quickly coalesce around a nominee ahead of the general election.

“The Texas Republican Senate Primary has been very interesting to watch,” Trump wrote.

“The Texas Republican Senate Primary cannot, for the good of the Party, and our Country, itself, be allowed to go on any longer,” he continued. “IT MUST STOP NOW! We have an easy to beat, Radical Left Opponent, and we have to TOTALLY FOCUS on putting him away, quickly and decisively! Both John [Cornyn] and Ken [Paxton] ran great races, but not good enough. Now, this one, must be PERFECT!”

The Republican primary advanced to a runoff earlier this week after neither Paxton nor Cornyn secured a majority of the vote. The runoff election is scheduled for May 26.

Cornyn has expressed some openness to changes to Senate filibuster rules but has warned that eliminating the 60-vote threshold could backfire if Democrats regain control of the chamber.

The incumbent senator has also supported the SAVE America Act, which would require voters to show proof of citizenship to register to vote and present photo identification at the polls.

Some Republicans have floated adopting a “talking filibuster,” which would require senators opposing a bill to hold the floor continuously to block passage. Under that proposal, legislation could ultimately pass with 51 votes once opponents stop speaking. However, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has expressed skepticism about implementing such a change.

Republican leadership has also reportedly urged Trump to endorse Cornyn in hopes of avoiding a prolonged and potentially divisive primary fight.

Secret Service Employee Fired Over Charlie Kirk Comments

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A U.S. Secret Service employee has been placed on immediate administrative leave after reportedly celebrating the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk in a social media post, Fox News Digital confirmed Friday.

“The U.S. Secret Service will not tolerate behavior that violates our code of conduct. This employee was immediately put on administrative leave, and an investigation has begun,” a Secret Service spokesperson told Fox News when asked about the employment status of Anthony Pough.

Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

According to Real Clear Politics, Pough had posted on Facebook celebrating Kirk’s death, accusing the conservative leader of spreading “racism.”

“If you are Mourning [sic] this guy .. delete me. He spewed hate and racism on his show,” Pough wrote, according to the outlet. He also referenced the recent Evergreen High School shooting in Colorado that left two students injured, writing, “Especially when we should be mourning the innocent children killed in Colorado.”

Pough further claimed that Kirk’s death was “karma,” writing, “At the end of the day, you answer to GOD and speak things into existence. You can only circumvent karma, she doesnt [sic] leave.”

Kirk was attending a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday afternoon when a single shot rang out and struck Kirk in the neck. He was transported to a local hospital and was pronounced dead just hours later. 

Real Clear Politics reported that Pough was in “Phase 2” of his career with the Secret Service, a stage where agents are focused on protective assignments. He had not yet been assigned to any regular detail protecting former President Donald Trump. According to the agency’s website, Phase 3 typically involves post-protective field, protection, or headquarters assignments.

Kirk was shot Wednesday afternoon while attending a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University. He was struck once in the neck and later pronounced dead at a local hospital. He is survived by his wife, Erika, and their two young children, ages 1 and 3. The couple married in 2021. (RELATED: MSNBC Fires Analyst Matthew Dowd For ‘Unacceptable’ Charlie Kirk Comments)

Kirk leaves behind his wife, Erika Kirk, as well as their two children, ages 1 and 3. The Kirks married in 2021.

Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance accompanied Kirk’s casket back to Arizona, where he resided with his family, on Thursday via Air Force Two. 

READ NEXT: Report: Homeland Security Confirms Probe Into Immigration Status Of Boston Lawmaker

Former GOP Senator Jumps Into Race In Battleground State

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Former U.S. Senator John E. Sununu officially entered the 2026 race in New Hampshire, campaigning to succeed retiring Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen. In his launch video, Sununu told voters: “Congress just seems loud, dysfunctional, even angry. I want to return to the Senate to help calm the waters.”

Sununu served three terms in the House before defeating then-Governor Shaheen in 2002 to win the New Hampshire Senate seat; he lost the rematch in 2008. His return comes nearly two decades after leaving public office for the private sector.

For Republicans, this is a golden opportunity. New Hampshire is the region’s only true swing state, and with Shaheen stepping aside, the seat opens up in a cycle where the GOP seeks not just to defend but expand its Senate majority. National Republicans believe Sununu brings strong name recognition and credibility in the Granite State.

Still, the path is not automatic. Sununu must first secure the GOP nomination. His strongest competition comes from former Senator and Ambassador Scott Brown. Brown has leaned into the Trump-era base, emphasizing his alignment with President Trump’s agenda and fundraising heavily. He’s already called out Sununu’s past independent streak, pointing to his backing of John Kasich in 2016 and Nikki Haley in 2024, as well as his published op-ed branding Trump a “loser.”

President Trump has remained officially neutral so far. While that leaves Sununu without an immediate endorsement booster, it also leaves room for maneuver. Reports suggest national Republican strategists view Sununu as the strongest candidate to flip the seat — a flip that would not only return it to the GOP column, but help lock in and expand the Senate majority Republicans are aiming for.

Sununu emphasized the campaign will focus on Granite State issues such as healthcare affordability, energy costs, housing and border security, rather than Washington partisan squabbling. He said: “Maybe you’re surprised that I’m running for the Senate again. I’m a bit surprised myself. Why would anyone subject themselves to everything going on right now? Well, somebody has to step up and lower the temperature. Somebody has to get things done.”

In short: the Republican field now features a heavy-hitter with deep state roots, strong ties to New Hampshire, and a credible path to winning in 2026. The GOP has the chance to turn this open seat into a win — but Sununu will have to navigate primary politics, reconcile his past positions with today’s Republican base, and secure key endorsements to prevail.


Sununu & Trump: A Complicated Relationship

Understanding Sununu’s past interaction with Trump helps clarify the dynamics at play in this race.

Background of Sununu’s past opposition

  • In 2016, John E. Sununu served as a national co-chair for John Kasich’s presidential campaign. He did not support Trump’s 2016 bid.
  • In the 2024 Republican primaries, Sununu backed Nikki Haley rather than Trump.
  • He authored an op-ed published just ahead of the New Hampshire presidential primary with the blunt headline “Donald Trump is a loser.”

Why this history matters

  • That record means Sununu begins the 2026 Senate contest with baggage in the Trump-aligned wing of the party. Some voters will view him skeptically if they believe loyalty to Trump is a key litmus test.
  • On the other hand, his independence also offers advantages: he can appeal to moderate Republicans, independents and swing voters in New Hampshire who may have turned off by raw partisan rhetoric. Because New Hampshire is a swing state, that broader appeal could be a strategic asset.

Where Trump stands (so far)

  • Trump has not yet endorsed in the New Hampshire GOP Senate primary, leaving the field open.
  • While Trump once publicly signaled support for Sununu’s brother (former Governor Chris Sununu) in a possible Senate run, John E. Sununu must still make his case to the President and his base.
  • Some Republican strategists believe that Trump may be pragmatic — if Sununu emerges as the strongest candidate to flip the seat, the president could be willing to support him despite the earlier friction. As one adviser put it: “President Trump appreciates winners … and understands that John E. Sununu puts this race on the map for Republicans.”

What Sununu must do

  • He needs to demonstrate to GOP primary voters that, despite his past, he is committed to key Republican priorities (border security, low taxes, energy independence, etc.).
  • He may need to secure Trump’s endorsement — or at least neutralize opposition from the pro-Trump base.
  • He needs to keep the campaign message centered on winning the seat back for Republicans, rather than internal Republican feuds.

Why a Sununu Win Matters for Republicans

  • Seat flip potential. With Sen. Shaheen retiring, this is a rare open seat — and Republicans have a strong opportunity to convert it. Flipping a Democratic seat in a swing state is a direct path to expanding the GOP Senate majority.
  • Midterm dynamics favoring Republicans. Holding a 53-47 majority after the next election would give Republicans greater flexibility on legislation, confirmations, and oversight. A successful 2026 campaign in New Hampshire would contribute meaningfully to that goal.
  • Messaging advantage. A win in a northern swing state helps buck the narrative that Republicans can only win in deep red states. Demonstrating competitiveness in a place like New Hampshire strengthens the GOP’s appeal to independent and moderate voters.
  • National momentum. Winning this seat could provide momentum going into 2028 and reinforce the party’s strategy of targeting vulnerable Democratic seats. It also signals to donors and activists that the GOP has a winning blueprint beyond the usual battlegrounds.

Bottom Line

John E. Sununu’s entry into the 2026 Senate race is a major development for Republicans. He brings name recognition, prior Senate experience, and a base in a state that is both competitive and critical to national Senate math. The complications with his past stance toward Trump are real — but not necessarily insurmountable

Former Trump Appointee Says MAGA Movement Is ‘Dead’

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Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

A former Trump administration official is lighting a match under the MAGA movement—and claiming it’s already burned out.

Carrie Prejean Boller, once appointed by Trump to the White House Religious Liberty Commission, declared Monday that “MAGA is dead,” accusing the president of abandoning his “America First” roots and aligning U.S. foreign policy with Israel in the escalating conflict with Iran.

Speaking on Piers Morgan Uncensored, Prejean Boller didn’t hold back.

“I think that a foreign country has occupied our government, and we are seeing now that this president of the United States of America is being influenced by a foreign government,” she said.

“And MAGA, let me tell you right now, MAGA is dead. It is deader than dead, and Americans are furious. We don’t recognize President Donald J. Trump anymore,” she added, calling Trump a “dear friend” she no longer recognizes.

Her comments come amid a growing fracture inside the Republican coalition following U.S.-Israel joint strikes on Iran on Feb. 28—an operation that has reignited debate over what “America First” actually means in practice.

Prejean Boller herself was recently ousted from the Religious Liberty Commission after being accused of attempting to “hijack” a hearing on antisemitism. Trump had appointed her to the role in May 2025.

But she’s far from alone in her criticism.

Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, once one of Trump’s fiercest allies, is also breaking ranks—calling the strikes a betrayal of campaign promises.

“The American people did not vote for this,” Greene told CNN. “I went to, I can’t even tell you, countless rallies all over the country for President Trump… and we said on every single rally stage, ‘No more foreign wars, no more regime change.’”

The internal rupture deepened further Tuesday when Joe Kent abruptly resigned as director of the National Counterterrorism Center—the first Trump official to step down in protest over the Iran conflict.

“I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran,” Kent wrote on X. “Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.”

The White House swiftly dismissed that claim. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt called the suggestion that Trump was influenced by Israel “insulting and laughable.”

Despite the high-profile defections, early polling suggests the MAGA base hasn’t moved nearly as much as its loudest critics. An NBC News survey found just 5% of self-identified MAGA Republicans opposed the initial strikes.

Prejean Boller isn’t buying it.

“I talk to MAGA people all day long, every day, and the everyday, average American is absolutely against this war,” she said. “And they know that the only reason why we are even in Iran right now is because of Israel.”

‘We’ll Take Care of It’: Grassley Reveals Never-Before-Heard Claim From First Trump Assassination Attempt

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Image via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Iowa’s senior U.S. senator, Chuck Grassley, has disclosed findings from his office’s investigation into the first assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump during a July 13 rally near Butler, Pennsylvania. Revealing the latest to Fox News, Grassley’s office shared concerning security lapses by the Secret Service, which had assured local law enforcement that it would secure the American Glass Research (AGR) building overlooking Trump’s rally – an assurance that was not fulfilled.

The building in question was later used by Thomas Matthews Crooks, the would-be assassin who fired eight shots at Trump in under 30 seconds. Three rallygoers were hit, one fatally, and Trump himself was grazed by a bullet that came within an inch of his head. Despite these dangers, no law enforcement personnel were stationed on the roof where Crooks had taken his position.

“Butler County law enforcement officials stated that at separate times during the walkthrough, when they reiterated their concerns to the agents and counter sniper about securing the AGR complex buildings, the agents responded: ‘we will take care of it,’” Grassley’s office revealed in a Tuesday letter to acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe.

…

The Iowa senator questioned Rowe whether the Butler County law enforcement officials’ claim is true and, if so, what the Secret Service did to secure the area with the AGR complex buildings.

Grassley noted that in the weeks following the first assassination attempt, Rowe told senators during a hearing, “what was communicated is that the locals had a plan and that they had been there before,” in regard to the roof of the AGR building where Crooks took his shots from. 

Crooks’ final location was only discovered when bystanders noticed him army-crawling toward Trump. A local police officer attempted to access the roof, prompting Crooks to rush his first shot.

Startling video footage, obtained by Fox News more than two weeks after the incident, showed a figure believed to be Crooks moving across the roof of the AGR building three minutes before the attack. FBI officials later revealed that Crooks accessed the roof by climbing HVAC equipment and piping, moving across multiple rooftops to establish his position about 450 feet from Trump.

The Secret Service was aware of a potential threat 10 minutes before Trump took the stage but allowed the event to proceed. Additionally, a local law enforcement countersniper had flagged the shooter as suspicious over an hour before the attack due to his use of a rangefinder and his possession of a backpack.

Grassley’s investigation raises serious questions about the security protocols in place during the rally and the Secret Service’s handling of the potential threat.

Read Grassley’s letter to acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe here:

READ NEXT: Trump Speaks Out After Surviving New Death Threat

Trump Calls On New York Times To Issue Apology

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Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Trump is going to have to keep waiting for this apology…

President-elect Donald Trump called on The New York Times to “apologize” on Tuesday and said the outlet got “years” of coverage about him “so wrong.”

“Will the failing New York Times apologize to its readers for getting years of ‘Trump’ coverage so wrong. They write such phony ‘junk,’ knowing full well how incorrect it is, only meaning to demean,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. 

He also appeared to call out Maggie Haberman, a senior political correspondent at the New York Times, who has focused much of her reporting on the president-elect. 

“They do no fact checking, because facts don’t matter to them. I don’t believe I’ve had a legitimately good story in the NYT for years, AND YET I WON, IN RECORD FASHION, THE MOST CONSEQUENTIAL PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IN DECADES. WHERE IS THE APOLOGY?” Trump continued.

The Times responded in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“As an independent news organization The New York Times doesn’t produce stories that are ‘good’ or ‘bad’, only reporting that is true. Maggie Haberman and her colleagues have an unrivaled record of providing deeply-reported and authoritative coverage. Every president has complaints about coverage but this work has been widely recognized as fair, accurate and unflinching,” the spokesperson said.