The President's Daily Brief - July 30th, 2024: Assassination Attempt Bombshells, Turkey Threatens Israel, & NATO Infighting

Episode Date: July 30, 2024

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief:     The latest bombshells from the ongoing investigation into the failed assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, as we learn that Secret Service had no contact with the local police SWAT team until after the shooting took place. Turkish President Recep Erdoğan is threatening military intervention in Israel, prompting calls from Israel for Turkey to be expelled from NATO.  Hungary’s Victor Orban has sparked an ugly diplomatic spat with Poland over remarks he made over the weekend regarding Russia’s war on Ukraine. In our 'Back of the Brief' segment, French authorities are investigating a series of death threats made against three Israeli athletes at the Paris Olympics. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief.     Email: [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Let's get briefed. First, we'll bring you the latest news from the ongoing investigation into the failed assassination attempt on former President Trump, as we learn that the Secret Service had no contact with the local police swathing. team until after the shooting took place. Now, you and I would imagine that after the shooting takes place is not really the time that you want the emergency contact. Later in the show, Turkish President Erdogan, you remember him, is a threatening military intervention in Israel, prompting calls from Israel for Turkey to be expelled from NATO. So essentially what Erdogan is saying

is he's threatening to invade Israel. Yeah, that seems. totally normal. Nothing to see here, folks, other than a Turkish-Muslim strongman who happens to be a NATO member threatening to invade Israel. Plus, Hungary's Victor Orban is once again stirring the pot within the NATO alliance regarding Russia's war on Ukraine, kicking off an ugly diplomatic spat with Poland and who, in these days and times needs another diplomatic spat. And in today's back of the brief, French authorities are investigating a series of death threats made against three Israeli athletes at the Paris Olympics. We'll discuss the threats facing Israeli athletes, including from Iran, there's a surprise, and what officials are doing to keep the team safe.

But first, today's PDB spotlight. I want to begin with our coverage of the failed assassination attempt on former President Trump, as new details emerge concerning the security breakdowns that preceded the shuddered, shooting. In a, let's call it startling development, members of the Beaver County SWAT team who were assigned to the Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, exclusively told ABC News that there was no contact between their SWAT team and the U.S. Secret Service prior to the first shots ringing out. The team's lead sharpshooter, Jason Woods, said he found the lack of communication prior to the shooting troubling, really. That's all. It's just troubling.

adding that it made him start thinking, quote, things were wrong, end quote. The SWAT team had reportedly taken their positions around the rally several hours before Trump took the stage and were waiting for the Secret Service to check in. Woods told ABC News, quote, we were supposed to get a face-to-face briefing with the Secret Service members whenever they arrived, and that never happened. We had no communication, end quote. That, as you might imagine, regardless of your experience, could be a problem. Wood said that this lack of contact was likely a major factor, you think, that allowed the shooter to evade authorities. According to text messages between local law enforcement,

these are text messages between local law enforcement obtained by Republican Senator Chuck Grassley. The shooter was first spotted more than 90 minutes before the shooting began at roughly 4.26 p.m. That's when they spotted him. The shooter had reportedly parked near. police vehicles and was spotted sitting on a nearby picnic table, according to a report from CNN. Nothing to see here. I'm just a sniper sitting here on a picnic table. Then roughly an hour before the shooting, one of the snipers on the local SWAT team said he spotted the shooter and took pictures, which he sent to their command center. Now, while the command center acknowledged the call, it appears the message never was relayed to the Secret Service.

The sniper also sent a text message to a group chat with, now this is the police sniper, also sent a text message to a group chat with other SWAT members saying, quote, listen to this. And this is the text message. This is not someone making, this is what is in the text message. Kid, leaning around building we are in. I did see him with a range finder looking towards the stage.

FYI, I'm sorry for chuckling, because, This is just ungodly. FYI, if you want to notify Secret Service snipers to look out, I lost sight of him, end quote. Look, this is so interesting. I'm going to repeat that. This is a text message sent by a local police sniper to a group chat with other SWAT members saying the following,

Kid, leaning around building we are in. I did see him with a rangefinder looking towards the stage. FYI, if you want to notify Secret Service sniper, to look out. I lost sight of him." End quote. Well, the sniper said he assumed someone would be dispatched to investigate the potential threat. Well, that's a logical thought, and added he was initially relieved when he saw rally goers pointing to the roof of the building used by the shooter, thinking that the crowd was watching police arrest the suspect. And then, well, he heard the shots ring out. like much of the public, the SWAT team has been left wondering what authorities could have done differently.

Really? You got to wonder what you could have done differently? Beaver County District Attorney Nate Bible, who oversees the SWAT unit, told ABC News, quote, I think with some better planning, perhaps, it could have been stopped. End quote, I'm sorry. I really don't mean to be laughing. It's a serious matter. So no offense. But clearly, Nate now wins the PDB statement of the obvious award for the rest of the year. I mean the rest of the year. Shut it down.

We will retire the award until the beginning of 2025. Let me just repeat what the Beaver County District Attorney said. I think with some better planning, perhaps, it could have been stopped. You'll see why we are retiring the award. Complicating matters, we also learned over the weekend that secret service agents on the ground have said they were not alerted to the potential threat by local authorities. Members of the Secret Service detail at the rally have reportedly lodged official complaints regarding the communications breakdown, saying none of the sightings of the suspectant shooter

were included in multiple alerts sent to the agents in the 25 minutes preceding the shooting. The competing narratives are only adding to the confusion of what exactly happened that day. Colonel Christopher Paris, head of the Pennsylvania State Police, testified to Congress last week that a trooper stationed in a command center with circuit service agents verbally relayed the reports about the shooter to the agents and said the agents then requested the warning to be forwarded to a specific phone number, according to a report by the New York Post. Yeah, thanks for the information. Can you please relay it to this number? Hmm. But Secret Service officials said Sunday, and they're still working to determine if anyone actually passed along the information about the shooter.

What a goat rope. In a statement addressing the new revelations on Sunday, the agency simply said, quote, as it relates to communications on that day, we are committed to better understanding what happened before, during and after the assassination attempt of former President Trump to ensure that never happens again. End quote, look, this is this is the same. statement from the Secret Service. Let me just repeat it because it is worth repeating. They said, quote, as it relates to communications on that day, we are committed to better understanding what happened before, during, and after the assassination attempt of former President Trump to ensure

that never happens again, end quote. Good God. Frankly, you may never see a better example of government speak than that statement. The Secret Service continues. to act as if they have no understanding as to the meaning of crisis communications. As you're likely aware, the myriad failures at the rally led to the resignation of Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatel last week. The buck stopped with Cheatel. Former President Trump, though, who was scheduled to be interviewed by the FBI as part of their investigation, has defended his Secret Service detail on the day of the shooting, hailing their brave actions to protect his life. Now, mind you, he's talking about the agents who immediately rushed to his aid, protecting, covering, and securing the former president.

He's not talking about the overall security failures on the part of the Secret Service and local law enforcement that allow the shooter to take his shots. All right. Coming up next, Turkish President Erdogan is threatening military intervention in Israel, really, prompting calls from Israeli leaders that Turkey be kicked out of NATO. Let me repeat that. Erdogan, playing to his Muslim base, is threatening to invade Israel, and he's a member of NATO. So we've reached peak stupid on the international stage. Plus, Hungary's Viktor Orban has sparked an ugly diplomatic spat with Poland over remarks that he made over the weekend regarding Russia's war on Ukraine. Oh, look, Orban just turned the stupid knob.

Up to 11. We'll have those stories when we come back. Some follow the noise. Bloomberg follows the money, whether it's the funds fueling AI or crypto's trillion dollar swings. There's a money side to every story. Get the money side of the story.

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car buying could be. Did the car have a sunroof? It did, actually. Okay, good story. Car buying you'll want to tell stories about. Buy your car today on... Carvana... Delivery fees may apply. Welcome back to the PDB. Israel is lobbying for the removal of Turkey from the NATO Alliance after Turkish president Taip Erdogan escalated his rhetoric against Israel on Sunday, essentially threatening to invade their territory on behalf of the Palestinians. Well, that would be Hamas. The provocative remarks came in a televised speech before Erdogan's Justice and Development Party where the Turkish president condemned Israel's military operations at Gaza.

While that hardly comes as a surprise, given Erdogan's long history of charged statements against Israel, who he has repeatedly called a terrorist state and accused of war crimes, his latest verbal attack actually went much further, according to a report from Fox News. While praising his country's defense industry, Erdogan said, quote, we must be very strong so that Israel can't do these ridiculous things to Palestine. Just like we entered Karabakh,

just like we entered Libya, we might do similar to them, end quote. Now for some clarity, he was referencing Turkey's indirect support, support of Azerbaijan's military operations in the Nagorno-Karabakh region last year, as well as when Turkey sent troops to Libya in 2020 during their civil war in support of the UN recognized government. Erdogan continued, quote, there is no reason why we cannot do this. We must be strong so that we can take these steps. Well, no reason other than Erdogan would

then get us ass kicked by all of NATO, but, you know, whatever makes your Islamist extremist base feel good about themselves. While he did not formally spell out what such an intervention inside Israel might look like, the message was clear, and, frankly, leaders in Israel were having none of it. Israeli foreign minister Israel cats quickly clapped back on X, that's what you do. That's the Hepcat reference, a clapped back. Posting a picture of Iraq's former president Saddam Hussein in a jail cell prior to his execution in 2006, suggesting Erdogan would meet a similar fate.

Katz said, quote, Erdogan follows in the footsteps of Saddam Hussein and threatens to attack Israel. Just let him remember what happened there and how it ended. But Katz didn't stop at words. Israel is now reportedly urging NATO leadership to expel Turkey from the alliance. A subsequent statement from Israel's foreign ministry said,

quote, in light of Turkish President Erdogan's threats to invade Israel and his dangerous rhetoric, Foreign Minister Israel Katz instructed diplomats to urgently engage with all NATO members, calling for the condemnation of Turkey and demanding its expulsion from the regional alliance, end quote.

As a reminder, Turkey has long given Hamas' members and their assorted businesses' safe haven in Istanbul. Erdogan has also argued that Hamas is simply a political party that is responding to Israeli aggression, nothing to see here. They're just a political party. No, no terrorism involved. In his response to Erdogan, Katz added, quote, Turkey, which hosts the Hamas headquarters responsible for terrorist attacks against Israel, has become a member of the Iranian Axis of Evil alongside Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis in Yemen.

Okay, well, look, he's not wrong, but you can count on the current U.S. administration and NATO allies to do nothing about Erdogan's ramblings. All right, I want to shift our focus to the EU, where a diplomatic spat has erupted between Poland and Hungary, exposing deep tensions within Europe and over their differing stances on Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine. Now Poland stands with the majority of European nations, staunchly supporting Ukraine. Conversely, Hungary, under Prime Minister Viktor Orban, is seen as maintaining the warmest relations with Russia among EU leaders. In a speech over the weekend, the rhetoric intensified when Orban accused Poland of hypocrisy, alleging that Warsaw criticizes Hungary's economic relations with Russia,

while indirectly doing business with Russia itself for oil. The Polish Deputy Foreign Minister strongly denied this claim, retorting that Poland no longer imports Russian oil in the wake of Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Poland's Deputy Foreign Minister went on to denounce Orban, who he said is, quote, on the margins of international society while questioning Hungary's EU and NATO membership. He added that Orban should leave the Western organizations and join a union with Russian President Putin

and other authoritarian states. Orban, often seen as a key ally of Russia within the EU, has repeatedly blocked aid to Ukraine and is currently withholding over $500 million owed to Poland as reimbursement for military equipment provided to Keeve. He also frequently echoes Kremlin talking points. The remarks come as Orban engages in wide-ranging diplomatic outreach, including recent meetings with Russian President Putin

and Chinese leader Xi Jinping during a so-called peace tour. Oh, that sounds nice, a peace tour. These efforts follow Orban's assumption of a six-month stint as the rotating president of the Council of the EU, which began at the start of just. July. In that role, Orban has asserted that peace in Ukraine can, quote, only be brought from the outside. The statement has been met with skepticism and criticism from the EU and Ukrainian President Zeletsky, who believe NATO and the EU can resolve the conflict without Orban's mediation.

This divergence has led to growing friction between Ukraine and Hungary, which historically they enjoyed strong ties due to shared views on migration and skepticism. towards the EU undermining their independence. The escalating diplomatic rift has been further complicated by the Polish government's shift towards a more pro-EU administration under Prime Minister Donald Tusk and underscores the broader challenges that Europe faces in presenting a unified front against Putin. All right, coming up in the back of the brief, French authorities are investigating a series of death threats made against three Israelis. athletes at the Paris Olympics.

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In today's back of the brief, French authorities have launched an investigation into death threats received by three Israeli athletes at the Paris Olympic Games, as well as potential anti-Semitic hate crimes that took place during a recent soccer match. The threats, which were sent to the private email addresses of three Israeli athletes, It's reportedly referenced the tragic Munich 1972 incident where 11 Israeli athletes and the German police officer were killed by Black September terrorists. The athletes were also ominously invited to their own funerals.

Francis Interior Minister confirmed the threats and said their national anti-online hate body is already investigating the incidents. Well, thank God the anti-online hate body is investigating. That should get a quick result. Additionally, prosecutors are investigating the possible anti-Semitic incidents during an Israeli-Paraguay football match in Paris. Fans, dressed in black, carrying Palestinian flags, displayed a banner reading, quote, genocide Olympics, and engaged in anti-Semitic gestures and chants against Israel. Yeah, that would seem to qualify as genocidal behavior.

The Paris Olympics organizers have lodged to complain, oh, good for them, and those involved, could face charges of aggravated incitement to racial hatred. Cybercrime officers are also probing the leak of Israeli athletes' personal data on social networks, including blood test results and logging credentials, an incident blamed on Iran-backed groups by Israeli authorities. Israeli athletes of the games remain under tight scrutiny, escorted by elite tactical units and given around-the-clock protection with support from Israel's internal security service, the Shinbet. Outside of the direct threats, Israel's foreign minister issued a warning last week to his French counterpart about an alleged Iranian-backed plot targeting Israeli

athletes during the Olympics. Despite the gravity of the threats, a source close to the case has stated that no connection with Iran or any other foreign country has yet been established. Yes, it is super hard to draw a line between the Iranian regime's stated goal of wiping Israel off the map and any targeting of Israeli athletes. If only, if only there was a way to make that connection. Investigations can be so hard. And that, my friends, is the president's daily brief for Tuesday, 30 July. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com. Now, as you know, so clearly I'm being redundant because you know, to listen to the show ad-free, well, become a premium member of the president's

daily brief by visiting BDB Premium.com. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back later today with the BDB afternoon bulletin. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool.