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☆ Secret Service’s Tech Flaws Helped Gunman Evade Detection at Trump Rally
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Eric Lipton | David A. Fahrenthold | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

After a week of oversights and failures, the officers protecting former President Donald J. Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pa., still had one last chance to get it right. It began when a local police officer peered over the roof of the AGR International warehouse near the rally grounds and found the suspicious man he and other officers were hunting. Ninety minutes of confusion about Thomas Crooks’s intentions and whereabouts had ended in an instant. “Long gun!” the officer broadcast over the local law enforcement radio system, according to congressional testimony from ‌the Secret Service this week. It was urgent news that should have instantly traveled to a command center shared by the local police and the Secret Service, and then to agents close enough to throw their bodies in front of Mr. Trump.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, peered, Thomas Crooks’s, “ Organizations: Service Locations: Butler, Pa

Nearly 100 minutes before former President Donald J. Trump took the stage in Butler, Pa., a local countersniper who was part of the broader security detail let his colleagues know his shift was ending. He exited the second floor of a warehouse that overlooked the campaign rally site, leaving two other countersnipers behind. Outside, the officer noticed a young man with long stringy hair sitting on a picnic table near the warehouse. So at 4:26 p.m., he texted his colleagues about the man, who was outside the fenced area of the Butler Fair Show grounds where Mr. Trump was to appear. He said that the person would have seen him come out with his rifle and “knows you guys are up there.”

Persons: Donald J, Trump, ” Locations: Butler, Pa

On Today’s Episode:Harris Clinches Majority of Delegates as She Closes In on Nomination, by Shane Goldmacher and Reid J. EpsteinTrump’s New Rival May Bring Out His Harshest Instincts, by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan SwanSeeking Answers, Lawmakers From Both Parties Ask Secret Service Chief to Quit, by Luke Broadwater, David A. Fahrenthold, Hamed Aleaziz and Campbell RobertsonFrustrated Californians May Be Ready for a Tougher Approach to Crime, by Tim Arango

Persons: Harris, Shane Goldmacher, Reid J, Epstein Trump’s, Maggie Haberman, Jonathan Swan, Luke Broadwater, David A, Fahrenthold, Hamed Aleaziz, Campbell Robertson, Tim Arango

The Secret Service director, Kimberly A. Cheatle, faced bipartisan calls for her resignation on Monday, after a disastrous hourslong congressional hearing in which she declined to answer basic questions about the attempted assassination of former President Donald J. Trump. Nor would she tell members of the House Oversight Committee why Secret Service agents were not aware until the last seconds that people in the crowd had seen a gunman on that roof. At times, Ms. Cheatle seemed less informed than the lawmakers quizzing her. When Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia, asked for a detailed timeline of events, Ms. Cheatle said she did not have one. By the hearing’s end, many of the committee’s Democrats — usually defensive of their party’s appointees — had also swung sharply against Ms. Cheatle.

Persons: Kimberly A, Donald J, Trump, Cheatle, Marjorie Taylor Greene, ”, Democrats —, — Organizations: Service, Secret, Republican, Democrats Locations: Butler, Pa, Georgia

On Today’s Episode:Biden Called ‘More Receptive’ to Hearing Pleas to Step Aside, by Carl Hulse, Michael S. Schmidt, Reid J. Epstein, Peter Baker and Luke BroadwaterBiden Tests Positive for Covid, by Michael D. ShearJ.D. Vance Plants His Appalachian Roots in the 2024 Race, by Michael C. BenderAt R.N.C., Senators Berate Secret Service Director Over Assassination Attempt, by Jonathan SwanGunman’s Phone Had Details About Both Trump and Biden, F.B.I. Officials Say, by Glenn Thrush, Jack Healy and Luke BroadwaterA Blind Spot and a Lost Trail: How the Gunman Got So Close to Trump, by David A. Fahrenthold, Glenn Thrush, Campbell Robertson, Adam Goldman and Aric TolerAn Algorithm Told Police She Was Safe. Then Her Husband Killed Her, by Adam Satariano and Roser Toll Pifarré

Persons: Biden, ‘, Carl Hulse, Michael S, Schmidt, Reid J, Epstein, Peter Baker, Luke Broadwater, Michael D, Michael C, Bender, Jonathan Swan, Glenn Thrush, Jack Healy, David A, Campbell Robertson, Adam Goldman, Aric, Adam Satariano Organizations: Vance, Trump, Biden, F.B.I

About an hour before a gunman let loose a volley of bullets that nearly assassinated a former president, the law enforcement contingent in Butler, Pa., was on the verge of a great policing success. Among the thousands of people streaming in to cheer former President Donald J. Trump at a campaign rally on Saturday, local officers spotted one skinny young man acting oddly and notified other law enforcement. The suspicious man did not appear to have a weapon. Remarkably, law enforcement had found the right man — Thomas Matthew Crooks, a would-be assassin, though officers did not know that at the time. Twenty minutes before violence erupted, a sniper, from a distance, spotted Mr. Crooks again and took his picture.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, — Thomas Matthew Crooks, Crooks Locations: Butler, Pa

The building from which a gunman fired at former President Trump on Saturday was — at least in hindsight — an obvious security risk. Its rooftop offered an ideal sniper’s perch, with a close, elevated and unobstructed view of Mr. Trump. But when the Secret Service drew up plans for Saturday’s rally, it left that building outside its security perimeter. Instead, local law enforcement officials were given responsibility for that building, and no police officers were stationed on the roof itself. The building, used as a warehouse by equipment manufacturer AGR International, has become a focal point of myriad investigations into the shooting that nearly felled a former American president, one that Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas on Monday called a security failure.

Persons: Trump, Alejandro N, Mayorkas Organizations: Service, AGR, Homeland Locations: American

President Biden on Sunday called for an “independent review” of security measures before and after the attempted assassination of former President Donald J. Trump, while directing the Secret Service to review all of its security measures for the Republican National Convention this week. Mr. Biden’s directive, though brief and without specifics, is likely to increase the scrutiny of the decisions and possible failures of the agency charged first and foremost with protecting the lives of the country’s current and former leaders, and their families. Less than 24 hours after Mr. Trump was injured at a campaign rally in Butler, Pa., members of Congress were promising hearings and former law enforcement officials were questioning why the warehouse roof where the would-be assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pa., fired shots was not covered by the Secret Service’s security perimeter, despite being within the range of some guns. Mr. Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, was quickly whisked off the stage and pronounced fine, but a spectator was killed in the shooting and two others were critically wounded.

Persons: Biden, Donald J, Trump, Biden’s, Thomas Matthew Crooks Organizations: Service, Republican National Convention, Republican Locations: Butler, Pa, Bethel Park

In this gilded echo chamber, Mr. Trump enjoys unwavering devotion — and collects the staggering price of admission. During the 2014-15 season — the last before Mr. Trump officially entered politics — The Times counted 52 fund-raiser events at Mar-a-Lago. More than two dozen midterm candidates had already held fund-raisers on the property when Mr. Trump made that statement. But that changed when Letitia James, the New York attorney general, sued Mr. Trump for exaggerating the value of his properties. And, unlike when Mr. Trump was president, “he was there a lot,” Mr. Rustmann said.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, MAGA, Matt Gaetz, “, Sebastian Gorka, ”, Forgiato, Donald Trump, Ryan Garcia, “ Donald Trump, Glenn Beck, Roger Stone, Liz Crokin, Michael T, Flynn, We’re, —, Vivek Ramaswamy, Matthew DePerno, Frank Pavone, Kari Lake, Joe Kent, ” Cameron Moore, Alex Stone, Stone, Roger J, Stone Jr, Roseanne Barr, don’t, Abraham Lincoln, Lago, Thomas D, Homan, ” Sebastian Gorka, Gorka, Abraham Lincoln ”, Trump’s, ” Mr, Vernon Jones, Letitia James, galas, Laurence Hirsh, James, Greg Christovich, Christovich, Christovich’s, Michael Barnett, Barnett, ” Frank Vain, Fred Rustmann, Mr, Rustmann Organizations: Gravity, House, New York Times, Mar, U.S.A, Times, Trump, Palm, Republican Party of Palm, Lincoln, Breakers, Policy Institute, America’s, Inc, White, Mr, America, of, Republican, Republicans, Republican National Committee, Democratic Senatorial, Trump Organization, New, U.S ., Secret Service, U.S . Department of State, Records, The Trump Organization, Republican Party of, RSM, Republican Party Locations: Mar, Jan, America, Palm Beach, Lago, Charlottesville, Va, Beach, Georgia’s, “, New York, Republican Party of Palm Beach County, Florida

On Today’s Episode:Top Democrats, Swallowing Fears About Biden’s Candidacy, Remain Behind Him, by Catie Edmondson, Maya C. Miller, Robert Jimison and Annie KarniA Late Play by the Biden Campaign: Running Out the Clock, by Adam Nagourney and Jim RutenbergHow Mar-a-Lago Became the Center of Gravity for the Hard Right, by Karen Yourish, Charlie Smart and David A. FahrentholdAt Least 25 Reported Killed in Israeli Airstrike at School Turned Shelter in Gaza, by Liam Stack and Anushka Patil‘Rust’ Jury Chosen After Questions About Guns, Movies and Alec Baldwin, by Julia Jacobs

Persons: Catie Edmondson, Maya C, Miller, Robert Jimison, Annie Karni, Adam Nagourney, Jim Rutenberg, Karen Yourish, Charlie Smart, David A, Liam Stack, Anushka Patil, Alec Baldwin, Julia Jacobs Organizations: Biden, Gravity Locations: Gaza

☆ Michael Flynn Has Turned His Trump-World Celebrity Into a Family Business
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-23 | by ( David A. Fahrenthold | Alexandra Berzon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In 2021, retired Gen. Michael T. Flynn, Donald J. Trump’s first national security adviser, became chairman of a 75-year-old nonprofit organization — the kind of small charity where chairmen typically work for free. But Mr. Flynn received a salary of $40,000, for working two hours per week. Mr. Flynn’s charity also paid one of his brothers, two of his sisters, his niece and his sister-in-law. Since leaving the Trump administration under an ethical cloud, Michael Flynn has converted his Trump-world celebrity into a lucrative and sprawling family business. He and his relatives have marketed the retired general as a martyr, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for a legal-defense fund and then pocketing leftover money.

Persons: Michael T, Flynn, Donald J, Trump’s, Michael Flynn, QAnon Organizations: Inc, Trump Locations: Flynns

A woman drove up to a Minnesota home in a Mazda on Sunday night with a bag of cash totaling $120,000, ready to hand it to one of the 12 jurors in a multimillion-dollar charitable fraud case in the Minneapolis federal courthouse. “This is for Juror 52,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson quoted the woman saying, according to a story in the Sahan Journal. The U.S. attorney’s office said in an interview with The New York Times that the accounts were accurate and that more details would be forthcoming. Prosecutors said the juror reported the apparent bribery attempt to the local police. Prosecutors have accused them — and dozens of others — of stealing $250 million by claiming to have served nonexistent meals to nonexistent children.

Persons: Joe Thompson, “, ”, Thompson Organizations: Mazda, ”, The New York Times, Prosecutors Locations: Minnesota, Minneapolis, Sahan, U.S

☆ A 9/11 Charity Provides a Financial Safety Net to a Giuliani Firm
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-01 | by ( David A. Fahrenthold | Eileen Sullivan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Because of his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, Rudolph W. Giuliani has been indicted in two states and hit with a $148 million defamation judgment that forced him to seek bankruptcy protection. Through all of that, he has kept a reliable financial ally: a charity founded to honor the memory of a firefighter killed on Sept. 11, 2001. The problem, according to his creditors’ lawyers, is that he has withheld that detail throughout his first five months of bankruptcy proceedings. The revelation of the revenue stream comes after months of deeply contentious arguments from creditors about the state of Mr. Giuliani’s personal finances, with complaints that much of it remains deliberately incomplete and opaque. Only recently did creditors learn, through social media, that Mr. Giuliani had a contract to earn money from a new branded coffee line.

Persons: Rudolph W, Giuliani, Mr, Stephen Siller Organizations: New, Giuliani Communications, Towers Foundation Locations: New York City

☆ Right-Wing Nonprofit Paid Millions to Companies With Ties to Insiders
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( David A. Fahrenthold | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The Conservative Partnership Institute, a nonprofit whose funding skyrocketed after it became a nerve center for President Donald J. Trump’s allies in Washington, has paid at least $3.2 million since the start of 2021 to corporations led by its own leaders or their relatives, records show. In its most recent tax filings, the nonprofit’s three highest-paid contractors were all connected to insiders. One was led by the institute’s president, Edward Corrigan, and another by its chief operating officer. At a third contractor, the board members included the group’s senior legal fellow Cleta Mitchell, a lawyer who supported Mr. Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Persons: Donald J, Trump’s, Edward Corrigan, Cleta Mitchell Organizations: Conservative Partnership Institute Locations: Washington

☆ The Many Ways Men’s Sweet 16 Players Are Being Paid
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( David A. Fahrenthold | Billy Witz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

$500 signed basketball Branded vodka and coffee “Buzzer beater” quesadillaThe Many Ways Men’s Sweet 16 Players Are Being PaidThis year’s N.C.A.A. basketball tournament is being played amid a revolutionary change in college sports: The best players are now openly recruited, retained and rewarded with cash. — under pressure from the Justice Department and state legislatures — allowed players to be paid for the use of their “name, image and likeness.” The idea was to let players endorse shoes or sports drinks. (The average men’s basketball player with a collective contract at a top school is paid $63,450, according to Opendorse, a company that processes payments to players from collectives. Every team in the men’s Sweet Sixteen has been touched by this change, which has brought windfalls to players but instability to the college game.

Persons: —, ” —, windfalls Organizations: Justice Department

☆ Elon Musk Has a Giant Charity. Its Money Stays Close to Home.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-10 | by ( David A. Fahrenthold | Ryan Mac | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Before March 2021, Elon Musk’s charitable foundation had never announced any donations to Cameron County, an impoverished region at the southern tip of Texas that is home to his SpaceX launch site and local officials who help regulate it. Then, at 8:05 one morning that month, a SpaceX rocket blew up, showering the area with a rain of twisted metal. The Musk Foundation began giving at 9:27 a.m. local time.

Persons: Elon Organizations: SpaceX, Musk Foundation Locations: Cameron County, Texas

The attorneys general of Tennessee and Virginia filed suit on Wednesday against the N.C.A.A., saying the body that regulates college athletics has no right to block the increasingly common practice of wealthy boosters paying to attract top recruits. The suit was filed a day after the disclosure that the N.C.A.A. was investigating the University of Tennessee’s football program for recruiting violations involving a donor group that arranges to pay athletes. The driving force behind that change has been donor collectives, which are groups of alumni and other boosters who donate money that is used to compensate top athletes, sometimes in amounts approaching professional levels. In effect, the collectives pay salaries disguised as endorsements, and they now play a central role in the process of wooing players in football, basketball and other sports.

Organizations: University of Tennessee’s Locations: Tennessee, Virginia

The N.C.A.A. Having the booster group pay for the trip by the quarterback, Nico Iamaleava, would be a violation of N.C.A.A. The inquiry comes after the N.C.A.A. penalized Tennessee for different recruiting violations and signals the N.C.A.A.’s growing concern about the scale and influence of the money being injected into college sports by donor collectives. News of the investigation into Tennessee’s athletic program was first reported by Sports Illustrated.

Persons: —, Nico Iamaleava Organizations: University of Tennessee’s, Sports Illustrated Locations: Tennessee

The key to recruiting top college football players these days is not just a lavish training facility or a storied coach. The rapid rise of big-dollar payments to student-athletes from so-called donor collectives has emerged as one of the biggest issues in college sports, transforming how players are recruited and encouraging a form of free agency for those looking to transfer. And because many of the groups are set up as charities or with charitable arms that make donations tax-deductible, they are drawing scrutiny from the Internal Revenue Service. two years ago to allow payments to student-athletes. While in theory they operate independently of athletic programs, collectives have become deeply embedded in the economics of college sports, offering vast supplements to the scholarships that schools provide.

Organizations: Internal Revenue Service

The protest in London’s bustling Chinatown brought together a variety of activist groups to oppose a rise in anti-Asian hate crimes. So it was peculiar when a street brawl broke out among mostly ethnic Chinese demonstrators. Witnesses said the fight, in November 2021, started when men aligned with the event’s organizers, including a group called No Cold War, attacked activists supporting the democracy movement in Hong Kong. In fact, a New York Times investigation found, it is part of a lavishly funded influence campaign that defends China and pushes its propaganda. At the center is a charismatic American millionaire, Neville Roy Singham, who is known as a socialist benefactor of far-left causes.

Persons: Witnesses, Neville Roy Singham Organizations: New York Times Locations: London’s, Chinatown, Hong Kong, China, American

In 2017, with Mr. Connors’ help, Mr. Maichle started his own company, Precision Compliance Consulting. ‘Boss Man’Mr. Connors, Mr. Lewis and Mr. Maichle were all active in college conservative politics in Wisconsin about 15 years ago, when Mr. Connors was the leader of campus Republicans at Marquette University. Of that, about $102,000 went to Campaign Now, the firm started by Mr. Connors, and another $112,000 to companies where Mr. Connors, Mr. Maichle or Mr. Lewis was either the owner or a partner, tax records show. Most of the money — more than $4.4 million — went to fund-raising companies via tens of thousands of small payments. Most of the money — more than $4.4 million — went to fund-raising companies via tens of thousands of small payments.

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