The Donald Trump Assassination Attempt Unfolds with Jim Rathmann: Security Failures, Conspiracy Theories and Expert Insight

On July 13, 2024, Donald Trump, a former president of the United States and at that time the Republican Party's presumptive nominee in the 2024 presidential election, survived an assassination attempt while addressing a campaign rally near Butler, Pennsylvania.

Guest Bio and Links:

Jim Rathmann is a decorated former Secret Service agent with an impressive career spanning from the gridiron to the front lines of presidential protection. Having protected numerous high-profile figures, including Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, Jim offers an unparalleled insight into the world of security and safety.

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In this episode of Zone 7, Crime Scene Investigator, Sheryl McCollum, brings former Secret Service agent, Jim Rathmann back to dissect one question: How could a 20-year-old with no military or police training pull off an assassination attempt against one of the most protected figures in the world? They discuss the security breaches and failures, the speculations and conspiracy theories, and the gaps in the assassination attempt. They touch on the dysfunctions and disconnects within the current systems and shed light on the critical role of the Secret Service in protecting our nation's most valuable assets.

Show Notes:

(0:00) Welcome back to Zone 7 with Crime Scene Investigator, Sheryl McCollum
(0:10) Sheryl introduces Jim Rathmann back to Zone 7
(2:00) Sheryl outlines the gaps in the assassination attempt
(2:30) “How does a 20-year-old In days, pull this off against the best in the world?”
(4:00) Security breaches and failures
(6:20) Conspiracy theories and speculations
(10:00) Austin Private Capital's suspicious trading activity
(12:30) The man in the gray suit
(17:00) The tactical communication center - communication breakdowns
(20:00) The former director's testimony
(24:00) The dysfunction and disconnect within the system currently
(27:10) Credible foreign threats and vulnerabilities
(31:00) The need to protect the United States
(34:10) “We cannot afford to look weak, much less be weak.”
(34:25) Jim’s latest tv show
(38:30) Closing remarks
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Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an Emmy Award winning CSI, a writer for CrimeOnLine, Forensic and Crime Scene Expert for Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, and a CSI for a metro Atlanta Police Department. She is the co-author of the textbook., Cold Case: Pathways to Justice. Sheryl is also the founder and director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, a collaboration between universities and colleges that brings researchers, practitioners, students and the criminal justice community together to advance techniques in solving cold cases and assist families and law enforcement with solvability factors for unsolved homicides, missing persons, and kidnapping cases.

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