RADIOAugust 12, 2024

Former FBI Agent Reveals Suspicious Links Between Failed Trump Assassins And FBI

There are still way too many unanswered questions about the Butler, Pennsylvania, assassination attempt against Trump. But now, more information is coming out about a second would-be assassin. This time, it was a Pakistani man who was arrested after allegedly plotting with Iran. But FBI whistleblower and former agent Steve Friend tells Glenn that everything about this story – and the Pennsylvania attempt – points to FBI grooming. Is the FBI influencing potential assassins just to arrest them and ask Congress for more money? Steve Friend also weighs in on the story of Secret Service agents who broke into a salon during a Kamala Harris event.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: A -- a very brave man, and a good friend of the program, Steve friend is joining us.

He is from the center of renewing America fellow -- he's a fellow, sorry, at the center for renewing America.

He is also the FBI whistle-blower.

That objected to being put on to duty, to investigate grandmothers, as domestic terrorists.

He blew the whistle. And the rest of it is history. Welcome to the program, Steve, how are you?

STEVE: I'm doing well. Thanks for having me on today.

GLENN: You bet. So you were with the FBI. And I know it's not the same. But I think you probably could comment on this. I'm not hearing anything satisfying coming from the FBI, or the Secret Service.

On the assassination attempt. There's three things.

Assassination attempt of Donald Trump.

The guy that they just let in.

They knew he was on the terror list. And they just let him in, anyway.

Who was coordinating an assassination on Donald Trump.

And then the third comes out of Massachusetts, this weekend. Where Kamala Harris was on stage someplace, at an event. And the Secret Service. And local police needed a bathroom. So they covered up somebody's private security, on their business.

And then picked the lock, went in, used their bathrooms. Occupied the space for hours.

And then closed back the shop. Didn't lock it back up. But closed it.

The lady came on Monday. And she's like, what the hell happened here?

That's against the law, isn't it?

STEVE: Oh, absolutely it is. And I think if you or I were to do any sort of activity, that there would be criminal charges against us, at the very least for some sort of trespass.

But I think what these three elements that you are talking about expose more than anything else, is what I would like to dub the myth of competence, that we all sort of have in our federal law enforcement agencies. Because in pop culture, TVs, movies shows that you consume, the -- the characters in those shows and those movies, they're really sophisticated and really great at their job. And they're hunting down the criminal, and they're chasing down the back alleys, slapping the handcuffs on, and then they just fade to black.

But in reality, these agencies have now devolved into essentially DMVs with guns and badges.

And that's why, the Trump assassination attempt. You know, there are all these theories that are out there.

And you can count me in sort of the Klan that believe that incompetence was sort of heavily involved in it. And I think there's one sort of presupposition that has gone into that, that so many people have their questions about it, and rightfully so.

But we are presupposing that the Secret Service is always great, at its job.

GLENN: Oh, I think they're terrible.

STEVE: Yeah, I think that these failures are happening at every single event.

And it's just because of the providential nature of the country, and then also because of the myth of competence, that nobody has really tried and tested them. Which is why going forward, I think there's probably a heightened risk for any of these events that he will hold. But to pivot to this, the second issue with the FBI and investigating this -- this assassination attempt. I think one of the most disturbing elements, that hasn't been picked up on, was when the deputy director of the FBI, Paula Bates, said that they were going to investigate him as domestic terrorism. And that to me, to the layperson seems reasonable. You don't want to have blinders on. But being a subject mater expert here, the FBI is now going to slap a classified label on this investigation. And they're not going to be able to be transparent because you don't have a need to know.

GLENN: Jeez.

STEVE: You don't have the security clearance. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Congressman. That's an ongoing investigation. So that's detrimentally disturbing. And the last thing, I definitely want to get to is this Pakistani National.

Now, this is what I like to call the playbook that the FBI has been running the last two and a half decades since 9/11, where essentially what they do to justify their existence as a bureaucracy, as a self-licking ice cream cone, they will identify a vulnerable person in a motion to serve maybe someone with radical intentions. But not capable of carrying forward an actual attack without the involvement of the FBI. They'll identify them. Use confidential human sources. Use undercovers. And then groom them for as long as it takes to engage. Or at least agree to engage in an activity, that can be labeled as terrorism, and then they will arrest them.

In the end, what was here, was that they imported this Pakistani through the border.

They sponsored him arriving. The FBI/Dallas office was actually assigned on him arriving, and it wasn't just to slap the cuffs on him. They followed him. And orchestrated this, that could never have happened without the involvement of government, for three months. And then justify their existence with this big dismantlement stack, which is also tied to their quotas.

This is just the FBI version of Fast & Furious, but except -- with the exception of him being with the ATF, who are now running terrorists so that we can justify our resistance as an agency.

GLENN: So he was supposed to leave right after he had set something up before the assassination.

So did they -- because I don't even know if I read what they had busted, other than him. Did they actually bust something up?

STEVE: The plot is completely absurd, Glenn. I've read through the affidavit.

This is an individual, who was essentially indigent. Didn't have the finances. And we're led to believe from the FBI, that he arrived here. And then just happened the first person, that he had a conversation with, was an informant for the government.

About soliciting hitmen for carrying forward not only assassinations, but he wanted dozens of people to have protests, that would have cover while they did reconnaissance. He wanted to get people that were going to steal documents and thumb drives from government figures. And all for the low, low price of $5,000, which he didn't actually have.

And he was doing things like asking the -- the informant to put his phone in a drawer, while they had conversations. I mean, that's not a Faraday bag. Not really operational security. These illusions of grandeur that he had, to me, indicate that he was a prime person that the FBI likes to target. The people who are vulnerable. And not for nothing. You know, let's just say, he's a bad guy. What's to say, they don't import him here.

And he just says, you know, this plot that I have. Doesn't sound like it is going to be achievable. I'll just grab a butcher knife and stab the next infidel that I see. And then the FBI should be up for that.

So this is them believing in their own competence, that certainly nothing bad will happen while we have him on the hook for three months.

And they have been lucky. We have been lucky, that nothing worse has happened. I think the bottom line, is that the FBI is inventing these cases, so that they can go to Congress, and say, look, all the good work we've done here.

Why don't you give us enhanced funding. Why don't you give us enhanced tools?

Think of all the good work that we could do, that Lindsey Graham wants to do now, and that is giving the FBI, back door access, to encrypted communications. That way, the FBI can circumvent the Fourth Amendment.

GLENN: Jeez. Oh, my gosh.

Lindsey Graham. Lindsey Graham. Lindsey Graham.

So let me see if I have this right. Was this guy that they picked up, or, you know, finally arrested.

And told us all about it. Was this just a distraction from the assassination?

BLAIR: I think the timetable works out to be, that he was arrested on July 12th. The assassination attempt happened on the 13th. Which to me, certainly explains the -- the messaging that we got about this Iranian threat. Because the FBI was really super concerned about who they groomed, to engage in our terrorism, which never was going to happen.

And really did have their eye on the ball. And then at least get to the speculation about a character like Crooks, who not for nothing, kind of strikes me as fitting squarely into the profile of somebody who would be recruited and targeted for grooming to engage in something that he was not predisposed to do.

And then maybe did the thing that I just talked about. When instead of grabbing the butcher knife and stabbing an infidel, grabbed his dad, and said, I will take a shot at a candidate for office.

GLENN: So who is -- who should pay for -- for this? I saw that the -- I think it was the fire chief of Butler County just resigned over this. Because of staging and everything else. I don't -- I could be wrong. I don't think it's the local laughter's place.

I mean, you know, when the Secret Service come in. They usually come in and say, here's what you're doing. And you do that. And you don't ask any questions.

You know, who -- whose fault really was this?

Who should pay for this?

STEVE: There's going to be a lot of accountability, hot potato as it comes to the assassination attempt. Because you can see Kim Cheatle go up there and says, the buck stops at me.

But it was really local law enforcement's job. And just having been at both levels, you can easily see that route being something where the locals say, hey, that should be covered. And the Secret Service said, okay. We'll cover it. And then it didn't get covered. And then they're looking back and forth at each other, saying, hey, that's your job. No, that's your job.

And then meanwhile, that didn't get covered at all. But I think ultimately, because the Secret Service is supposed to be the chief agency there who is calling the shots, it needs to be them, who falls on this.

And it needs to be an independent investigation. Because I don't trust the FBI. And it's not just a personal amendment. The FBI has a track record for investigating assassination attempts like a 2017 congressional baseball shooting, where the shooter with the Bernie Sanders supporter showed up at the ball field. And asked where the Republicans were, and then proceeded to shoot Steve Scalise. And the FBI said, that's not an assassination attempt. That's suicide by cop.

So there needs to be an independent investigation maybe funded here, can be used in the Congressional leverage here for the upcoming budget.

It can also be a request from the Pennsylvania State Police. Because I know there's a federal nexus here. But it was in their backyard. And I just don't see any reason why they couldn't conduct a thorough investigation. I would trust them far more than the FBI, which is to say, this was domestic terrorism, perhaps. Or perhaps we already have a domestic terrorism case opened on Crooks. Either way, we can't talk about sources and methods. This is an ongoing investigation.

Maybe we'll give you something here in a decade, when nobody is really paying attention.

GLENN: So one last thought, the woman in Massachusetts, that had her business just taken over. Without her permission. Without her even being there or knowing it.

They covered the camera.

They broke in. Picked the lock. And went in and spent hours in there. Just because, I guess they could.

She's not pressing charges.

She says, you know, I'm really angry. I am feeling violated.

You know, they have a job to do.

No. If people don't stand up, I think that's a violation of the -- of the Third Amendment.

I mean that never gets any attention.

I think that's a violation of the Third Amendment. But it's certainly breaking and entering. And if people don't push back, and say, no. I'm sorry.

If that were anyone else, you would be in jail today.

So I -- I am sorry, I might like you guys, I understand your situation. But you cannot do that. Because it will never stop.

STEVE: This is the national consequences of what we experience in 2020, when they said, you have to stay home and stay safe, and shut down your nonessential businesses that you use to feed your family and pay your mortgage.

And this is the chilling effect that it has. And I share your sentiment about the Third Amendment. It would be interesting to see an energetic attorney take that up.

But the government does not respect your civil liberties. They do not respect the Bill of Rights. And this is just another example of a fact that they are willing to impede on those. Just for their own convenience. I mean, how hard is it to find a bathroom?

GLENN: Yeah.

Steve, thank you so much. Thanks for everything that you do. Stay safe. Steve Friend. Former and current whistle-blower on the FBI.

THE GLENN BECK PODCAST

Are Epstein's "Blackmail Videos" Being Used for Leverage RIGHT NOW?

What was Jeffrey Epstein's operation all about. If he was at the center of a massive blackmail operation to compromise those in positions of power, who is in possession of that information now? Glenn Beck and ATF Whistleblower John Dodson analyze the details of this situation and give their thoughts on what is the most likely reality surrounding Epstein.

Watch Glenn Beck's FULL Interview with ATF Whistleblower John Dodson HERE

WARNING: How America Elects a Socialist President in 2028 | Glenn TV | Ep 444

The rise of Zohran Mamdani, the 33-year-old socialist who just won the Democratic primary for mayor, is not just a political earthquake shaking New York City — it’s a warning for the rest of America. Backed by Bernie Sanders, AOC, and the Democratic Socialists of America, Mamdani promises free everything, to tax the rich, and to dismantle capitalism. There’s nothing new about this tired strategy, but the media is propping him up as a new political genius. And with Democrat leaders lining up behind him, it’s clear: This radicalism isn’t fringe anymore. It’s the Democratic Party’s future. Mamdani’s rise is part of a larger movement that’s rewriting America’s values. Glenn Beck explains how New York is the prototype for the Left’s socialist makeover of America. Victor Davis Hanson, senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Standford, gives a terrifying prediction on Mamdani’s mayoral race chances and warns the revolution is coming for mainstream Democrats. He also dives into MAGA’s frustration with the Trump administration's handling of the Epstein files.

INSIDE Trump’s soul: How a bullet changed his heart forever

“I have a new purpose,” then-candidate Donald Trump told reporter Salena Zito after surviving the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania. Salena joins Glenn Beck to reveal what Trump told her about God, his purpose in life, and why he really said, “Fight! Fight! Fight!”, as she details in her new book, “Butler: The Untold Story of the Near Assassination of Donald Trump and the Fight for America's Heartland”.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: Salena, congratulations on your book. It is so good.

Just started reading it. Or listening to it, last night.

And I wish you would have -- I wish you would have read it. But, you know, the lady you have reading it is really good.

I just enjoy the way you tell stories.

The writing of this is the best explanation on who Trump supporters are. That I think I've ever read, from anybody.

It's really good.

And the description of your experience there at the edge of the stage with Donald Trump is pretty remarkable as well. Welcome to the program.

SALENA: Thank you, Glenn. Thank you so much for having me.

You know, I was thinking about this, as I was ready to come on. You and I have been along for this ride forever. For what?

Since 2006? 2005?

Like 20 years, right?

GLENN: Yeah. Yeah.

SALENA: And I've been chronicling the American people for probably ten more years, before that. And it's really remarkable to me, as watching how this coalition has grown. Right?

And watching how people have the -- have become more aspirational.

And that's -- and that is what the conservative populist coalition is, right?

It is the aspirations of many, but the celebration of the individual.

And chronicling them, yeah. Has been -- has been, a great honor.

GLENN: You know, I was thinking about this yesterday, when -- when Elon Musk said he was starting another party.

And somebody asked me, well, isn't he doing what the Tea Party tried to do?

No. The Tea Party was not going to start a new party.

It was to -- you know, it was to coerce and convince the Republican Party to do the right thing. And it worked in many ways. It didn't accomplish what we hoped.

But it did accomplish a lot of things.

Donald Trump is a result of the Tea Party.

I truly believe that. And a lot of the people that were -- right?

Were with Donald Trump, are the people that were with the Tea Party.

SALENA: That's absolutely right.

So that was the inception.

So American politics has always had movements, that have been just outside of a party. Or within a party.

That galvanize and broaden the coalition. Right? They don't take away. Or walk away, and become another party.

If anything, if there is a third party out there, it's almost a Republican Party.

Because it has changed in so many viable and meaningful ways. And the Tea Party didn't go away. It strengthened and broadened the Republican Party. Because these weren't just Republicans that became part of this party.

It was independents. It was Democrats.

And just unhappy with the establishment Republicans. And unhappy with Democrats.

And that -- that movement is what we -- what I see today.

What I see every day. What I saw that day, in butler, when I showed I happen at that rally.

As I do, so many rallies, you know, throughout my career. And that one was riveting and changed everything.

GLENN: You made a great case in the opening chapter. You talk about how things were going for Donald Trump.

And how this moment really did change everything for Donald Trump.

Changed the trajectory, changed the mood.

I mean, Elon Musk was not on the Trump train, until this.

SALENA: Yeah.

GLENN: Moment. What do I -- what changed? How -- how did that work?

And -- and I contend, that we would have much more profound change, had the media actually done their job and reported this the way it really was. Pragmatism

SALENA: You know, and people will find this in the book. I'm laying on the ground with an agent on top of me.

I'm 4 feet away from the president.

And there's -- there's notices coming up on my phone. Saying, he was hit by broken glass.

And to this take, that remains part of this sibling culture, in American politics.

Because reporters were -- were so anxious to -- to right what they believed happened.

As opposed to what happened.

And it's been a continual frustration of mine, as a reporter, who is on the ground, all the time.

And I'll tell you, what changed in that moment.

And I say a nuance, and I believe nuance is dead in American journalism.

But it was a nuance and it was a powerful conversation, that I had with President Trump, the next day. He called me the next morning.

But it's a powerful conversation I had with him, just two weeks ago.

When he made this decision to say, fight, fight, fight.

People have put in their heads, why they think he said it. But he told me why he said that. And he said, Salena, in that moment, I was not Donald Trump the man. I was a former president. I was quite possibly going to be president again.

And I had an obligation to the country, and to the office that I have served in, to project strength. To project resolve.

To project that we will not be defeated.

And it's sort of like a symbolic eagle, that is always -- you know, that symbol that we look at, when we think about our country.

He said, that's why I said that. I didn't want the people behind me panicking. I didn't want the people watching, panicking.

I had to show strength. And it's that nuance -- that I think people really picked up on.

And galvanized people.

GLENN: So he told me, when he was laying down on the stage.

And you can hear him. Let me get up. Let me get up.

I've got to get up.

He told me, as I was laying on the stage. I asked him, what were you thinking? What was going through your head? Now, Salena, I don't know about you.

But with me. It would be like, how do I get off the stage? My first was survival.

He said, what was going on through his mind was, you're not pathetic. This is pathetic.

You're not afraid. Get up.

Get up.

And so is that what informed his fight, fight, fight, of that by the time that he's standing up, he's thinking, I'm a symbol? Or do you think he was thinking, I'm a symbol, this looks pathetic. It makes you look weak.

Stand up. How do you think that actually happened?

SALENA: He thinks, and we just talked about this weeks ago. He -- you know, and this is something that he's really thought about.

Right? You know, he's gone over and over and over. And also, purpose and God. Right? These are things that have lingered with him.

You know, he -- he thought, yes.

He did think, it was pathetic that he was on the ground. But he wasn't thinking about, I'm Donald Trump. It's pathetic.

He's thinking, my country is symbolically on the ground. I need to get up, and I need to show that my country is strong.

That our country is resolute.

And I need people to see that.

We can't go on looking like pathetic.

Right?

And I think that then goes to that image of Biden.

GLENN: You have been with so many presidents.

How many presidents do you think that you've personally been with, would have thought that and reacted that way?

SALENA: Probably only Reagan. Reagan would have. Reagan probably would have thought that.

And if you remember how he was out like standing outside.

You know, waving out the window. Right?

After he was shot.

GLENN: At the hospital, right.

SALENA: Had he not been knocked out, unconscious, you know, he probably would have done the same thing.

Because he was someone who deeply believed in American exceptionalism.

And American exceptionalism does not go lay on the ground.

GLENN: And the symbol.

Right. The symbol of the presidency.

SALENA: Yeah. Absolutely. And I think that affects him today.

GLENN: So let me go back to God.

Because you talked to him the next day. And your book Butler.

He calls you up.

I love the fact that your parents would be ashamed of you. On what you said to him.

The language you used. That you just have to read the book.

It's just a great part.

But he calls you the next morning. And wants to know if you're okay.

And you -- you then start talking to him, about God.

And I was -- I was thinking about this, as I was listening to it. You know, Lincoln said, I wasn't -- I wasn't a Christian.

Even though, he was.

I wasn't a Christian, when I was elected. I wasn't a Christian when my son died.

I became a Christian at Gettysburg.

Is -- is -- I mean, I believe Donald Trump always believes in God, et cetera, et cetera.

Do you think there was a real profound change at Butler with him?

SALENA: Absolutely. You know, he called me seven times that day. Seven times, the take after seven.

GLENN: Crazy.

SALENA: Talked about. And I think he was looking for someone that he knew, that was there. And to try to sort it out.

Right? And I let him do most of the talking. I didn't pressure him.

At all. I believed that he was having -- you know, he was struggling. And he needed to just talk. And I believed my purpose was to listen.

Right? I know other reporters would have handled it differently. And that's okay. That's not the kind of reporter that I am.

And I myself was having my own like, why didn't I die?

Right?

Because it went right over my head.

And -- and so I -- he had the conversation about God.

He's funny. I thought it was the biggest mosquito in the world that hit me.

But he had talked profoundly about purpose. You know, and God.

And how God was in that moment.

It --

GLENN: I love the way you -- in the book, I love the way you said that as he's kind of working it out in his own he head.

He was like, you know, I -- I -- I always knew that there was some sort of, you know -- that God was present.

He said, but now that this has happened.

I look back at all of the trials.

All of the tribulations. Literally, the trials.

All of the things that have happened. And he's like, I realized God was there the whole time.

SALENA: Yes. He does. And it's fascinating to have been that witness to history, to have those conversations with him. Because I'm telling you. And y'all know, I can talk. I didn't say much of anything.

I just -- I just listened. I felt that was my purpose, in that moment.

To give him that space, to work it out.

I'm someone that is, you know, believes in God.

I'm Catholic. I followed my faith.

And -- and so, I thought, well, this is why God put me here. Right?

And to -- to have that -- to hear him talk about purpose, to hear him say, Salena. Why did I put a chart down?

I'm like, sir. I don't know. I thought you were Ross Perot for a second.

He never has a chart. And he laughed. And then he said, why did I put that chart down?

By that term, I never turned my head away from people at the rally. That's true.

That relationship is very transactional. It's very -- they feed off of each other.

It's a very emotive moment when you attend a rally. Because he has a way of talking at a rally. That you believe that you are seeing.

And he said, and I never turn my head away.

I never turn my head away.

Why did I turn my head away?

I don't remember consciously thinking about turning my head away. And then he says to me, that was God, wasn't it?

Yes, sir. It was. It was God.

And he said, that's -- that's why I have a new purpose.

And so, Glenn. I think it's important, when you look at the breadth of what has happened, since he was sworn in.

You see that purpose, every day.

He doesn't let up.

He continues going.

And it brings back to the beginning of the book.

Where you find out, that there was another president that was shot at in Butler.

And that was George Washington. And how different the country would have been, had he died in that moment.

And now think about how different the country would be, had President Trump died in that moment. There would be --

GLENN: We're talking to -- we're talking to Salena Zito. About her new book called Butler. The assassination attempt on President Trump. And it is riveting.

And, you know, it is so good. I wish the press would read it. Because it really explains who we are, who Trump supporters are. Who are, you know, red staters. It is so good at that. She's the best at that.