Joe Biden took to the press briefing room at the White House this afternoon to address the nation in the wake of yesterday's assassination attempt on Donald Trump. Biden claimed to have had a "short but good" conversation with Trump, and wished him a speedy recovery.
That's when things got weird.
Biden went on to discourage speculation, stating, "We don't yet have any information about the motive of the shooter...don't make assumptions about his motives...let the FBI do their job."
Biden also referred to his "Homeless Security Adviser", but this isn't a day to discuss gaffes. A president was a few inches from certain death yesterday, a windage error according to Erik Prince, former Blackwater CEO.
Ignoring the stark reality of the situation, Biden chose to fall back on the political equivalent of the semantics game: what the "authorities" have to say about the matter. In this case, the "authorities" are the FBI, yet another politically weaponized federal bureau who seem unable to shed light on any major national security event that stinks of conspiracy.
Comped sushi, anyone?
As Thomas Massie (KY-R) sarcastically noted, leaving a serious matter to the FBI is akin to asking the mafia to root out the corruption in its own ranks.
Sure, the Secret Service agents risked their lives, just as FBI field agents risk their lives. Their bosses--the senior officers giving orders from a safe remove--they are the ones who deserve merciless scrutiny now.
Less than 24 hours after a presidential assassination attempt, conspiracy theories abound. Crooks' motive is as irrelevant as Hinckley's, Oswald's, Fromme's, Schrank's, or Booth's. American citizens are concerned about motive in a crimes involving mystery: who gave the order to stand down when a shooter was spotted? Who failed to surveil and secure the perimeter?
When Biden asks the nation for more time to look into digital details, it comes off as a delay tactic. The bullet wasn't supposed to miss, and it feels like the "authorities" need time to build a new narrative.
