Report: Law Enforcement Sources Say They're Probing Possible Obama Assassination Plot
From the Rocky Mountain News:
Law enforcement authorities have arrested two men, and several law enforcement sources say the investigation is looking into whether the men intended to harm presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama.According to multiple sources, Aurora police made a routine traffic stop Sunday morning at 2:38 a.m. The Secret Service says two rifles were found in the car along with methamphetamine. Another law enforcement source says he was told at least one of the rifles was a "sniper rifle."
A second source told CBS4 Investigator Brian Maass authorities told officers they are concerned they may have come upon a possible "assassination plot."...
The Secret Service, ATF and the FBI are all involved in the investigation. A Secret Service spokesman says the agency is concerned by the proximity to the Democratic National Convention and the items found in the man's car.
Late Update: The Rocky Mountain News has since added some more detail to the piece that makes it seem less serious, including that one suspect was found with methamphetamine.
WTF? Please let this not be true.
August 25, 2008 8:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
I hope it's not true.
But if it is true, I hope they can link them to the new swiftboaters. And if they can't link them to the new swiftboaters, that they can at least link them to Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, and Michelle Malkin.
August 25, 2008 8:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Good idea.
August 25, 2008 8:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
Reading this post made me feel like i have been punched in the gut.
August 25, 2008 8:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Holy crap! If this is true, then thank god.
August 25, 2008 8:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
I was thinking recently about if something like that could happen. It's really scary. I'm glad that the law enforcement agencies are doing their job.
August 25, 2008 8:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's not real. The idea is to plant the seeds of doubt into the electorate about whether they want to elect someone who will be assassinated. I've already met several people who are voting McStain because they believe Obama will be assassinated anyway.
I believe this meme will be the new incarnation of raising the terror threat approach used back in 2004.
August 25, 2008 8:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
It seems more likely to me that McCain will die of cancer or natural causes before Obama is assassinated.
August 25, 2008 8:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
Also, I dont think you can dismiss these things so easily. MLK, JFK, RFK are all sad reminders of this very real threat.
August 25, 2008 8:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
Not mention the guy in Arkansas lately and Senator Wellstone.
August 25, 2008 8:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
I've already met several people who are voting McStain because they believe Obama will be assassinated anyway.
That seems like counterintuitive reasoning to me. Do you know what they think of Biden?
August 25, 2008 8:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
These comments were made prior to the Biden selection.
August 25, 2008 11:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
"I've already met several people who are voting McStain because they believe Obama will be assassinated anyway. "
Sorry, I don't really believe them.
I think Obama probably gets some sympathy by being a target.
August 25, 2008 8:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
I doesn't really matter whether you believe them. It's an opinion that is out there. For one couple it is an excuse for their racism, but not the others.
August 25, 2008 11:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
It is very sad that I did not even feel the slightest surprise when reading this. I am very pleased that they apprehended these people.
August 25, 2008 8:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
My sentiments exactly, with the cavet that they are innocent until proven guilty.
August 25, 2008 8:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
Even though I do not support Obama I would never wish any harm to him or his supporters.
Like some of you, I have vivid memories of the Kennedys and King assassinations and have no desire to go there again. Wallace was shot, Reagan was shot, Ford was threatened. This stuff is real and unacceptable regardless of who you support.
I'll accept the possibility that this is real and be happy that it was stopped in time.
August 25, 2008 8:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
A good first post Fogu.
August 25, 2008 8:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thank you for being respectful in this thread.
August 25, 2008 9:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
If this was the Republican convention, they'd tell us we were now at Orange Alert level.
August 25, 2008 8:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
Actually, we were at Orange yesterday ... at least according the the droning voices at the Sky Harbor airport in Phoenix.
August 25, 2008 11:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
Please God, protect this man.
August 25, 2008 8:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
How can they assume that this is an assasination plot just because some guys had rifles in the back.
August 25, 2008 8:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm sure there is some other evidence they have not released. This is Colorado.
August 25, 2008 8:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
I would hope so. Otherwise it would be very reckless to release this information.
August 25, 2008 8:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
Down thread, they've scheduled a press conference. Wouldn't do that if there was just two rifles.
August 25, 2008 8:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Because it is not real. It's just like the bogus terror plots out of New York during the Kerry convention time frame.
August 25, 2008 11:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe it was mentioned earlier on another thread, but the Obama headquarters was trashed over the weekend in St. Paul which is of course where the Republicans will be next week.
August 25, 2008 8:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
I have not heard a peep about this.
Funny how when McCain campaign offices get pranked by white powder it is all over the news...
August 25, 2008 8:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
That's in part because the Obama camp has a policy of not publicizing the vandalism. Here in Indiana, I know offices were vandalized and the basic threats of general violence common.
August 25, 2008 8:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
The white powder thing was a sham. McCain wanted to distract from the Housing Gaffe.
August 25, 2008 8:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
Chuck Colson up to his old tricks?
August 25, 2008 9:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, being a big fan of due process, I'll wait until all the facts are ferreted out. Just like I'm not happy that the administration calls ALL of the folks in Gitmo "terrorists" without evidence thereof, I'm not content calling these guys assassins without proof thereof.
Question them, and then charge them or release them.
August 25, 2008 8:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Let this remind us how precious and how delicate this thing is that we Democrats are doing. Drive to swing states on the weekend and CANVASS!! Give money today!!
August 25, 2008 8:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
It is sad that I'm not all that surprised.
60% of Americans polled were concerned for his safety. Unfortunately, it only takes one or two crazies to kill off "Hope".
August 25, 2008 8:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
There's no limit to the venom those on the far right have toward Obama, or anybody that supports him. In the local entertainment weekly here in Nashville, there was an interview with an evangelical who had written a book that is sympathetic to Obama. Within days of the book being published, he received death threats.
August 25, 2008 8:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
Says it all.
August 25, 2008 8:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
Cool it.
Wallace and Reagan were shot, an attempt on Ford was caught.
This type of shit can come from anywhere.
August 25, 2008 8:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
Not lately. It's true that violent crazies used to come from the left. Lately, though, the right seems to be cornering the market on 'em.
August 25, 2008 8:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
holy crap...i agree with on something.
although i don't think "cool it" is the right approach...
August 25, 2008 8:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
He wasn't asserting that they all assassins come from the right, simply that there is a lot of venom towards Obama coming from the right, which is true. So he shouldn't cool it. People need to understand how hateful language can spur the whackos with access to a weapon.
August 25, 2008 8:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
Why did this story take over 12 hours to reach the news? That is what I find as being very odd. And no doubt they are defining a sniper rifle as a rifle with a scope.
August 25, 2008 8:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
Folks, I'm as partisan as many of you, but it's beyond unseemly to use a report like this to attack our candidate's political opponents. (And that includes John McCain, Sean Hannity, and even Ann Coulter.)
There's a time and a place for political pot shots. This isn't it.
August 25, 2008 8:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, if the Republicans can talk about Ayers being a two bit terrorist 35 years ago I don't know why we have to be so darn shy about reminding people that most domestic terrorism in this country comes from the far right. I wonder if people are going to wake up to that fact before it's too late and I don't mean for Obama alone, I mean for our democracy.
August 25, 2008 8:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
They better not touch one hair on his pretty little head...TRUST!
August 25, 2008 8:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
A link to the story:
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/aug/25/police-investigate-possible-plot-kill-obama/
August 25, 2008 8:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
Denver Post
August 25, 2008 8:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
They've got more than just rifles if they have scheduled a press conference.
August 25, 2008 8:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
The first man, identified by the station as Tharin Gartrell, 28, was charged with suspicion of being a felon in possession of a weapon after police found two rifles, a high-powered scope and methamphetamine in his car after the traffic stop.
When police accompanied Gartrell to his hotel in Glendale, a second man jumped from a window and was injured in a four-story fall, according to the station. That man was then arrested but has not been identified by police.
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_10300246?source=rss
August 25, 2008 8:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
Of course there's NO ONE fueling that fire - right?
http://mediamatters.org
August 25, 2008 8:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Of course they could be just meth heads stupid enough to say something about Obama to law enforcement officers the week of the convention.
August 25, 2008 8:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
there has to be more going cause Colorado is THE most heavily armed state I've ever been in - honest to god. It's not unusual for there to be guns - so something else is going on.
And god damn it.
August 25, 2008 8:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
The POW Express rolls into Jay Leno tonight
"You've got enough of those," Leno cracked. "You need a white one, too." Later, he asked McCain: "For $1 million, how many houses do you have?"
At that, McCain got serious, saying he had been imprisoned for five-and-a-half years during the Vietnam war, and that "I didn't have a house. I didn't have a kitchen table. I didn't have a table." He also praised his late father-in-law -- the source of his wife's wealth -- as a man who came from nothing to be successful.
August 25, 2008 8:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
did he SERIOUSLY pull the POW card on late night tv?
August 25, 2008 8:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
Let me summarize McStain's war record:
1. He was shot down with inferior equipment (Russian)
2. Operatored by an inferior pilot (not American)
3. From what McStain undoubtedly thought was an inferior race (Vietnamese).
Why would the country want that level of incompetence in the White House? Oh yeah, because he's a hero!
August 25, 2008 11:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
Noun. Verb. POW.
--- Joe Biden
August 25, 2008 11:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
He should have given himself more credit - I'm sure he worked really hard at turning his multi-billionairess mistress into his multi-billionairess wife.
August 25, 2008 8:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
Can one hope that this would be the tipping point on his use of this, in regards to how the media reports on it.
August 25, 2008 8:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
Unfortunately, it is in the nature of the beast! Am surprised others similar events have not been reported; I would not be surprised if such have occurred and not have been made public. Point bring some do most do not, thankfully!
August 25, 2008 8:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
Have they ever come up with a reason for the shooting in Arkansas?
August 25, 2008 8:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
Racism, meth, guns and God...the American cocktail.
Once, I was with an Idahoan ultraconservative nut during his speed trip. He swore he was the fourth horseman of the apocalypse. The meth delusions of granduer are revenge oriented and hell bent...but also, utterly lacking in plan and detail.
I'll start to worry when I hear about an arrest or scheme that doesn't have the word "meth" in it.
August 25, 2008 9:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree, the meth is a tipoff.
That said, this will sadly not be the last time we see news reports like this. Let us all hope that our Secret Service & local law enforcement are working 24/7 to keep these stories ending like this.
And as much as I loathe the idea of a McCain Presidency, I wish him every personal safety.
August 25, 2008 9:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes, well - the front range of Colorado is not far behind - and there are pockets on the western slope with compounds that are damn scary.
August 25, 2008 9:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
I only feel safe on the island of Manhattan. The actual USA is too scary a place.
August 26, 2008 9:09 AM | Reply | Permalink
Distracting from the DNC with bogus terror alerts, are we? No no, Bush's FBI would never do that.
August 25, 2008 9:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
Bingo!
August 25, 2008 11:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
I respectfully disagree.
I see too many threats of violence from the fever swamps in the wing nut-o-sphere, and this rhetoric has a real effect. We’ve already seen one (maybe two) instance(s) of politically motivated homicide this year and we’re likely to see more. I think we need to push back, and shine a light on the scumbags who advocate it.
So when someone like Michael Savage uses words like ‘vermin’ or ‘diseased’ to describe liberals we need to draw the connection to the violence of unhinged people who really believe this BS. I’m not advocating censorship of any kind, but let’s connect the dots.
The bloviateors who use eliminationist rhetoric to describe Democrats are enabling this violence, in the same way that jihadist propaganda motivates suicide bombers around the world.
August 25, 2008 9:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think ou have a point there. History is full of violent hate speech leading to real crimes.
Has everyone forgotten Timothy McVeigh? All the rightwing hatred and venom towards the government led to hundreds massacred.
We should never forget that.
August 25, 2008 9:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
Amen brother.
August 25, 2008 11:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
Some better info here:
http://cbs4denver.com/investigates/assisination.plot.obama.2.802827.html
I imagine that suspicion ratcheted up when they went back to his hotel room and his roommate jumped out of a 6th floor window to get away from the cops. That's not just a meth bust.
August 25, 2008 9:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'll say it again - meth and guns are so common in Colorado that more had to be going on - seriously - or the locals would have handled it. I've never seen so many guns as I did the years I was in Colorado - and I'm from Texas.
August 25, 2008 9:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
I've lived 30 miles west of Denver for 15 years now and I'd have to say that Colorado has changed quite a bit in that time. My reliably Republican district has elected Democrats to the State House and Senate for the first time in decades. Goofy groups like the Freemen have largely bolted for Idaho and Montana. Lots of techies and active, young professionals have moved in to enjoy the outdoor lifestyle. And we're turning blue.
August 25, 2008 10:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
I don't want to be excessively alarmist. But this expansion of the story doesn't look real good to me. If you've got four people, some of them white supremacists, with sniper rifles and scopes, and one of them describes a plan to shoot someone "from a high elevation with a rifle sighted at 750 yards" . . . I'd say that sounds like a threat, whether they're high on meth or not.
August 25, 2008 10:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
Okay, to be precise, two of these people *separately* told law enforcement that they planned to kill Obama. That's not just someone high on meth. That's an assassination plot.
August 25, 2008 10:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yup! Full-blown assassination plot.
http://cbs4denver.com/investigates/assisination.plot.obama.2.802827.html
August 25, 2008 10:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
This makes me sick to my stomach. Don't even want to think about it. Moving on...
August 25, 2008 9:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
The fact that they had meth on them should not make you view this less seriously, quite the opposite. Many times, a criminal will take a hit of meth before doing something that requires a leap of "courage" -- robbing a bank, for example -- strange as it may seem to view something like this in that light. Think of it as something of an insurance policy for them -- a way to make sure they have the balls to pull the trigger by stuffing a little something extra up their nose.
August 25, 2008 10:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
Extremely prescient post, jcolt. These wacko right wing media traitors have been making millions off of division and hatred, dividing our country, even families (as I can attest through numerous heated arguments with my conservative relatives caused by a new Coulter or Hannity book). We can only hope that those assholes go down asap.
August 25, 2008 11:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
http://cbs4denver.com/investigates/assisination.plot.obama.2.802827.html
"Law enforcement sources tell Maass that one of the suspects "was directly asked if they had come to Denver to kill Obama. He responded in the affirmative."
"Sources told CBS4 police found two high-powered, scoped rifles in the car along with camouflage clothing, walkie-talkies, a bulletproof vest, a spotting scope, licenses in the names of other people and methamphetamine. One of the rifles is listed as stolen from Kansas."
Unfortunately it sounds like this is at least somewhat serious.
August 25, 2008 11:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Too damn bad for America.
August 25, 2008 11:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
Drugs don't mean "not serious." For instance, the extremely serious North Hollywood bank robbers used phenobarbital on all of their jobs.
August 25, 2008 11:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
The FBI remark that "this could just be a bunch of knuckleheads" is going to sound insufficiently concerned. It pissed me off a bit.
But it's possible that playing this down (in the press) is a wise thing to do. Crazy people tend to imitate other crazy people.
August 25, 2008 11:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Why would law enforcement tell this to the press until they were certain of the facts. This smells of fear to me. The responsible thing would be to get the facts first. If this turns out not to be true, the seed has been planted among other nutcases.
August 26, 2008 1:00 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'm not at all surprised either. This is America. There's America the beautiful, and there's America the deliverance and America the resentful. The one thing conservatives fear more than anything is a charismatic liberal: the difference between Roosevelt and Truman was charisma, not policy, and Roosevelt one four elections and passed tons of liberal legislation while Truman fought a rear guard action against reactionary counter-newdealers.
I've never doubted for a minute that Obama was putting his life on the line in his candidacy. And I take little comfort in the Secret Service because I can picture a wingnut making into the Secret Service and turning a blind eye at the critical moment.
As far as I am concerned, I hope this thing has got legs - because the risk is real enough that I want to get return on it. LBJs 1964 landslide was a result, in part, of the sympathy the public had for the loss of JFK. So I hope this has got legs and has the same effect. I want the mother of all land slides in November.
If Obama is going to take the risk, I want to see some returns on it. God forbid, but if a life is at risk, it should be for a worthy cause, and it would seem to me that saving this nation is the worthiest of causes.
August 26, 2008 1:31 AM | Reply | Permalink
What's amazing to me is that this half baked plot is getting press while the real assassination plot has gone unnoticed. Let's conjecture:
1) a presidential candidates plane experiences steering difficulties when an emergency slide mysteriously inflates in the midst of high altitude travel.
2) The plane becomes uncontrollable and has to make an "emergency" landing.
3) the tower has been informed that a presidential candidate is on board the flight.
4) The candidate is not informed that emergency landing procedures are underway(don't want them making any cell phone calls)
5) Landing is accomplished despite the lack of vertical control of the aircraft
6) No reports are filed and no release given to the public of this threat. The FAA covers up what is very likely a sophisticated assasssination attempt.
Where is the press? No one has heard from them since Watergate.
August 26, 2008 2:49 AM | Reply | Permalink
Political assassination is a terrorist act. So who are these terrorists trying to disrupt our political process? Muslims? al-Qaida? Nope, Americans. There's your terrorist threat. Not in the Middle East. Right here in Colorado.
August 26, 2008 12:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
I tend to think Obama being assaisinated at some point is sorta likely. We have a LOT of nuts in this country, and alot of hate for a lot of stupid reasons. I'd love to beleive our nation is past things like that but I fear it isn't.
At the same time, I really expect we'll all wake up to hear that John McCain passed away peacefully in his sleep.
August 28, 2008 1:41 AM | Reply | Permalink