The assassination attempt at Donald Trump on Saturday in Butler, Pennsylvania, has triggered numerous conspiracy theories and speculations, ranging from The Boys creators orchestrating the shooting to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un planning the assassination.
One widely circulated post on X (formerly Twitter) claims to be written by a Secret Service agent named Jonathan Willis. This post, likely a fabrication, is one of many wild rumours about the incident. The message was initially posted on 4chan, an anonymous bulletin board platform where anyone can post anything.
The post, allegedly written by Willis, alleges that he was one of the officers present at the rally during the shooting. Although Willis had the shooter within range “for at least 3 minutes”, there were no instructions from the top brass of the Secret Service to neutralize him.
FBI identified the shooter as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, and the investigation is ongoing.
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The post lead was “THEY WOULDN’T LET ME TAKE OUT THE SHOOTER.”
“My name is Jonathan Willis. I’m the officer in the famous photo of the two snipers on the roof at Trump’s rally. I came here to inform the public that I had the assassin in my sights for at least 3 minutes, but the head of the secret service refused to give the order to take out the perp. 100% the top brass prevented me from killing the assassin before he took the shots at president Trump,” he allegedly wrote on 4chan.
Alleged Willis the continued in the thread, “I didn’t follow the orders though, as soon as the shooter opened on Trump I returned fire despite strict orders to not engage. I had eyes on the shooter for three minutes watching him fiddle with his rifle and adjust the scope, it was obvious he was a shooter yet I wasn’t allowed to engage.”
“After I killed the shooter I was arrested, questioned by the FBI, and just released an hour ago. Already lost my job for not following orders, but I’m glad I took the shots anyway.”
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However, netizens are convinced by this claim. Many 4chan user asked him to post proof, or picture of his passport and badge. “You need to post some proof before they van you. We’ll handle the rest fren,” one anonymous user posted.
“Nice try, but that cops name is Wonathan Jillis,” another posted.
One X user questioned in the shared post on the platform, “Is there any proof to this? This appears to be just a fabricated post on 4chan. Why would a SS agent even post on 4chan?”