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BUTLER: Where Are We One Year After The Assassination Attempt? | Episode 83 - The Dan Bongino Show | Wave AI Podcast Notes

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BUTLER: Where Are We One Year After The Assassination Attempt? | Episode 83

The Dan Bongino Show

Fri Jul 11 2025

In the anniversary of Trump's first assassination attempt, we look back into the events of the day with author Salena Zito, who was in Butler that day. Also: yesterday's ICE raids got violent as one of the illegal aliens appeared to shoot back.

Summary

VINCE Podcast Episode 83 Summary: "BUTLER: Where Are We One Year After The Assassination Attempt?"

Released on July 11, 2025, by the Cumulus Podcast Network, VINCE is hosted by Vince Coglianese. Known for his sharp political acumen and unfiltered perspectives, Vince delves deep into pressing political issues with authenticity and wit. In Episode 83, Vince revisits the assassination attempt on President Donald J. Trump that occurred a year prior in Butler, Pennsylvania, featuring insightful commentary from author and journalist Selena Zito.

1. ICE Raids on California Marijuana Farms

Timestamp: [00:00] – [06:25]

Vince opens the episode by addressing recent ICE raids on marijuana farms in California, specifically targeting operations allegedly employing undocumented workers and even children. He criticizes the left's attempts to defend these actions and underscores the legality issues surrounding these farms.

Vince: “No, you shouldn't have child labor on your marijuana farm in California. No. And no, you should not have illegals all over the place… that’s exactly what happened in the last 24 hours.” ([02:15])

He references Jennifer Van Laar from Red State, highlighting the severity of violations at the Glass House farm and denouncing the involvement of various left-leaning groups in orchestrating riots against federal enforcement.

Vince: “This is all gigantic astroturf, riot insurrection garbage.” ([04:50])

2. Left-Wing Defense and Political Reactions

Vince critiques Democratic figures for misleading the public about the nature of these raids, accusing them of downplaying the severity by mischaracterizing the farms as part of the food supply rather than illegal marijuana operations.

Vince: “So that’s what they’re rooting on. Hakeem Jeffries has been rooting on… hoping to unmask ICE as the real enemy.” ([05:40])

He also mocks Democratic Congressman Jimmy Gomez and Arizona's Ruben Gallego for misrepresenting President Trump's stance on deportations.

Vince: “They’re not picking strawberries. This is a massive marijuana grow operation.” ([07:10])

3. Firing of DOJ and FBI Officials

Timestamp: [26:30] – [27:21]

The conversation shifts to the recent firings within the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the FBI under Attorney General Pam Bondi. Vince highlights the dismissal of Patricia Hartman, a public relations administrator involved in promoting the January 6th prosecutions.

Vince: “Her firing should only be part of the price she pays.” ([27:00])

Selena Zito adds context about the erosion of the traditional separation between the DOJ and the White House, emphasizing the constitutional implications.

Selena Zito: “That line is very definitely gone.” ([27:17])

Vince counters by reinforcing the DOJ's executive branch status, critiquing Bondi's understanding and actions.

Vince: “You work for the President. You don't like it, get out.” ([27:19])

4. Interview with Selena Zito on the Butler Incident

Timestamp: [33:25] – [57:10]

Vince introduces Selena Zito, author of the new book "Butler," which chronicles the assassination attempt on President Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. Selena provides a firsthand account of the events, offering a vivid portrayal of the chaos and heroism witnessed.

a. Selena's Eyewitness Account

Selena Zito: “I was just a few feet away. I had just spoken to the President six minutes before he was shot.” ([35:37])

She describes the moment President Trump was shot, his immediate reaction, and the ensuing chaos, highlighting the professionalism of the Secret Service and the calmness of the crowd.

Selena Zito: “He doesn't say it out loud, but he at least mouths it. And they're trying to get him up, not because he's unable to get up.” ([40:10])

b. Conversation with President Trump

Selena recounts a personal conversation with President Trump the day after the attack, where he explained his directive to "fight, fight, fight" as a response to the assassination attempt.

President Trump: “I was representing the entirety of our country… we never back down.” ([45:53])

She emphasizes his acknowledgment of divine intervention and his renewed sense of purpose following the incident.

Selena Zito: “He totals… he just knows that this is our obligation.” ([50:37])

c. Impact and Aftermath

The discussion delves into how the Butler incident has shaped both Selena's perspective and President Trump's leadership approach. Selena highlights the unity and resilience of the Butler community and its role in preventing further chaos.

Selena Zito: “To see that moral clarity and that being part of something bigger than self… goosebumps.” ([43:26])

Vince shares his personal admiration for Trump's courage during the incident, noting how it deepened his respect for the former president.

Vince: “I learned something that under no other circumstance would I have been able to learn, which is he has immense courage under fire.” ([49:22])

d. The Book "Butler"

Selena Zito discusses her book, which not only recounts the events of that day but also analyzes their lasting impact on American politics and society. She expresses optimism about ongoing investigations into the security failures that allowed the assassination attempt.

Selena Zito: “I think we're closer… it was criminal that they're not talking to the sheriffs and the cops.” ([54:04])

She draws parallels between the Butler incident and lessons from 9/11, emphasizing the need for better inter-agency communication to prevent future tragedies.

5. Closing Remarks

Vince wraps up the episode by reiterating the significance of the Butler incident anniversary, honoring the victims, and expressing gratitude towards the listeners and guests.

Vince: “Keep your loved ones close… my prayers also to the Comparator family.” ([57:09])

He encourages listeners to reflect on the resilience displayed during the Butler event and to remain vigilant in safeguarding the nation's security and integrity.

Notable Quotes:

Vince on Child Labor Raids: “No, you shouldn't have child labor on your marijuana farm in California.” ([02:15])
Selena on Being Close to the Incident: “I was just a few feet away… I have my recorder on.” ([35:37])
President Trump's Directive: “We never back down, no matter how much we get kicked.” ([45:53])
Vince on DOJ Firings: “You work for the President. You don't like it, get out.” ([27:19])

Conclusion

In this compelling episode, VINCE offers a critical examination of recent ICE actions against marijuana farms, exposes left-wing defensive tactics, scrutinizes the DOJ and FBI's internal changes, and provides an in-depth, personal perspective on the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania. Through the insightful interview with Selena Zito, listeners gain a nuanced understanding of the event's immediate impact and its broader implications for American politics and security.

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Transcript

Vince (0:00)

Hey there. Welcome to Vince. Here we go on a Friday. Ice. Ice, baby. Yes. Yes. We've got to cover these raids on these marijuana farms in California. We have full blown marijuana farms in California getting raided by ice and rightfully so because it turns out there's a ton of illegals working there, including child labor. What are we even doing? Of course, what we're doing now is we're raiding them rightfully. So glad we're doing that. So I've got the updates on that. The way the left is trying to defend all of it and so much more. Also, Selena Zito is gonna be with us today. She's written a great new book. The title of it is Butler Looking back now, just about a year ago on that attack on Butler, Pennsylvania. The one, the, you know, the attempt on the President's life. It was crazy. And she's here with us today. This program is brought to you by Blackout Coffee, the official coffee of all of us here at Silverlock. Go to Blackout Coffee dot com. Vince. Use the code Vince. That's V I N C E for 20% off your first order. That's blackout coffee.com/. Vince. Yeah, it's this raid today we're about to get into. It's like the most obvious thing in the world. No, you shouldn't have child labor on your marijuana farm in California. No. And no, you should not have illegals all over the place. And yes, they should be deported. And no, you should not be rioting. And no, you should not be shooting at federal law enforcement. And yet that's exactly what happened in the last 24 hours. But these, I love seeing workplace enforcement, don't you? I've got the details coming up. This program is brought to you by Bone Charge Infrared Sauna Blanket and Red Light Face Mask up. We love these products here in my house. Can't recommend them enough. I like the sauna blanket because it helps in a big way. It's. It's a sauna. Let's be honest, it's a sauna. So it's great in all the ways you need a sauna to be you. It helps with muscle recovery, detoxification. It's a huge game changer for me. Very easy to use. I just wrap myself up in this blanket and the infrared heat works its magic. And it's created a huge difference for me. How I relax, how I rejuvenate, how I feel afterward. My wife loves the red light face mask. She uses it all the time. Every evening puts this thing on and she's seen Great results. It helps with your skin's texture, reduces inflammation. It's like having a mini spa treatment right inside the house. So if you're thinking about trying either of these products out, you're in luck. Head to bonecharge.com use that code Vince at checkout to get 15% off. Both of these products have made a huge impact on helping my wellness routine. I'm sure you're gonna love them too. Use the code vince@bonecharge.com Save 15%. These statements and products have not been evaluated by the fda. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or condition. Okay, we've got a. We've got a raid going on. We have these ICE raids going on in California, and rightfully so, on these marijuana grow facilities. And basically they've just got a ton of illegals working there. And the name of the employer is Glass House, apparently. And they've been accused of a lot of things through the years. Jennifer Van Laar over at Red State has just a wonderful thread on this subject today, and she points out that this ICE raid that was taking place again on Thursday was on a place that is out of control. ICE and Border Patrol had a judicial warrant for Glass House. This is a top cannabis grower in the state of California. In the entire United States. They've been harboring illegal aliens. According to the warrant, this employer, the actual farm, has been sued over and over for labor law violations. You've got the Socialist Party as well as Union del Barrio that was implicated in those riots in June. They're involved in getting all of the rioters to this farm location. So these are the same rioters that we've seen. These are the same guys who are funded by the left. This is all gigantic astroturf, riot insurrection garbage. That payment structure, that organization. The federal government has been investigating all of this. They. I hope they move on these guys quick because they keep calling, causing all this destruction and threatening the lives of these ICE agents. Lots of groups involved. 805 undocufund, 805 immigrant coalition. My Cobb, congrat. I mean, Jennifer is doing really great work on reporting all of this. They find a bunch of illegal alien kids there doing labor on the marijuana farm. And also a former Clinton administration staffer and an assemblyman called Hector De La Torre is also on the board of this marijuana farm in California. So that leads us to the images that we're getting overnight. Take a look at cut two. Here's the raid. This is the raid on the farm. People Being taken into custody, running off, tear gas being fired at the rioters. Here we go. Yeah, people are running away from all this. Tear gas being fired. This is video footage from KTLA 5 local broadcaster. People running off, and it says children, comma, protesters running from tear gas during immigration rate. Of course, the way this video was set up was to try and make it as sympathetic as possible to the situation here for the illegals who are involved. Oh, how sad. How sad that there's an immigration raid going on. How sad that there's workplace enforcement going on. No, actually, what's sad is that this has been allowed to continue. What's sad is that you have illegal child labor going on at a marijuana farm in California. What's sad is that this is a total violation of our sovereignty, and our country has aided and abetted this. No more. So if you were looking for mass deportation raids, there you go. You've got an example of one, of course, taking place in California. This is a sanctuary state. They don't want to do this. They're trying to stop this from being done, and they're threatening law enforcement in the process. Take a look here. Cut one. One of the rioters, one of the insurrectionists, taking a gun and firing it randomly in the direction of federal law enforcement. Look at this.

Vince (6:48)

Some kind of gun. It's a handgun. That's what it is. It looks like. It's not a nerf gun. What is he firing? It's a. It was a handgun. He's firing a handgun in the direction of federal law enforcement. The feds are looking for that guy. Unfortunately, the. The photos and stuff that they've been sharing that video, it's all been super grainy, hard to identify him, but, man, I hope they can track that guy down and throw him on his face. That's outrageous that that's happening, and that's happening right here in the United States. That's what the Democrats have been rooting on. That particular thing where ICE agents are shot at by illegal aliens, presumably, or just, you know, run of the mill lefties. That's what these guys have been rooting on. That's what Hakeem Jeffries has been rooting on and Eric Swalwell and Dan Goldman and Tampon, Tim Walls and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and Governor Gavin Newsom. The list goes on and on and on, saying, oh, we gotta unmask ice. ICE is the real enemy. They're the Nazis. And now these guys are taking shots at them. That's just the latest incident where that's occurred in the last week. We've seen now three attacks on ice. That makes the third one. Three times that firearms were used against ICE agents. Just trying to do their jobs. Just trying to do their jobs. The left rooting in on the rest of us. Normal people condemning it. Normal people saying, this is outrageous. It's not shocking because of what the left has created, but it is appalling that it's happening in the United States of America. We've got to put an end to it. So you get the shots fired in this situation. You also get a lot of left wing lies about what exactly is even going down at this facility. Gavin Newsom, Speaking of greasy Gavin, Gavin Newsom is claiming that, oh, these kids were running kids. Kids are running from tear gas, crying on the phone because their mother was just taken from the fields, says Gavin Newsom. Trump calls me new scum, but he's the real scum. Now, I want to reiterate what's going on here. Around a dozen of the children who were found at this facility with were here in the country illegally and are believed to be being subjected to child labor here in the United States. Everything about this is completely illegal. Border Patrol Commissioner Rodney Scott offered this update overnight about those kids and about how much Gavin Newsom is lying to you. Take a look. Breaking news. The 10 juveniles that were found at this marijuana facility, all illegal aliens, eight of them unaccompanied. It's now under investigation for child labor violations. This is Newsom's California. So Gavin Newsom stepping on a huge rake here, saying, oh, look at these poor children. Yeah, they're poor because of what abuses you've allowed to be done to them in your state of California. That's why they were there, is because they were being used in that way. So that's a great update. I love how snappy. Don't you love how fast these Trump administration officials are. Border Patrol Commissioner Rodney Scott leaping all over this, instantly going, no, no, no, this is child labor, you ghoul. Gavin Newsom. So there's, that's the update on the kids and what they're doing there. That's out of control. Also, you Get Democrats who are claiming that this was nothing, but this is that these fields were being used to grow food for Americans, and President Trump said he was just gonna go after the violent criminals, and now he's going after our food supply. What this is. Here's Congressman Jimmy Gomez posting to X overnight. How many Ms. 13 gang members are waking up at 3am to pick strawberries? Oh, yeah, zero, he says. Zero. They're not picking. They're picking strawberries. Trump said he'd go after the bad hombres, but he's targeting the immigrant farm workers who feed America. Either he lied or he can't tell the difference. Now, how many lies do you see in this particular post or do you hear in this particular post? If you're listening to the audio podcast right now, how many lies can we count here? It's crazy. First of all, they're not picking strawberries. This is a massive marijuana grow operation. That's what this is. So there's no strawberry picking on going on. The President never said he wasn't going to deport illegal alien farm workers. In fact, he said he was going to deport everybody. He said mass deportations. Correct me if I'm wrong, isn't that what the President said? The President said he would deport everyone who is here illegally. The biggest mass deportation operation in American history. It wasn't limited to any category of illegal alien, Ms. 13, bad hombres or otherwise. You're here illegally. You go. There you go. What else do we have? Oh, he lied or he can't tell the difference, says Jimmy Gomez, this goofball congressman from Los Angeles. No, you're the one who's lying. Not a strawberry operation. It's a marijuana grow. So there you go. Yeah, and I see the chat pointing out something here that is worth dwelling on. It is true that in the state of California, they say it's legal to have this operation, this marijuana, these marijuana fields, these are totally legal. And. And in fact, the media today is giving us the total illegal. That's not true under federal law. That continues to be. There's a discordance between federal law and state law. And wherever you are on this issue of marijuana and whether or not it should be legal in the United States, it's just a plain fact that the federal government still considers it illegal and that the state governments are kind of making it up as they go along. And by and large, the feds have just kind of turned a blind eye to it. They're just like, okay, whatever. People like pot. We're Gonna look the other way. There's been a lot of that. But here, regardless. I don't even care about that issue right now. All I care about is these are illegal aliens. They've got illegal child labor, and the left is straight up lying that this is a part of our food supply. It has nothing to do with food. I don't know. When was the last time you were eating pot leaves? When was the last time you did a little tossed salad of pot? Got to get that. The wacky tobacco into a salad. Nobody's doing that. That's so crazy. It's not our food supply. These aren't strawberries. So that's Jimmy Gomez. He's not alone. He's not alone. We got another one. Who else? Oh, Ruben Gallego from Arizona pulled the same stunt. And this is happening all over the place this morning. There you go. Ruben Gallego saying instead of prioritizing dangerous criminals, Trump is targeting families that have been here for years picking our food. The public outcry and protests are occurring because the American public knows this is wrong. Ruben Gallego is lying to you. Lying to you. California does have some good strawberries, though. They're not picking strawberries here. This is all weed. What does that shirt say, by the way? Hold up, hold up. Can't. Let me. Let me throw this to a full screen for you. I got to see that. This is funny. I just realized what this lady shirt says. Take a look at this. Let me see. Her shirt says gayness is next to godliness. Do you see this? Am I getting. Am I getting all of this correct? Is that an illegal alien wearing a Covid mask with dyed purple hair with a shirt that says gayness is next to godliness? This. Oh, my. This lady is straight out of left wing lunatic central casting this. Yes. Who said that? TH Meyer says she needs to go to church. Yeah, I completely agree. Get to church. Holy cow. Clearly she's never read the Bible. What else we have? The chat's going wild over this. She's. She's no lady. Says 20 sunflower 73. Yeah. Yeah, actually, I'm sorry. Yeah. Maybe I'm giving him too much credit. Maybe that's a dude. Maybe that's a. We could be dealing with a transgender left wing, dyed hair, Covid mask, fat belly showing gayness is next to godliness. Illegal alien. Well, anyway, that's what's going on at this bizarro marijuana operation. If it wasn't for the terrorists taking shots at ice, this would be fall over on your side. Funny, but at Least that's a little bit of comedy in the midst of all this. Yeah. So these Democrats, they're still sticking with these lines that it's just a strawberry operation, it's just for food, when it's no such thing. And we're going after these guys appropriately. So there was a really important update this morning on the kids, you know, the foreign labor that's being used at this operation. We do have Tom Holman. Tom Holman was on the Fox News Channel this morning and he was asked about the kids and he gave a really important piece of data. You remember the 300,000 kids who are missing? You know, the 300,000 kids are missing all across the country, imported by the Biden administration and just completely lost by the Biden people intentionally. So they didn't care. They were trafficking human beings. They were trafficking children, many of whom have been sexually exploited, who've been exploited for labor. Oh, like at the marijuana operation that just got busted. Here's Tom Holman this morning announcing. We found 10,000 of these missing children so far. Have you heard that anywhere? 10,000 children have been found. Take a look. Here's Tom Holman this morning. But Tom, it strikes me unbelievable that the Democrats are not on board. When you look at this raid, these are. There were 10 juveniles that were legally brought across the border. You and I covered this under the Biden administration. I was down in Texas. We encountered a 8, 10 year old, 12 year olds coming across with just a name and an address and a phone number on their necks. The cartel ruthlessly sending them across. And yet now we know that 10 of them, eight of which were unaccompanied minors working illegally and in a marijuana farm. And your agents go in and rescue them, essentially. And yet there is violent resistance to that. Does that upset you? It certainly upsets me. And like I said, you know, the workmen and women of ice are doing. It's incredible. Look, we're looking for over 300,000 missing children. We've already found 10,000. Have you heard that anywhere? No. The media is simply not covering it. And look, this should be a nonpartisan issue. Arresting public safety threats and national security threats. Everybody be on the same page on that. Yeah. Rescuing children. Yeah. I mean, it should be a nonpartisan issue. Every issue be completely nonpartisan issues. Totally right about that. They saved 10,000 kids. They have found and saved 10,000 children. That. I'll take that. I'll take that. You know, it's these kids. These kids were brought here illegally, smuggled in illegally. But it's not the fault of a little child that they were put in that situation. Those kids are being exploited. They're having their lives utterly destroyed. And the Trump administration has now rescued 10,000 of them. 10,000 of them. Remember, RFK Jr talked about this because a lot of this was done under HHS and the refugee program that the Biden people were running where they were trafficking people in. RFK Jr said, this is the biggest human trafficking operation ever, and it was being paid for by taxpayers. Against your will, by the way. Against my will. It's vile what happened. And it breaks your heart completely to think what's happening to those kids. And so Tom Holman, who I like, somebody told me recently that they're like, Tom Holman. They didn't, they don't like how he sounds. You know, that is like, it sounds like he's got marbles in his mouth. I was like, no, no, no, stop, stop. You know what I love about Holman? I'm wearing all my shirt today. I got Tom Holman on my shirt. Ice, ice, baby. I go, tom Holman. The difference between him and so many other people in Washington. Tom Holman sounds totally authentic. Everything about him sounds completely authentic. Like, that guy's not putting on airs. He's totally legit. Everything. He's just like, kind of like a hardscrabble blue collar dude who's like, I hate when kids are exploited. I, I hate our borders being open. I want my sovereignty. I'm all in on Homan. I love the whole presentation. I love the whole thing. And the most important thing I love is that he's actually doing the work. You know, he did a great job in the first place for Trump originally. And then President Trump brought him back and said, I need you to run this show, baby. And when he came in as the border czar and in the early days when the president said that Kristi Noem was gonna be the DHS secretary, I was a little worried about that, honestly. At the top, I was like, kristi Noem didn't, wasn't she kind of weak on the trans stuff in South Dakota? She didn't have this, like, sterling record as governor that made me really excited about. So I was concerned that she wasn't going to be dynamite on the border. But we had, I had, I had Tom Holman on my show. I forget which show we talked to, this one or my old, my old local radio show in D.C. and I asked him about this and he said, look, we're going to be working arm in arm. The two of us are going to be working together really tightly on this. He has a lot of faith in Kristi Noem. And that faith has proven accurate. I mean, it's, it's worked. It's worked. It doesn't mean we ever sit back and we become, we rest easy, that everybody's doing the right thing and we just stop paying attention. We should. But I gotta say, I love what Tom Holman's doing. And whatever concern I had about Kristi Noem, it's completely evaporated. I'm totally thrilled with the job that she's done as DHS secretary now. So these guys are. They've got a lot going on. They wanna get these mass deportations up even more. But remember, in the past week we had this whole amnesty conversation. We have had it because you and I are paying attention, as it was the Agriculture Secretary, Brooke Rollins, who keeps on bringing up this idea, well, maybe with the farms, we shouldn't go after the people who are working illegally on the farms. And we're gonna have to figure out a different system or maybe we'll eventually get to them. We won't prioritize them. And so I've been very concerned about that. That I'm concerned about. I'm concerned about Brooke Rollins right now and what she's saying and what the President has said as a result. But if you were wondering, are they going to go after the farms, are they going to treat these as places that deserve amnesty? That marijuana farm raid is proof. Yes, there's going to be some farm activity. Yes, they're going to go after some of these work sites. And yes, they're going to deport illegals that they take into custody. So that's, this is all encouraging what I'm looking at right now. Yeah. And Silver Surfer 41 says Christie is the best looking grandma in the world, so she has that going forward too. Congrats, Christina. Grandma. It's true. It's true. All right. I got a lot more coming up for you before we get there. You know, I've upgraded to a Helix mattress in my life, which is great. I've been sleeping better than ever. I look forward to sleeping on that Helix mattress at the end of each long day. No more tossing, no more turning. Helix Sleep is an award winning mattress brand. That is the essential reason why I do wake up feeling so much more refreshed and ready to take on each new day. We love it in my house. My wife loves it. It is so good for us. And honestly, we just thought. I thought I was doomed. I just never thought I'd have a good mattress. I was like, this is. Maybe there's nothing built for me. Maybe I'm never gonna have a good night's sleep. Helix has changed my life in a meaningful way. Helix Mattress can help you figure out which mattress is going to work best for you. Whether you have back pain, if you sleep too hot, if you snore. Visit helixsleep.comvince to get started. And once you get your mattress delivered, you can finally get some comforting sleep. And you know, a good night's sleep is one of the best ways that you can have a better quality of life. It's very good for your health. Very good for your health. Right now, Helix has an exclusive offer for listeners events 27% off site wide. That's right. Just visit helixsleep.com Vince and get 27% off site wide exclusive for listeners of this show. Helixsleep.com Vince yes, indeed. Thank you to Helix for being great. Apparently, we had a hot mic moment yesterday at the beginning of our show. For those of you who don't watch the rumble stream, there's a countdown. When we start the rumble stream, it goes for about 30 seconds. And it's a cool little feature because it builds anticipation. You're like, oh, man, it's coming. The show's coming. But what's supposed to happen is my microphone is not supposed to be on. But I was talking to the guys yesterday. And if you go back to yesterday's program and check it out, you can hear me tell the story. But I'll reiterate it here. We had a lightning storm in Northern Virginia just a few days ago, and the lightning was striking like hundreds of feet from my house, just hundreds of feet away. You know, where the lightning hits and then the sound hits at the same moment. You know, it's close, you know. No, no. Counting down the seconds to figure out how far that lightning strike was. It was right outside the house. Major was nervous about it. Of course, Major found a corner and he was lying down. And the dogs get all worked up. But my other dog, Raina, she's a rescue. She was super abused before we got a hold of her. So she's got all sorts of trauma. That poor dog. The lightning strikes, she's like, instantly, not to embarrass her, don't tell her I said this. She instantly pooped herself right in the middle of the kitchen. I couldn't even believe what was going on. And normally if your dog goes to the bathroom in the house, you're like, hey, don't do that. You want to, like, stop them from doing. I just felt so bad for it. We cleaned it up and I held that dog. This dog is so nervous all the time that she. She's hard to pet. But after the lightning storm was going on, she pinned herself to my body and she was vibrating like a cell phone. Just the whole, just the whole thunderstorm shaking. But she pinned herself to me and it was really sweet. And we just, we wrote it out together. We were thunder buddies. We wrote it out together. But, man, that poor dog. Anyway, that was on the hot mic. Yes, Mike. Safety lone. Behold. Reminds me treat every mic like a hot mic. Yes, the guys keep telling me. But anyway, let's take a look here. Oh, here's a good story. You want a fun story? This one's fun. Pam Bondi. As critical as I've been of her this week about the Jeffrey Epstein stuff, I'm not, as you know, I'm not in any way enthused about that stupid one and a half page memo we got last week. That did not settle me down about Jeffrey Epstein. It only made me more suspicious and curious about what the government's up to here. And I'm pretty. I'm basically all in on this idea that Epstein was pretty obviously a part of some sort of intel operation and everyone's trying to make it go away so that we stop focusing on it. But that said, Pam Bondi is doing something good this week that's annoying. All of the right people, they're firing a ton of people at the United States Department of Justice and in the FBI. All due credit to what's going on at the FBI. These guys have fired hundreds of people. They have forced out hundreds of people out of that deeply corrupt agency. And that's just such great news. But one of the people that was just fired from the Justice Department did an interview with CBS to whine about the fact that she was fired. I want you to take a look here. This is Pam. This Pam Bondi just fired another one of these January 6th tyrants. And here she goes, rushing to CBS to complain about it. Here it is. Cut for. Look, we're driving straight toward an abyss.

Vince (27:21)

Oh, okay. For those of you who've kept track of the Constitution at any point in your life, correct me if I'm wrong. The United States Department of Justice is a part of the executive branch. Right. The Justice Department does report to the President of the United States. Correct. This whole thing, she's like, oh, no, no. It is a completely separate branch of government. The president should have no influence whatsoever. The White House should have no influence whatsoever over the United States Department of Justice. What in the world is this chick talking about? So giving that assessment confirms for me that she should be nowhere near the Department of Justice, and she was involved in all of the tyranny at the hands of the Department of Justice against Trump supporters, and proudly so. She was a part of the January 6th stuff. And then I love how CBS tries to distance her. Well, she wasn't a prosecutor. She was just in the PR side of things. Oh, really? The PR side of things? Let's talk about the PR side of things and the impact that that had. Julie Kelly documents this chick. Her name's Patricia Hartman. And Julie Kelly points out that she for years churned out near daily press releases to boast about indictments, convictions, and sentencings in January 6th cases. Her handiwork created national and local coverage of January Sixers, fueling hate against them and then endangering their safety. Pam Bondi just fired her, and now she wants sympathy, says Julie Hartman arguably did more damage to the lives of January Sixers than did prosecutors and or judges. Her firing should only be part of the price she pays, says Julie. Yeah, so now she's whining on television that she has that when she was in the Justice Department, she was supposed to report to the President of the United States to be a part of the executive branch of our government. That's how it works. It's the Constitution we are talking about. It is Article 2 of the Constitution that we are talking about. Yes. You work for the President. You don't like it, get out. And if you don't want to get out, we'll help you out. Which is what Pam Bondi just did. So good for the attorney general firing that person and a whole lot more. The left keeps complaining that all the prosecutors are getting fired. All the January 6th people are being fired. Good. Fire them all and then prosecute them, would you, while you're on the. While you're on the mission. All right, coming up in just a moment, I've got a great writer joining us and an eyewitness to the events of July 13th last year in Butler, Pennsylvania. Selena Zito is going to be with me. She's got a great new book on the subject. And we're going to look back on that fateful day and just how close we came to pure pandemonium in this country. It's. It's just amazing. Again, I feel the hand of God and the way those events transpired now nearly a year ago. Before we get there, I got to thank our sponsors. Blackout Coffee is a great sponsor of this program for a bunch of reasons, including that blackout fuels me up each and every day. I love Blackout Coffee. It's a company that loves our country. John owns Blackout Coffee. He's a great American. He has America first coffee that's roasted fresh right here in the United States. There's no woke nonsense, just bold, strong coffee for people who actually get it done. And as you know, Blackout Coffee is the official coffee of all of us here at Silverlock. This is a brand that stands for the right values and makes a great cup of coffee. I drink my coffee black, which means I know if it's good. And Blackout Coffee is fantastic. Here's the deal. John is hooking you up with that great cup of coffee. Head over to blackoutcoffee.com Vince use the code Vince. That's V I N C E. And you're gonna get 20% off your first order. Whether you like whole bean, ground, or even instant coffee that doesn't suck, Blackout Coffee has you covered. Support a company that actually shares your values. Blackoutcoffee.com Vince use the code Vince and get 20% off your first order. Blackout coffee. Thank you. To Blackout. Thank you. Also to bowl and branch. Here we talk about how much better my sleep is these days. One of the big reasons for that, bowl and Branch sheets. So if you're ever in a situation where you're lying in bed, mind racing, worrying about the next day, thinking about the to do list. Well, I've got something that helps me a lot. Bolen Branch sheets. It's a big deal. In our house. We started with the signature sheets, which are crafted with the finest 100% organic cotton and they're really soft. You can tell right out of the package. Super soft. And then every time you wash them, they get softer. Awesome. And it makes for a great night's sleep. But as things get hotter in the summer, they have another option, too. The Percal sheets, which are a total game changer because they're cool, they're crisp, they're breathable. They're great summer sheets. If you're worried about sleeping hot, you don't have to worry with the Percal sheets from Bolan Branch. They're great. You can feel the quality the moment you open that box. These sheets are ethically made. It shows in every stitch. You can get the best savings of the season. During Bowlen Branch's annual summer event. Get 20% off plus free shipping on your first set of sheets@boleandbranch.com Vince that's Bolendbranch. B O L L A n d y branch.com Vince to save 20% and unlock free shipping, limited time only exclusions apply. Visit bowland branch.com for details. Bowen Branch. Thank you very much. Okay, July 13th. Where are we? It's the 11th. Two days from now. This Sunday, July 13th, will mark one year since the assassination on President Trump that led to him being wounded, standing up, holding a fist to the air and saying, fight, fight, fight. That was in Butler, Pennsylvania. One of the people who was there to witness that is my next guest. Selena Zito joins us now. She's the author of the new book Butler.

Selena Zito (35:43)

Yeah, got it. We keep the newspaper thing in the family. I'm the great granddaughter of a newsman. And so, you know, we. We follow him out. She's taking photos, I'm taking photos. I'm having video. People go back and look at my account. They can see me covering it. He goes out on the stage, he goes by the podium. They tell us, my daughter Shannon and I, to go over. Off to the left, left, left. And because we're going to go in the motorcade, they sort of wanted us positioned to be ready to go so they could grab us. So we're just off to his left, and he starts speaking. And something. He does something that he never, rarely does. I shouldn't say never, but he rarely, rarely has a chart. If does have a chart, it's at the end, and this chart comes out. And I remember turning to my daughter and saying, what is he, Ross Perot? He never has a chart. And then I remember him doing something that he also doesn't ever do, and that's turn his head. Now, why doesn't he do that? If you've ever gone to a Trump rally or watched one in detail, the relationship between the people that are there in him is very transactional. They feed off of him, and he also feeds off of them. It's connective tissue. And so he doesn't turn away. He might Turn his whole body away, but never his neck. Never turns away. He turns away. And in that moment, that's when I hear the first four shots go right. Right over my head. I knew immediately what it was. I'm a gun owner. I see him. It's really interesting. People that have gone through traumatic events sometimes say things move in slow motion. I would attest to. It's almost as though time layers itself. And I watch him. I watch the blood streak across his face. I watch him grab his ear. I'm just a few feet away from him. I have my recorder on. Not because I think something bad's going to happen, because I always have my recorder on. I always record his speeches because it's important to get the nuance when people talk rather than just flatly put, you know, the words down.

Selena Zito (46:00)

I did something that's gonna make my parents really unproud of me when they read the book. Cause it's swore like a truck driver. And I said, are you bleeping kidding me, sir? You've just been shot. I mean, that's like so generous. But. But anyways, he would go on to call me seven times that day. We had some very. And people will read this in the book, but also they will. Once they read it, they'll understand what they saw the rest of the election. They'll understand what they see today. He talks about God, about the hand of God being in the moment, and about a newfound purpose. And then I said to him in our last. And I did not. I felt. I felt he needed his space to figure things out. I needed my space to figure things out. I wasn't going to press him in that moment, but I did ask him at the end of the conversation, I said, sir, I said, usa. Then fight, fight, fight. Only because I saw what I saw. And I said, why did you do that? He said, selena, in that moment, I. I wasn't Donald Trump. I was representing the entirety of our country, everything that our country symbolizes. It was my obligation to show strength, to show that the presidency goes on, it continues, that the presidency represents the grit and exceptionalism that is our country. And that we never back down, no matter how much we get kicked, no matter what tries to take our country down. And I knew that I had an obligation to do that. Not just because that's the obligation as a president, but I also knew I had an obligation for the people that were there. Had I not done that, they might likely have been chaos, there might likely have been a stampede. And he marvels that there wasn't. And he also says, I also have an obligation. If anybody's videoing it, if it's on camera, I don't know at this point. I just know that it could have had I handled that any differently. He goes and again, this is not about me. If I handled this any differently than what I am supposed to represent as the leader of the free world, there could have been chaos in the streets. And I see. We see that in him every day. Right. We don't think about that nuance. We don't always agree with everything that he does. But this is a man with purpose. He understands why he was saved, and he understands that the country has changed because of what happened that day.