‘Strange’ lady sat behind Trump sparks outrageous idea
A wild conspiracy theory about the woman who was acting strangely behind Donald Trump as he was shot has been condemned.
The woman sparked suspicion over her bizarrely-relaxed behavior after she failed to flinch and even pulled out her phone as shots rang out at the Pennsylvania rally last week.
Footage of the moment prompted widespread speculation.
An outlandish conspiracy theory has since emerged claiming that the woman was FBI assistant director Janeen DiGuiseppi – and that she was directing the sniper who almost killed Trump.
They also alleged the woman they claimed as DiGuiseppi gave a nod before gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire.
But both conservatives and liberals have since condemned the theory.
‘If you believe the assistant director of the FBI was sitting front row at a Trump rally to “give instructions” to the shooter, you are an absolute moron. Like, next-level stupid,’ a Red State journalist known only as Bonchie wrote on X.
A woman wearing a black hat who was sitting behind Donald Trump when he survived an assassination attempt sparked suspicion among many, who say her behavior was strange
Several X users pointed out a perceived resemblance to FBI Assistant Director Janeen DiGuiseppi as evidence for the false claim
Footage showed the unidentified woman — wearing sunglasses, a white shirt and a black hat — pulling out her phone as shots rang out at the Pennsylvania rally on Saturday has gone viral.
She did so while everyone else — including Trump — ducked down to the ground, in fear for their lives.
But the FBI has since hit back at the claims.
‘The allegations circulating on social media about an FBI executive and the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania are categorically false,’ a FBI spokesman told DailyMail.com.
‘To be clear, the person depicted is not her and she did not attend the rally. The men and women of the FBI work tirelessly and selflessly to protect others every day, and false rumors and conspiracy theories targeting these dedicated public servants are reprehensible and irresponsible.
‘They are also dangerous and often lead to threats against them and their families. The FBI will continue to work with our partners to hold accountable anyone who makes violent threats against them or any of our colleagues in law enforcement.’
BBC misinformation specialist Shayan Sardarizadeh has also taken to X, formerly known as Twitter, to debunk the claims.
‘A new conspiracy theory, currently racking up millions of views, baselessly claims that a female supporter seen behind Trump when he got shot is assistant director of the FBI’s insider threat office Janeen DiGuiseppi, who was helping the shooter,’ he said. ‘Those are two different women.’
The FBI themselves have rubbished the speculation, telling DailyMail.com: ‘The claims are false. The person depicted is not her and she did not attend the rally.’
The real identity of the woman in the clip remains a mystery.
The attempted assassination of the former president spawned a vast sea of claims — some outlandish — reflecting the frightening uncertainties surrounding the attack, as well as America’s fevered, polarized political climate.
Footage of her pulling her phone out to record led to baseless speculation she was an FBI operative who was coordinating the shooting
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump gestures as he is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents as he is taken from the stage
Mentions of Trump on social media were up to 17 times the average in the hours after the shooting, according to PeakMetrics, a cyber firm that tracks online narratives.
Many of those mentions were expressions of sympathy for Trump or calls for unity. But many others made unfounded, fantastical claims.
Many of the more specious claims sought to blame Trump or his Democratic opponent, President Joe Biden, for the attack.
Some voices on the left quickly proclaimed the shooting to be a ‘false flag’ concocted by Trump; while some Trump supporters suggested the Secret Service intentionally failed to protect Trump on the White House’s orders.
The Secret Service on Sunday pushed back on claims circulating on social media that Trump’s campaign had asked for greater security before Saturday’s rally and was told no.
In the wake of the shooting that killed one spectator on Saturday, investigators were hunting for any clues about what may have drove Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, to carry out the shocking attack.
The FBI said they were investigating it as a potential act of domestic terrorism , but the absence of a clear ideological motive by the man shot dead by the Secret Service led conspiracy theories to flourish.
The FBI said it believes Crooks, who had bomb-making materials in the car he drove to the rally, acted alone.
Thomas Matthew Crooks was identified by the FBI as the shooter during the assassination attempt on Donald Trump
Investigators have found no threatening comments on social media accounts or ideological positions that could help explain what led him to target Trump before the Secret Service rushed the presumptive Republican presidential nominee off the stage, his face smeared with blood.
Trump said on social media the upper part of his right ear was pierced in the shooting, but advisers said he was ‘great spirits’ ahead of his arrival Sunday in Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention.
Two spectators were critically injured, while a former fire chief from the area, Corey Comperatore was killed. Pennsylvania’s governor said Comperatore, 50, died a hero by diving onto his family to protect them.
DailyMail.com has contacted the FBI for comment.
