A key financial operative for Donald Trump's campaign in Florida has started a GoFundMe page to help assist the spectators who were injured in Saturday's attempted assassination of the former President.
Meredith O'Rourke launched the fundraising online effort shortly after Trump had his ear grazed in an assassination attempt Saturday about 6:15 p.m. as he started his open-air campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvanian. While the former President was whisked away with blood on his face by U.S. Secret Service agents and was treated and released at a Butler hospital, one rally attendee was shot to death by the gunman and at least two spectators were severely injured by bullets fired by the would-be assassin.
Secret Service personnel shot and killed the gunman who was perched atop a building about 150 yards from the podium where Trump was speaking.
"President Donald Trump has authorized this account as a place for donations to the supporters and families wounded or killed in today's brutal and horrific assassination attempt," O'Rourke wrote on the GoFundMe account and page to help the victims. "All donations will be directed to these proud Americans as they grieve and recover. May God bless and unite our nation."
O'Rourke lives in Tallahassee and is the National Finance Director and Senior Adviser for the Donald J. Trump For President 2024 organization, according to her Linkedin page. She's been an active fundraiser for many high-profile Republican office holders including U.S. Senator Rick Scott.
As of 9:45 a.m. Sunday, the gofundme page for the victims of the shooting had raised $460,573. The page outlined the goal of the fundraiser was to generate $1 million for those victims who were shot at the rally.
The top donor to the GoFundMe page for rally victims thus far is former Republican Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who contributed $30,000 to the charitable account.
The gunman has been identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks and was killed by Secret Service personnel shortly after he fired bullets from an "AR-type rifle," according to the Associated Press. Crooks was able to fire multiple shots at the stage from an "elevated position outside of the rally venue," Secret Service officials said.
Little is known about the shooter, though he was a registered Republican who lived in a nearby Pennsylvania town not far from Butler. Officials also note he contributed $15 to a Democratic Party cause.
No comments:
Post a Comment