A senior security official said former President Trump was under extra security guard on the day he was grazed by a bullet in the ear.
“This is the first time that Secret Service counter-sniper personnel have been deployed in support of a former president’s security detail,” Secret Service Acting Director Ronald Rowe Jr. said at a press conference Friday afternoon.
“The former president, at his campaign rallies, he draws on state and local resources – tactical assets, counter-snipers from state and local areas. So, as far as why they were in Butler, we assess the threat situation every day. We adjust based on the threat. We assessed the stream of threats that we have and we sent Secret Service counter-snipers down there.”
Trump was shot in the ear by 20-year-old Thomas Crooks while speaking at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13.
Video taken from the perspective of the victim of the Trump assassination attempt shows a figure moving across a rooftop moments before the shooting
Republican presidential nominee and former president Donald Trump reacts as multiple gunshots ring out during a campaign rally at the Butler Agricultural Show in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. (Reuters/Brendan McDiarmid)
Since the shooting, various new details have emerged about the incident, including documents indicating officers knew about Crooks about 90 minutes before the shooting.
Trump assassination attempt victim James Copenhaver ‘saddened’ by state of ‘political division’ in America
Soon after, the House held hearings to question Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, who resigned under increasing pressure from both Democrats and Republicans.
Following the hearing, the House of Representatives formed a bipartisan special committee to further investigate the assassination attempt, led by Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA), whose district includes the shooting scene, and Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO), a former Army Ranger.
Former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, was quickly escorted off the stage during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
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Other members of the committee include Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green (R-Tenn.), Rep. Mike Walz (R-Fla.), Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Penn.) and Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-Md.).
