BUTLER, Pa. — Congress has been denied access to a key operational report detailing security plans for former President Trump’s rallies, according to a lawmaker who attended an FBI briefing on Wednesday and spoke to Fox News Digital on the condition of anonymity.
Paul Mauro, a lawyer and former NYPD inspector, said the operations report “should detail who was supposed to cover the area on the roof where (Thomas Matthew) Crooks fired.”
“If there’s no game plan in place, or if the game plan doesn’t cover the rooftop, then it’s a huge failure, regardless of who approved it,” Mauro said.
Mauro said the detailed plan had been in the FBI’s possession as of Thursday afternoon and that the information came from an “absolutely, 100 percent reliable” source. The FBI declined to comment.
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Republican presidential candidate and former president Donald Trump is watched by U.S. Secret Service agents during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Saturday, July 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Crooks, 20, somehow managed to escape detection despite multiple sightings in the hours before he opened fire on a crowd in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday.
One bullet struck Trump in the ear and, if he had not moved his head in that exact moment, he could have died.
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Beloved former fire chief Corey Comperatore died trying to shield his wife and daughters from a hail of bullets, and two other men were seriously injured.
“This was extremely poorly planned,” Mauro said. “Having Trump in a car and then not being able to leave the property because the car was locked is incredibly irresponsible.”
Republican presidential candidate and former president Donald Trump was shot during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024, and was hastily carried off the stage. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Republican presidential candidate and former US President Donald Trump is assisted by security personnel after shots rang out during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania, USA, on July 13, 2024. (Reuters/Brendan McDiarmid)
Mauro said there are usually dedicated hospital vehicles and drivers know the direct route to the hospital.
“That shows this was done very haphazardly, very poorly resourced and with no sense of oversight,” he said.
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“There was no incident commander. No one in actual command. There may have been a commander on paper, but whoever it was was asleep at the switch.”
Mauro said Trump was lucky not to have suffered more serious injuries.
Authorities approached the spot where the suspected gunman fell after the U.S. Secret Service returned fire during the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. (Source: Fox News Digital)
FBI agents visited the Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, home of attempted Trump assassin Thomas Crook. (AFP/Reuters/Aaron Jozefczyk)
The fact that lawmakers were prevented from seeing the report and that the Secret Service was quick to blame local police shows they are in “cover-the-ass mode,” he said.
“There’s a lot of blame and the idea that local people have failed is already starting to crumble.”
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Former Buffalo Township Fire Chief Corey Comperatore is pictured with his daughters in an undated family photo after Thomas Matthew Crooks, a suspected assassin of former President Donald Trump, shot and killed Comperatore during a gunfight at a rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, authorities said. Secret Service agents returned fire, killing Crooks. (Helen Comperatore/Facebook)
After 26 seconds of gunfire, Crooks was “neutralized” on a rooftop about 150 yards from the podium where Trump was standing when he was shot.
Nearly a week has passed since the shooting, but many questions remain unanswered and there appear to have been glaring flaws in the planning and execution.
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The next step is a House Oversight Committee hearing on Monday, where lawmakers Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, He agreed to comply with the committee’s subpoena.
The Oversight Committee is led by Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.).
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“It’s good that Comer immediately announced that he’s going to oversee this and use the House’s subpoena power, because we need someone to look over the shoulder of the task force investigating this,” Mauro said.
“Realistically, they can say they’re working with the Pennsylvania State Police, but it’s the FBI that’s doing this and unfortunately I don’t have confidence in their leadership.”
He said there have been too many failures recently and it’s essential someone is monitoring the investigation.
Undated photograph of Thomas Matthew Crookes. (Courtesy of AFP)
A police sniper is positioned on the roof of a rally held by former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, July 13, 2024. An assassination attempt on the former president occurred during the rally, leaving one person dead and three others, including Trump. (Todd the Driller)
Earlier this week, the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General began a “review of procedures” implemented by the United States Secret Service (USSS) to ensure security for the July 13 election events.
It also considers “preparedness and operations” for the Secret Service’s anti-sniper teams.
“Our objective is to determine the extent to which Secret Service countersniper teams are prepared for and responsive to threats at events attended by their designated protected persons,” the Department of Homeland Security OIG said in a statement.
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The office “continues to consider any other reviews that may arise related to USSS (U.S. Secret Service) programs or activities. DHS OIG will coordinate reviews with other law enforcement partners as needed.”
