Former President Donald Trump was nearly assassinated a week ago while speaking at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday in what is considered the biggest Secret Service blunder in the past 40 years.
After all, the agency responsible for President Trump’s security failed to stop the shooter, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, from firing eight bullets at the former president from less than 500 feet away, one of which came within millimeters of killing him.
Multiple investigations are underway that have so far provided few answers, and Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle is scheduled to testify before the House Oversight Committee on Monday.
Here are nine major Secret Service security failures we’ve learned about so far that need to be addressed.
- The rooftop where Crooks fired at Trump was clearly a security risk. According to NBC News, the Secret Service identified the rooftop as a potential vulnerability days before the rally. Why was the building removed from the Secret Service’s extension and assigned to local police? Why was the perimeter of the building left unguarded? How were rally-goers able to see Crooks climb onto the roof and get into position before police intercepted him? When did the Secret Service’s countersniper team become aware of Crooks?
- The Secret Service allowed local law enforcement to be stationed inside the building rather than on the roof. Cheatle said the decision was made to place local police officers inside the building instead of on it. She claimed the decision was due to “safety factors” because the roof was “sloped.” Former Secret Service agent and podcast host Dan Bongino called this “bullshit.” Bongino said in the July 18, 2024 podcast episode that he had heard from sources that the local police snipers were placed inside because they were snipers, counter-snipers, and thought they could perform their duties from the second floor of the building. This leads to the question of why the counter-snipers did not keep an eye on potential snipers on the roof.
- Poor security at the building’s ground level allowed Crooks to gain access to the roof. Even if there were no local police snipers on the roof, who was guarding the building from the ground and entering the building? Were there local police assigned to guard the building? The Washington Post report The suggestion to station patrol cars and officers outside the building was part of the police’s advance planning, but by Saturday local police had told the Secret Service they lacked the resources to do so. Why didn’t the Secret Service come up with an alternative? How was Crooks able to get to the top of the building unimpeded and into a position to view Trump directly?
- Local police first spotted Crooks near a distance-measuring magnetometer at around 3 p.m., about three hours before Trump was due to speak, but he later went missing. Why was he not questioned or pursued by the Secret Service or law enforcement? CNNCrooks attracted attention as he entered through a magnetometer set up to check whether attendees had range finders. Range finders look like small binoculars and are often used by hunters and the military to identify targets. The question is: who noticed Crooks had a range finder, and to whom was this reported, and why was he not questioned or followed at the time?
- Local police officers reportedly spotted Crooks loitering outside the building about an hour before Trump’s speech, during which they saw him search the roof, return with a backpack, pull out a rangefinder and call a command center, but they did not stop or question him. It’s unclear who tipped Crooks off, whether the Secret Service was aware of Crooks at this point, or why he was never stopped or questioned given his suspicious behavior. Why was Crooks able to get to the roof unhindered?
- Secret Service agents reportedly spotted Crooks on the roof at 5:52 p.m., about 20 minutes before Trump was due to take the stage, but did not prevent Trump from going on stage. ABC News reported that a Secret Service sniper It’s been found Why was Trump allowed on stage, even though he was on the roof at 5:52pm? A local police officer reportedly climbed onto the roof just after 6:02pm and saw Crooks. Crooks allegedly pointed a gun at the officer, who went down and fell, wounding him. Did a Secret Service sniper see this, and if so, why didn’t they do anything at that point?
- Although Crooks had his weapon drawn and was in position to shoot Trump, the Secret Service sniper did nothing before he opened fire on Trump. Why was the Secret Service not able to identify Crooks as a threat and neutralize him before he fired at Trump after he was in position with his gun drawn? If a Secret Service sniper was watching him, why was there an 11-second lag between Crooks first firing at Trump and the Secret Service sniper returning fire and killing him?
- Trump took to the stage at 6:02 pm but no steps were taken to remove him from the stage for 10 minutes before Crooks fired at Trump. Even if a Secret Service sniper saw Crooks on the roof and didn’t know what to do, why wasn’t Trump removed from the stage? Was there an attempt to remove him, or was the decision made not to, and by whom?
- There was no drone surveillance at the rally, which prevented police from being notified early enough that Crooks had climbed to the roof. According to Bongino, there was no drone surveillance of the rally, even though the Secret Service could have requested that capability. Did the Secret Service request that capability? If so, was it denied, and who denied it?
Cheatle, who has faced calls for him to resign but has insisted he has no intention of stepping down, is expected to answer many questions on Monday.
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