First appeared on FOX: According to an investigation by Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Secret Service agents assured law enforcement in Butler County, Pennsylvania, that they would provide security for the building where attempted assassin Thomas Crooks shot and killed former President Donald Trump and others during an outdoor rally on July 13.
“Butler County law enforcement officials stated that on several occasions during their tours, they repeatedly raised concerns with agents and counter-snipers about security at the AGR complex, to which agents responded, 'We'll take care of it,'” Grassley's office said in a letter Tuesday to Secret Service Acting Director Ronald Rowe.
Trump was shot in the ear during a rally in a Pennsylvania town in July, killing one attendee and seriously wounding two, after it emerged that the gunman had been stationed on the roof of a nearby building and was known to police who had seen him before the rally.
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Senator Grassley revealed new allegations about the Secret Service's efforts to secure the building where Crooks was shot. (Reuters)
The Iowa senator questioned Rowe about whether the claims made by Butler County law enforcement officers were true, and if so, what the Secret Service has done to secure the area where the AGR complex buildings are located.
Senator Grassley noted that a few weeks after the first assassination attempt, Senator Lowe had told senators at a confirmation hearing that “locals had plans and had been there before” about the roof of the AGR building where Crooks carried out the shooting.
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In interviews with Grassley's staff, law enforcement officials directly refuted this point, he said.
The promise by Secret Service agents to secure the AGR complex area was allegedly made during a patrol on July 11 in preparation for the rally, and law enforcement officials allege they alerted the agents at the time to their concerns about the area multiple times.
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Sarah Taylor, an Air Force veteran, said she witnessed glaring security lapses at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. (AP Photo/Jean J. Puskar/Office of Sen. Ron Johnson/Sarah Taylor)
The Republican senator also noted that he had repeatedly requested various information from the Secret Service, leading to at least two assertions that “my requests cannot be accommodated due to other ongoing investigations and reviews.”
“This is unacceptable behavior, fails to respect Congress' constitutional mandate to provide independent oversight, and is contrary to your testimony before Congress regarding your dealings with Congress,” the senator charged.
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Acting Director of the U.S. Secret Service Ronald Rowe Jr. provided media with an update on the investigation into the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump during a press conference in West Palm Beach, Florida, Monday, September 16, 2024. (Mega from Fox News Digital)
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Rep. Grassley's ongoing independent investigation is looking into several cases, including the July 13 assassination attempt, the recently uncovered plots by alleged Iranian operative Asif Merchant to assassinate politicians or U.S. government officials, including President Trump, and a second assassination attempt on the former president in Florida on Sunday.
The Secret Service did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
