Butler, Pennsylvania – Republican Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania, chairman of the House Select Committee on the Assassination Attempt of President Donald Trump, on Monday questioned what appeared to be a “frosty” response by law enforcement when they first spotted the gunman, Thomas Crooks.
Kelly's comments came after his second visit to the scene of the assassination attempt at the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania, where Crooks opened fire on former President Trump at a rally for the president on July 13, killing one attendee and seriously wounding two others.
“I just want to know, who was the quarterback? Who made the decision? … And the sniper was already aiming at the shooter and from what we've heard so far, he was just waiting for permission to shoot. … Someone at the quarterback has to make that decision. If they don't make the decision, the team can't move. And that's what I'm seeing here. It's been kind of frozen for a while,” Kelly told Fox News Digital.
Kelly, a Butler area native, added that he believes it is too early to tell if there was any criminal negligence in the assassination attempt.
Trump assassination task force denies parallel investigation: 'We are the only task force with jurisdiction'
Rep. Mike Kelly points into the distance as U.S. lawmakers from a bipartisan task force investigating the assassination attempt on former President Trump visit the scene of a shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024. (Adam Gray for Fox News Digital)
“The worst thing you can do in life is not be prepared,” the Pennsylvania senator said.
The bipartisan task force tasked with investigating the shooting, in a resolution passed by the House of Representatives 416-0, is continuing to interview federal, local and state officials and rally participants to get a better picture of what happened on July 13. During a visit to Butler on Monday, multiple members said the task force has the authority to subpoena federal agencies for information.
Newly reported recordings depict communications blackout at Trump rally hindering law enforcement
Rep. Mike Kelly and Rep. Laurel Lee, part of a bipartisan task force investigating the assassination attempt on former President Trump, accompanied U.S. lawmakers as they toured the scene of a shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Monday, Aug. 26, 2024. (Adam Gray for Fox News Digital)
Sen. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), a decorated former Army Ranger who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, told reporters Monday that part of the task force's goal is to restore confidence to Americans that their nation's leaders are being protected.
“At this point, we have more questions than answers.”
“I certainly noticed today that there doesn't seem to be a lot of visibility,” he said, “and certainly at this point there are more questions than answers.”
Butler slams local police for 'inappropriate' handling of Trump incident: 'threw me under the bus'
U.S. lawmakers stand on the roof of the AGR Building as part of a visit by a bipartisan task force investigating the assassination attempt on former President Trump at the shooting scene in Butler, Pennsylvania, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024. (Adam Gray for Fox News Digital)
He and other lawmakers at the scene of the assassination attempt on Monday were able to see exactly where Trump was speaking, near the American Glass Research (AGR) building, where Crooks fired at least eight shots. The FBI previously said Crooks climbed air conditioning and ductwork on the side of the single-story industrial building to reach the shooting location.
The gunman was at the rally for at least 70 minutes on the morning of the shooting and flew a drone over the area for about 10 minutes that afternoon.
A video taken by James Copenhaver, one of the victims seriously injured in the July 13 assassination attempt on former President Trump, shows a figure moving across a rooftop minutes before shots rang out at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. (James Copenhaver)
Trump assassin spotted wandering around Pennsylvania rally hours before shooting
Video footage recently provided to Fox News Digital by Iron Clad USA, a clothing brand that sold merchandise at the rally, shows Crooks walking around the area at least an hour and a half before he began opening fire.
clock:
Text messages obtained by Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley showed that the sniper saw Crooks fire multiple shots at the former president about 90 minutes before he ultimately killed 50-year-old Corey Comperatore and wounded 74-year-old James Copenhaver and 57-year-old David Duch.
Trump assassination attempt sparks investigation into Secret Service's DEI policies: 'It jeopardized the mission'
Local police also spotted Crooks on the roof of the AGR Building minutes before shots rang out when one officer lifted another officer to look at the roof of the building. The officer then spotted Crooks, but the 20-year-old gunman pointed an AR-15 style rifle at the officer, causing Crooks to eventually lose his balance and fall to the ground.
clock:
Two officers reported seeing a suspicious person on the roof, after which the suspect opened fire.
In body camera footage from the Butler Township Police Department, law enforcement officers can be heard saying they had instructed the U.S. Secret Service to cover the roof of the AGR building.
Trump shooting: Timeline of assassination attempt raises questions about how gunman escaped security
clock:
Click here to get the FOX News app
Kelly said a special investigation unit has been investigating the assassination attempt since early August.
FBI officials are investigating whether Crooks had a motive for the assassination attempt and whether he had any co-conspirators, but said they have no evidence to suggest anyone else was involved.
