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“Put simply, the evidence obtained by the Task Force to date shows the tragic and shocking events of July 13 were preventable and should not have happened.”
Those stark words come from a damning House Task Force report about the assassination attempt against former president and current Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. The preliminary report, released on Monday, highlights the extensive scrutiny faced by the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) after Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, opened fire from a rooftop just outside the rally’s security perimeter, killing one attendee and injuring two others, including Trump. The task force’s final report is expected by December 13.
The investigation revealed that Crooks had been “under scrutiny by the Secret Service’s state and local partners” for approximately 40 minutes before information about a “suspicious person” reached the USSS command post. Furthermore, three local law enforcement officers had noticed Crooks around 5:00 p.m. ET and “independently” found his behavior suspicious. However, communication issues arose between local and state law enforcement, further complicated by the lack of a central command system with the Secret Service.
An hour after Crooks was first spotted, he fired eight shots into the rally, wounding Trump and three others before being killed by a sniper. As chaos erupted, rally-goers could be heard shouting, “Duck!” According to the report, from 5:38 p.m. to 5:51 p.m., a “series of calls and messages” regarding the shooter’s movements and description reached the Secret Service.
The report references testimony from a witness with the Butler Township Police Department, who noted that a colleague spotted Crooks just before he began shooting. The colleague fell from the roof, yelling, “THERE’S AN AR! AN AR! AN AR! A GUY WITH AN AR!” The Task Force noted that there is no evidence to suggest this warning reached Trump’s USSS detail before shots were fired.
A Butler County Emergency Services Unit (ESU) witness also questioned the Secret Service’s claim that one of their snipers killed Crooks. The witness said, “He fired a single shot from a standing position at Crooks, who was in a prone position on the roof. Butler ESU Witness 5 told the Task Force that he believes his shot hit Crooks.”
Further revelations point to logistical failures on the part of the Secret Service before the rally. Two command centers were established, but no one from the Butler Police Department was invited to the USSS hub. Additionally, Butler ESU Commander Edward Lenz testified that a USSS agent was advised to pick up a radio communication device to maintain contact with local and state authorities, but the agent never retrieved it.
The report also highlighted the miscommunication regarding sniper positioning. ESU snipers, who were inside the complex but not monitoring the building from which Crooks fired, were unaware of any plan to secure that specific facility. Local law enforcement told the Task Force that the Secret Service did not provide guidance to the Butler or Beaver ESU regarding sniper responsibilities.
The Bottom Line: While the full findings are still pending, the Task Force’s preliminary report raises serious questions about the level of preparedness and response by the Secret Service. Conservatives will undoubtedly wonder whether a similar event held for President Joe Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris would have been marred by such “incompetence” — whether intentional or otherwise.
