Law enforcement personnel are heard discussing the need for a drone to inspect and secure an onsite water tower in the minutes following the attempted assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, bodycam video released Thursday by Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, showed.
The disorganized and delayed chain of communication between local and federal law enforcement immediately following the assassination attempt highlights the additional bodycam videos released by Grassley, who had released a brief bodycam clip Tuesday.
Then-Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle told House members Monday that she was awaiting an investigation to determine whether the service did use drones to help secure the rally site in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Col. Christopher Paris, commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police, told lawmakers the Secret Service did not operate nor request any drones.
Records obtained by Grassley, though, corroborated that the Secret Service had assigned an unmanned aerial system drone operator to the event.
In his testimony to the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, FBI Director Christopher Wray said the alleged shooter successfully flew his own drone around the venue two hours before opening fire.
Grassley, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the full extent of bodycam footage obtained from the Beaver County Emergency Services Unit and filmed in the hour following the shooting.
ESU handed over the videos in compliance with congressional requests.
The videos show ESU officers and USSS personnel accessing the rooftop from where the shooter fired, and gathering evidence in the immediate aftermath of the attack.
The videos highlight a seemingly delayed response in identifying and disabling a potential detonator device, including a potential device located next to the deceased shooter.
The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing on Tuesday to examine the security failures leading to the assassination attempt.
Cheatle resigned Tuesday after the agency came under harsh scrutiny for its failure to stop a would-be assassin from wounding Trump.
Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas then appointed Ronald L. Rowe, Jr. to serve as acting director of the Secret Service.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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