The U.S. Secret Service failed to implement critical safeguards, including obstructing the line of sight to the stage during a July campaign rally for former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pa., where a shooter attempted to assassinate him, according to an internal investigation, reports the Washington Post.
The investigation, which may be publicly released next week, highlights significant lapses in security planning and communication, according to officials who spoke to the Post.
The Secret Service had reportedly discussed plans to obstruct the line of sight between the AGR International building, from where the shooter opened fire and the stage where Trump was speaking.
However, the agents who arrived at the rally site on July 13 found that the heavy equipment and flags intended to block the shooter’s view were improperly placed. This allowed the gunman, later identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, a clear line of sight to the stage from approximately 130 yards away.
Crooks, perched atop the AGR building, fired eight rounds toward the rally stage, fatally striking a rallygoer, injuring two others, and grazing Trump’s ear. A Secret Service counter-sniper ultimately shot and killed Crooks, but not before the attack unfolded.
The investigation, led by acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe, also revealed that local police were never instructed by the agency to secure the rooftop from which the gunman fired. In a troubling communication breakdown, federal agents were unable to receive real-time updates from local law enforcement on the ground.
According to the report, law enforcement had spotted Crooks using a rangefinder and looking at his phone nearly an hour before Trump took the stage. However, Secret Service agents reportedly did not hear local police communications regarding the tracking of Crooks, only learning of the threat 10 minutes before Trump began speaking.
In the aftermath of the incident, the Secret Service initially placed responsibility for securing the AGR International factory grounds outside the rally area on local police. However, the internal investigation pointed to a broader failure in coordination between federal and local authorities.
Rowe, addressing the security lapses, admitted that the agency must be held accountable for the failures identified in the report. He further announced that the Secret Service has launched another review to enhance security protocols for the numerous government officials it protects.
On Thursday, Rowe briefed the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee about the findings, with bipartisan members expressing outrage at the security breakdown.
“I think the American people will be shocked, astonished, and appalled by what we will report to them about the failures of the Secret Service in this assassination attempt of a former president,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who chairs the committee’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.