Deadly firing on former President Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania on July 13 The incident was a “preventable” incident that arose due to a lack of proper planning and communication between law enforcement agencies, according to a new report.
The House task force investigating the attempts on Trump’s life is releasing its interim findings on Monday, with a final report expected by Dec. 13.
“Although the findings of this report are preliminary, the information obtained during the first phase of the task force’s investigation clearly demonstrates a lack of planning and coordination between the Secret Service and its law enforcement partners prior to the rally,” the report said. “
U.S. Secret Service (USSS) personnel at the event “did not provide clear guidance to state and local officials on how to manage security outside their tight perimeter”, nor was there any centralized communication between the USSS and the law enforcement agencies supporting them. The meeting took place. About Rally – The 51-page report presents two findings as major failures.
“Simply put, the evidence obtained so far by the task force shows that the tragic and shocking events of July 13 could have been prevented and should not have happened,” the report said.
A would-be assassin’s bullet hit Republican 2024 nominee Trump in the ear as he addressed supporters at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, over the summer.
Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, opened fire on the rally from a rooftop just outside the event’s security perimeter, killing one attendee and wounding two others in addition to Trump.
Monday’s report underscores the scrutiny the USS has faced since the shooting, with lawmakers from both parties raising questions about how the gunman was able to fire eight shots before being killed with a single shot to the head. Were capable.
The task force found that the miscreants “were under investigation by the Secret Service’s state and local partners” for approximately 40 minutes before “information about the suspect” reached the USS command post.
It said three local law enforcement officers spotted the crooks around 5 p.m. ET, each “independently” estimating that their “behavior and manner were suspicious.”
Communication with the USSS was made more difficult due to the lack of a central command system, leading to back-and-forth between local and state units.
The report later stated that from approximately 5:38 pm to 5:51 pm, “a series of calls and messages regarding the miscreants’ descriptions and activities reached the Secret Service.”
The document also references prior testimony from a witness with the Butler Township Police Department, whose colleague saw the gunmen on the rooftop just before the shooting.
That witness said his colleague fell from the roof – which he was holding tightly to – shouting “There’s an AR!” An AR! An AR! A guy with an AR!”
“To date, the task force has found no evidence to suggest that the message reached the former President’s USSS extension before the shooting,” the report said.
The report also cites a witness from Butler County Emergency Services United (ESU), whose description of Crooks being shot appears to undermine the USSS’s claim that one of its snipers killed the gunman.
“He stood up and fired a shot at Crooks, who was in a crouching position on the roof. Butler ESU Witness 5 told the task force he believed his bullet hit Crooks, the report said.
The report said that the post-mortem of the miscreants revealed that they were hit by only one bullet which proved fatal. Former USSS Director Kimberly Cheatle previously said that a USSS counter-sniper killed Crooks, and added in the report that “there is no evidence to date to the contrary.”
“The autopsy found no evidence of a wound caused by a second bullet,” the report said.
According to the report, his bloodwork was “also positive for antimony, selenium, and lead”, the latter element likely coming from Crooks’ time spent at the firing range.
The report also points to logistics issues, particularly on the part of the USSS, in the hours before the rally took place.
For example, while two command centers were set up for the event, one witness testified that no one from the Butler Police Department was invited to the USSS hub.
Butler ESU Commander Edward Lenz also told task force staff that a sniper in his unit advised the USSS agent to take a radio communications device from his command center to be able to keep in touch with local and state authorities Was – but the agent never took it back. ,
The report said that ESU snipers, who were not deployed to monitor the building from where the miscreants fired but were inside the campus, were also not informed about any plan to monitor the facility Had gone.
The report states, “Local law enforcement told the task force that the Secret Service provided no guidance to Butler ESU and Beaver ESU regarding the assignment, role, and responsibilities of their snipers…They provided no guidance to the rally site.” Understand your work.” Said.
The report stated that local and state law enforcement held two briefings on the morning of the rally, but the USSS “did not participate in either briefing.”
The USSS held its own briefing at 10 am that day, but reports suggested that local units were not invited.
Indeed, a Pennsylvania state police officer was “invited to a 1000 USSS briefing by one USSS agent, then later asked to leave by another.”
In the conclusion of its report, the task force indicated that it would continue its efforts to interview officials and review them as new details emerge, and the July 13 incident and the September 15 assassination attempt against Trump in his West Confirmed his goal of investigating both. Palm Beach Golf Course.
The task force was formed by House leaders following a unanimous vote in the chamber.
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