by WorldTribune Staff, September 26, 2024 Contract With Our Readers
Twenty-seven minutes ahead of the attempt on former President Donald Trump’s life on July 13, which killed one man and injured others in Butler, Pennsylvania, the U.S. Secret Service knew that Thomas Matthew Crooks was on the roof on a nearby building.
An interim report released by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on Wednesday found “Multiple foreseeable and preventable planning and operational failures” by the Secret Service (USSS).
“At approximately 5:45 pm, USSS personnel were notified that local law enforcement observed a suspicious person with a rangefinder near the AGR building. By 5:52 pm, at least eight USSS personnel had been informed. Approximately two minutes before shots were fired…” the report reads.
The failures “included unclear roles and responsibilities, insufficient coordination with state and local law enforcement, the lack of effective communications, and inoperable C-UAS (drone detecting) systems, among many others,” the 94-page preliminary report said.
The committee’s investigation found that a Secret Service agent inexperienced with the C-UAS drone detecting equipment had to call a toll-free tech support hotline to troubleshoot issues with the equipment. This was after a request made ahead of time for additional unmanned assets had been denied.
The agent received one hour of informal training on the device itself before being tasked to operate it, according to the report. Additionally, the technical difficulties resulted in the equipment not being able to be operated until after Crooks flew his drone.
“The C-UAS system was inoperable until 4:33 pm on July 13. It was during that time that Crooks flew his drone in the vicinity of the Butler Farm Show at approximately 3:51 pm for 11 minutes while streaming footage to his controller,” the report stated, adding that if the system had been active and detected Crooks’ drone, “the C-UAS Advance Agent stated he would have sent USSS personnel to conduct a voluntary interview with Mr. Crooks to determine the purpose of his flight.”
The report also revealed that agents from Trump’s security detail and the Pittsburgh field office testified they were never notified that the security room and Secret Service counter sniper team had been told 27 minutes before the shooting that a suspicious person was detected near the building with a range finder.
“Shortly before shots were fired, a USSS counter sniper saw local law enforcement running toward the AGR building with their guns drawn, but he did not alert former President Trump’s protective detail to remove him from the stage,” the report revealed. “The USSS counter sniper told the committee that while seeing officers with their guns drawn ‘elevated’ the threat level, the thought to notify someone to get Trump off the stage ‘did not cross [his] mind.’ ”
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Other key points of complete and total failure by the Secret Service in the committee’s report include:
• “USSS counter snipers – including the one who shot and killed Crooks – were sent to the rally in response to “credible intelligence” of a threat.” However, “of the USSS personnel interviewed by the committee, nearly all – said they were unaware of any credible intelligence of a threat.”
• “USSS Advance Agents for the July 13 rally denied individual responsibility for planning or security failures, deflected blame, and could not identify who had final decision authority for the rally.”
• “Local law enforcement raised concern about the security coverage of the AGR building.”
• “USSS advance personnel identified multiple line-of-sight concerns at the Butler Farm Show grounds, including the AGR building.”
• “There were two separate communications centers at the July 13 rally – one run by USSS and one by local law enforcement.”
• “Crooks was in the USSS counter sniper’s sights for “mere seconds” before he fired at Crooks.”
• “USSS Advance Agents requested additional resources that would have been helpful, but those assets were denied.”
• “Several USSS officials reported experiencing technical problems with their radios at the rally, and told the Committee such problems are common for USSS.”
Secret Service Chief of Communications Anthony Guglielmi told Fox News:
“We have reviewed the interim report on the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. The weight of our mission is not lost on us and in this hyperdynamic threat environment, the U.S. Secret Service cannot fail. Many of the insights gained from the Senate report align with the findings from our mission assurance review and are essential to ensuring that what happened on July 13 never happens again.”
Secret Service scandals escalate: Agent called tech support to operate drone detecting equipment added by Editor Two on September 26, 2024
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