Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut warned that Americans will be “shocked, stunned and appalled” by the level of Secret Service incompetence and failure surrounding the July 13, 2024, assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
Trump was nearly killed during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, by an armed assailant, Thomas Crooks, who somehow infiltrated the rally, climbed onto the roof and fired several shots.
Crooks, who had been monitoring the rally in advance, carried a gun to the roof, leapt between buildings and crawled across a metal roof before launching the attack.
According to former Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle, security was a “catastrophe.”
The Gateway Pundit published an exclusive report that the group gathered, which included local Patriot Greg Smith, was screaming, and the group could see a sniper team on the second floor.
Smith also allegedly witnessed a sniper team on the second floor watching Crooks 30 minutes before the shooting but doing nothing.
Chilling text messages obtained by The New York Times from local police detail the counter-sniper’s frantic communications.
A counter-sniper sent a message to his co-workers informing them that his shift was ending, and at approximately 4:26 pm, he spotted a suspicious individual (later identified as the gunman, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks) sitting at a picnic table just 50 yards from the exit.
“Guys, I’m out. Be careful,” the shooter wrote. “Someone snuck in after us and parked by our car. I saw me go outside with my rifle and put it in my car so I’m just letting him know so he knows you guys are out there.”
He added that Crooks was “sitting to the right of a picnic table about 50 yards from the exit” in a message sent at 4:27 p.m., just over 90 minutes before the gunman opened fire. The other two counter-shooters replied with a thumbs-up emoji and “got it.”
Since that dark day, there has been little explanation from authorities as to why such a catastrophic security failure occurred.
Even more reprehensible is that former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle and her agency reportedly refused repeated requests for increased security from anxious agents who were tasked with protecting President Trump.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) shared whistleblower information that alleges dismal training was provided to Department of Homeland Security officers assigned to protect President Trump during the Butler rally.
According to the whistleblower, these agents “2-hour online webinar” The players conducted training sessions in preparation for the momentous event, which was described as insufficient and the pre-recorded video was riddled with technical glitches.
Blumenthal promised reporters on Capitol Hill that a forthcoming report on the incident would provide conclusive details about Secret Service missteps that day.
“I believe the American people will be shocked, surprised and appalled by what we will report about the Secret Service’s failures in the assassination attempt on a former president,” Blumenthal said.
this is,U.S. Secret Service Director Ronald Lowe updated senators in a closed-door meeting Thursday on the investigation into the assassination attempt. Fox News Reported.
Blumenthal was tight-lipped about the details of the report but said its findings uncovered numerous errors.
“I won’t go into detail about what we found out. I will give you my response, and I will be releasing a report shortly that will, and should, be an absolute shock to the American people about the failures and delays in the security that was provided that day, and the breakdown in communication, failure and accountability.”
He also slammed the Department of Homeland Security for its lack of transparency, accusing the agency of concealing critical information.
“I think they should be appalled and appalled that the Department of Homeland Security wasn’t more forthright and honest in providing information. And we, not just as United States senators but as citizens, will absolutely insist on the truth, the complete truth, in documents and testimony.”
“It will be released shortly. It’s just an interim report because there’s a lot of information we still have to find out,” Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., told Fox News.
“And we hope that once this report is released it will provide us with the additional information we need to fully account for what happened and the steps we can take to ensure this never happens again in the future.”
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