Written by Kristen Smith (The Center Square)
Butler Township police officers are calling the U.S. on safety concerns arising from the unsecured building where a would-be assassin shot and nearly killed former President Donald Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania on July 13. He said he had alerted the Secret Intelligence Service.
Drew Blasco, a patrolman with the department and assistant team leader for one of the two local sniper units on duty that day, told the Congressional task force investigating the incident that the AGR building He said there was no clear visibility on the rooftop or the surrounding complex. , it was located beyond the security perimeter set by the Secret Service.
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“And I asked members of the Secret Service if they didn’t have any additional personnel to staff there, and I asked them to provide additional personnel to make sure there was no access to the premises.”
The agency told Blasko it would “take action.” That didn’t happen. Pennsylvania Republican Party Chairman Mike Kelly illustrated that point when he showed state police dashboard camera footage of the gunman, 20-year-old Thomas Crooks, climbing onto the roof of the AGR building. In just three minutes he opened fire.
Video shows a local police officer peering into the roof to see that the gunman was armed. Crooks pointed the rifle at the officer, who fell to the ground and radioed for help. About 30 seconds later, gunshots rang out.
Edward Lentz, who commanded the Butler County Emergency Services Unit during the Adams Township Police Sergeant Meeting, said that when he heard that Crooks was a “clear threat,” he tried to alert quick response units on the scene, but it was too late. It was too late, he said.
“Before I finish my radio transmission, I hear gunshots through my open microphone,” he said.
testimony is corroborated 133-page bipartisan Senate interim report It was released on Wednesday. A bill has been introduced that would strengthen security details for Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance.
The request for more outdoor security guards was not the only resource discussed that did not appear on the day of the rally. Lentz and Pennsylvania State Police Lt. John Herold said the sniper fence was intended to cover a chain-link fence that separates the AGR facility from the farm fairgrounds. Additional fencing, such as a large projector screen, was also not installed.
During questioning, officers agreed that an additional eight to 10 officers outside the building likely would have prevented the fraudsters from getting into position. Passage around the complex was restricted, and more than 200 people who did not pass security checks were reportedly watching the rally from the parking lot, and approximately 5 acres of the building’s grounds may have been closed to the public. There is. The officers added that other options would have been to station a sniper on a nearby water tower, install cameras on the roof of the building, or block off parking lots.
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Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Texas) scoffed at the idea that there were hundreds of people 50 yards closer to the president than the gunman and “we didn’t even know who they were.” Behind him was a close-up map of the scene showing the location of the AGR building, about 130 yards from the rally stage.
Lawmakers on the task force reiterated how close the building was and how inconceivable it was for the Secret Service to exclude it from the security perimeter.
“A 10-year-old boy looking at that satellite photo might have realized that the greatest threat posed to the president outside the security perimeter that day was the AGR building and its roof,” Fallon said. No,” he said. “And a 20-year-old with a week’s notice figured it out and outsmarted and outwitted the entire U.S. Secret Service. This is a disgrace and a stain on their agency.”
Patrick Sullivan, a former Secret Service agent who protected former Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, said members assigned to campaigns were stretched too thin. This was a point made by Kim Cheatle, the agency’s former director, in Congressional testimony in the days following the assassination attempt.
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“The agents are exhausted right now, and they’ve really had a lot taken away from the campaign. I don’t think the Secret Service has the people and resources to give people the break they need,” Sullivan said. he said.
He did not tolerate failures in agency planning and communication.
“The information that has come to light so far regarding Butler’s security lapses is shocking and upsetting,” he said. “However, I am extremely proud of the agents who put themselves in harm’s way to save former President Trump, and the skill of the counter-snipers who neutralized the shooter with a single shot.”
Syndicated with permission From the center square.
