On Sunday, the U.S. Secret Service addressed concerns regarding the inadequate communication between agencies during the thwarted assassination attempt on former President Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, earlier this month, pledging to investigate the events leading up to ensure that such a situation does not occur again.
On July 13, Thomas Matthew Crooks managed to reach a rooftop, enabling him to target Trump, who was addressing a rally in Butler. Crooks fired eight shots, grazing Trump’s ear, resulting in one casualty and two injuries, before being shot dead by a sniper.
Following the shooting, various reports surfaced indicating that law enforcement was aware of a suspicious individual, yet they permitted Trump to proceed with his speech, raising concerns about inter-agency communication.
“Regarding communications on that day, we are dedicated to comprehensively understanding the events before, during, and after the attempted assassination of former President Trump to prevent anything like this from reoccurring,” stated the Secret Service on Sunday. “This involves full cooperation with Congress, the FBI, and other pertinent investigations.”
PENNSYLVANIA SWAT OFFICER CLAIMS TEAM HAD NO COMMUNICATION WITH SECRET SERVICE BEFORE TRUMP RALLY SHOOTING
Former President Donald Trump reacts as multiple shots are fired during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. (REUTERS/Brendan McDermid)
This statement follows numerous media reports that pointed out the communication breakdown highlighted by local law enforcement.
A local tactical team police officer stated that there was no prior interaction between their SWAT unit and the U.S. Secret Service before the incident involving Trump.
“We were supposed to have a face-to-face briefing with the Secret Service as soon as they arrived,” said Jason Woods, the lead sharpshooter for the Beaver County team, to ABC News. “That never occurred.”
TRUMP SHOOTING: TIMELINE OF ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT THE GUNMAN’S ABILITY TO EVADE SECURITY
Police snipers return fire as shots are fired during a campaign event featuring Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Woods pointed out that the communication breakdown likely contributed to the critical miscalculations in planning that resulted in 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks wounding Trump, taking the life of bystander Corey Compartore, and injuring two others before he was killed by a Secret Service sniper.
Woods expressed that he began to sense something was amiss because the anticipated face-to-face meeting never occurred.
“We had no communication,” he emphasized.
TRUMP CAMP QUESTIONS WHY THEY WEREN’T INFORMED ABOUT SUSPICIOUS INDIVIDUAL PRIOR TO ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT
Law enforcement officers stand over the body of would-be assassin Thomas Crooks on July 13, 2024. The gunman caused one fatality and injured the former president in his attack. (Todd the Driller)
In the aftermath of the assassination attempt, Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned, and several investigations by law enforcement and Congress have been initiated.
Woods mentioned to ABC News that he and his team were already in position several hours prior to Trump taking the stage at the Butler Farm Show, but they did not communicate with the Secret Service until “after the shooting.” By that time, he said it was “too late.”
One of the snipers from Beaver County reported Crooks’s suspicious presence and called it into command – yet the 20-year-old was able to get into position on the roof of the building, as reported by ABC.
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Meanwhile, members of Trump’s Secret Service detail and his senior advisors have raised concerns about why they were not made aware of the local police spotting a suspicious individual who turned out to be the would-be assassin.
According to the Washington Post, Trump’s advisers believed that the gunfire they heard from a large white tent behind the stage might have been fireworks.
Fox News Digital’s Christina Coulter contributed to this report.
