On Wednesday, the Butler County, Pennsylvania district attorney informed Fox News that local snipers were not tasked with observing the rooftop where a gunman attempted to assassinate former President Trump.
Richard Goldinger, the latest official to contradict the testimony of acting U.S. Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe at a Senate hearing regarding the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Goldinger, who supervised local snipers during the July 13 rally, clarified that they were assigned to a different window than the one Rowe referred to in his testimony on Tuesday.
He pointed out that the assignment did not include monitoring the roof of the AGR building, where Thomas Matthew Crooks took aim and fired.
TRUMP SHOOTING: TIMELINE OF ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT
This graphic presents a bird’s eye view of the Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, along with the alleged assassin’s position. (Fox News)
“The snipers from the Butler and Beaver ESU teams were stationed on the second floor of the building adjacent to the shooter’s location, in the two windows at the end of the building,” Goldinger stated. “From their position, they could not observe the shooter on the roof of the other building.”
“They were not assigned to a location with oversight of the roof,” he emphasized. “Observing that roof was not part of their duty.”
PENNSYLVANIA OFFICIALS CHALLENGE ROWE’S TESTIMONY THAT LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT FAILED TO MAN THE ROOF
During his testimony on Tuesday, Rowe seemed to assign blame to local law enforcement for not spotting Crooks on the roof. He presented site exhibits and indicated that local snipers had a superior view of Crooks’ position than those from the Secret Service.
“I can’t fathom why there was not better surveillance or at least someone looking at that roofline since that was their posted area,” Rowe remarked.
PENNSYLVANIA SWAT OFFICER ALLEGES NO COMMUNICATION WITH SECRET SERVICE PRIOR TO TRUMP RALLY SHOOTING
Thomas Crooks attempted to assassinate former President Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024. (Fox News Digital law enforcement source)
In light of Goldinger’s statements, a Secret Service spokesperson referred back to Rowe’s testimony, stating that the agency worked alongside the Butler County Emergency Services Unit, which served as the “tactical lead” for the event.
Beaver County Emergency Services Unit Commander Patrick Young told Fox News on Tuesday that his unit took directives from Butler County ESU, which he presumed received guidance from the Secret Service.
Former President Trump, bloodied and surrounded by Secret Service agents, is evacuated from the stage at a campaign event at Butler Farm Show Inc. in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. (Rebecca Droke/AFP via Getty Images)
Two snipers were present inside the AGR building that Crooks accessed – one from the Butler County ESU and another from the Beaver County ESU.
“They were positioned by Butler County ESU, which I assume was done with Secret Service approval. Their duties that day were to be clearly outlined and unequivocal,” Young said. “Their responsibilities included overseeing the entry control point, the area around the magnetometer, and the section in front of the stage. All these were within the secure perimeter defined by the Secret Service. These were their positions and primary duties.”
Previously, Beaver County ESU sharpshooter Jason Woods indicated that a planned in-person briefing with Secret Service agents “never occurred.”
“That was probably a crucial moment when I sensed something was off because it never happened,” he remarked to ABC News. “We lacked communication.”
Responders to the attempted assassination of former President Trump exchange crucial information. (Beaver County ESU obtained by Sen. Grassley)
At 5:34 p.m. that day, Young noted that one of his officers observed Crooks with a rangefinder and checked into the “sniper text group” to circulate a picture. He also mentioned that the Secret Service had previously advised against communicating via text, but he found it challenging to circulate an image through the radio.
Ultimately, the Beaver County sniper saw Crooks pick up a backpack and move out of view behind the building. The sniper then went to the first floor to look for Crooks, interacted with a patrol officer who indicated a suspicious individual was out back, before returning to his position. Meanwhile, the Butler sniper remained at the window.
Fox News Contributor Paul Mauro raised concerns about how U.S. Secret Service agents inside the building could effectively monitor the rally through small, low windows that might not have opened. (Fox News)
Meanwhile, members of Trump’s Secret Service team and his closest aides expressed confusion as to why they were not informed that local law enforcement had detected a suspicious individual who was later identified as a would-be assassin.
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According to the Washington Post, Trump’s advisers mistakenly believed that the gunfire they heard from a large white tent behind the stage was merely fireworks.
“Nobody raised an alarm. Nobody indicated there was an issue,” the former president remarked in an interview with Fox News’ Jesse Watters. “They could’ve suggested a delay of 15 minutes, 20 minutes, or even five minutes. No one spoke up — that was a misstep.”
Fox News’ Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
