Secret Service failed to undertake critical security measures and deprived Donald Trump of ample protection ahead of the attempted assassination against the former president, new information disclosed by congressional members shows.
According to preliminary findings published Sunday by the office of Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., the Secret Service declined to participate in a security briefing provided to local sniper and SWAT teams the morning of Trump’s July 13 rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania. Led by the local emergency services division, the briefing reportedly “provided local law enforcement with images of the security perimeter at the rally — which did not include the American Glass Research (AGR) building where the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was located — the location of law enforcement agents, and a breakdown of security sectors on the farm show grounds.”
“It is unclear why Secret Service did not participate in this security briefing and the extent to which Butler [Emergency Services] ESU coordinated with Secret Service in creating and implementing the security plan for the rally,” the report reads.
The report says the briefing addressed the potential for drone use, “according to
information obtained by Senator Johnson’s staff.” Local officials told The Wall Street Journal days ago that Crooks “was able to fly a drone and get aerial footage of the western Pennsylvania fairgrounds shortly before the former president was set to speak there.” It remains unclear “whether any action was taken regarding Crooks’ drone and the exact time when Crooks’ drone was discovered,” according to Johnson’s
