After examining more than 2,800 pages of reports and conducting 12 interviews, the bipartisan Senate report on the United States Secret Service's (USSS) handling of Trump's infamous rally in Butler, Pa.—where Thomas Crooks, a smelly, pimply-faced incel shot Trump and hit three others, one of whom died on the scene—shows the Secret Service made a dog's dinner of their so-called protection of the GOP presidential candidate.
Here are a few takeaways from the damning report:
Much of the information provided by the USSS was heavily redacted. The Senate Committee has asked for reports from the FBI, ATF, and DHS, and many haven't been provided, throwing a monkey wrench into the investigation.
This has unnecessarily hindered the Committee’s ability to carry out its constitutional authority to investigate and acquire information necessary to identify needed reforms. These overly burdensome redactions, including of communications related to the same individuals who the Committee interviewed, only served to delay the Committee’s ability to conduct these interviews and carry out its investigation efficiently and effectively. - Examination of U.S. Secret Service Planningand Security Failures Related to the July 13, 2024 Assissination Attempts Interim Joint Report
Key Failure: USSS officials responsible for planning the Butler, Pa., rally denied/deflected when asked to take responsibility for their lack of planning. USSS agents alleged that planning was the responsibility of committees, and thus, no individuals were solely responsible.
FACT-O-RAMA! The FBI cleaned off the roof where Crooks fired from. The incel was quietly cremated ten days after he was shot and killed, preventing congressional leaders from inspecting his remains.
Communications failures were partly responsible for allowing the incel to fire at Trump. USSS agents received word that there was a suspicious person 27 minutes before the shooter fired. The USSS's lead advance agent, site agent, and site counterpart all testified they were never alerted to a suspicious person walking around with a range finder.
According to the report:
Several USSS officials reported experiencing technical problems with their radios at the rally, and told the Committee such problems are common for USSS: A USSS Hercules 1 counter sniper was offered a local radio on July 13 but said he did not have time to pick it up because he was occupied fixing technical problems with his USSS radio. In addition, at the Pittsburgh airport before the motorcade left for the rally, the USSS Special Agent in Charge (SAIC) of the Pittsburgh field office gave the Lead Agent his radio because the Lead Agent’s radio was not working.
As Crooks was stalking the rally grounds, the USSS was delayed by a lack of speedy communications.
Also notable is that the USSS drone operator had less than three months of experience and was on the phone with the drone manufacturer's customer service trying to get his drone in the air.
Inexperienced Secret service agent called tech support hotline for help piloting drone ahead of Trump rally shooting: bombshell report https://t.co/WIlVBuR6Gu pic.twitter.com/f0NwDT2gdE
— New York Post (@nypost) September 25, 2024
Key Failure: The USSS failed to secure the AGR building, where Crooks climbed to the roof and fired, even though officials were "concerned," and the USSS sniper team had only an obstructed view of the structure. The USSS also failed to ask local law enforcement to cover the building, nor did they remove Trump from the stage. Two minutes before Crooks fired, a law enforcement official sent a radio message that there was a suspicious man on the roof of the AGR building. Twenty-two seconds before Crooks fired, a message went out that the suspicious man had a gun. Several USSS officials testified they did not receive word that Crooks was armed.
FACT-O-RAMA! USSS resources were allegedly taken from the Trump rally, even though they knew of Iran's plan to kill Trump, and were sent to protect Jill Biden, who was giving a speech roughly an hour away.
RELATED: Secret Service Knew of Trump Shooter 27 Minutes Before Shots Fired
What have we learned?
The mistakes made by the USSS are glaring and unforgivable, yet no one has been fired. As mentioned, most the the USSS officials deny responsibility for the shooting. Former USSS Director Cheadle is the only person who has stepped down.
USSS negligence created the "perfect storm" for an assassin to attempt to kill Trump.
USSS HSGAC Interim Report by PJ Media on Scribd
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