Pennsylvania authorities have disclosed that, in addition to the attempted assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks, at least two other individuals were observed as suspicious at the Trump rally on July 13.
This disclosure has raised concerns about the event’s security protocols. Col. Christopher Paris, the Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner, testified before the House Homeland Security Committee and provided details about the presence of these additional suspicious individuals who were identified before Crooks attempted to attack former President Trump.
Paris stated that prior to the rally, he had asked the Secret Service about the security of a building that Crooks later utilized to carry out his attack.
“We were told that Butler [Emergency Services Unit] ESU was responsible for that area, by several Secret Service agents on that walk-through,” he stated.
Lawmakers have been grilling law enforcement officials about the security lapses at the rally. Shortly after her testimony, U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle stepped down from her position.
In her testimony, she verified that suspicious individuals had been seen outside the secure area several times prior to the shooting, and were only considered suspicious moments before the gunfire erupted.
“There was a text thread that was going—they took a photo of him at some point when he utilized the range finder,” Paris said. “The suspicion was heightened… I know from an interview that was immediately relayed in the command post to the Secret Service.”
Experts indicate that it is common to flag individuals as suspicious at such events.
“’Suspicious person’? Not uncommon. Very low bar. ‘Genuine threat’? Much rarer, and Crooks progressed to the latter,” said Paul Mauro, a retired NYPD inspector.
Bill Gage, a retired Secret Service agent, emphasized the importance of thorough assessments at such events.
“Every single event I worked, which is thousands, there were suspicious people and events that have to be investigated,” Gage noted, pointing out that definitions of suspicious behavior can vary between agencies.
Paris’ testimony has raised new questions about the handling of the situation. Gage questioned the information relayed to the command post and the “text thread” communication regarding Crooks’ initial sighting. “Crooks ‘ran off’ from the officer when confronted? That’s very odd behavior at an event,” he remarked.
During the demonstration, Crooks ascended to the rooftop of a nearby building and began shooting, resulting in the death of Corey Comperatore, 50, and injuries to David Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74.
Former President Trump was struck in the ear and sought shelter; later he was observed with blood on the right side of his head.
FBI Director Christopher Wray testified that Crooks had been studying previous presidential assassinations and had become fixated on former President Trump and the rally.
On the same day that Crooks searched Google for the distance from which Lee Harvey Oswald shot President Kennedy, he had registered to attend the rally.
“Since the day of the attack, the FBI has been consistent and clear that the shooting was an attempted assassination of former President Trump,” an FBI spokesperson said. “This was a heinous attack and the FBI is devoting enormous resources to learn everything possible about the shooter and what led to his act of violence.”
During an appearance on Fox News’ “Jesse Watters Primetime,” Trump voiced his frustration with the Secret Service for failing to alert him about any potentially suspicious individuals before he walked out on stage.
President Trump says the Secret Service DIDN’T warn him before the assassination attempt, even though the shooter was spotted well before he got onstage.
The first joint interview with President Trump and JD Vance airs Monday night only on Jesse Watters Primetime. pic.twitter.com/5s4iR95JwC
— Jesse Watters (@JesseBWatters) July 21, 2024
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1 Comment
Wake up Kamala………people with kids already pay less taxes in the form of deductions. Nothing wrong with what he said.