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A task force hearing on the assassination attempt against President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, blamed “failures” by the Secret Service.
Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., chairman of the task force behind the July 13 shooting, expressed the concerns in his opening statement during the committee’s first hearing on Thursday.
“In the days leading up to the rally, it was not a single mistake that allowed Crooks to outmaneuver one of our country’s most elite group of security professionals,” Kelly said. “There were security failures on multiple fronts.”
Representative Jason Crow, D-Colo., highlighted the response of local law enforcement.
“Efforts by individual law enforcement officers may have saved lives and prevented a far greater tragedy,” said Crow. “It is also clear, however, that the communication between the Secret Service and local and state partners was disjointed and unclear.”
The task force also released a video from a Pennsylvania State Police patrol vehicle’s camera, which showed law enforcement spotting Crooks on a rooftop and then attempting to reach his location. The police officer who spotted Crooks injured his ankle fleeing when the shooter pointed his weapon at the officer.
Patrick Sullivan, a retired Secret Service agent who guarded former Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, shared during testimony that members assigned to campaigns are stretched too thin.
“Agents are exhausted now, the campaign really takes a lot out of them, and I think the Secret Service does not have enough personnel and resources to give people enough breaks that they need,” Sullivan said.
“The information that has come to light so far regarding the security failures in Butler is shocking and infuriating,” he said. “However, I am very, very proud of the agents who put themselves in harm’s way to save former President Trump and the skill of the counter sniper who neutralized the gunman with one shot.”
The task force is also responsible for investigating the second assassination attempt against Trump that occurred in West Palm Beach, Florida. Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was arrested after fleeing the Trump International Golf Course on Sept. 15.
Routh reportedly pointed a scope-mounted rifle through the fence at Trump from about 400 yards away. A Secret Service agent spotted the rifle and opened fire before Routh fled. The suspect is currently detained and has received five charges, including the attempted assassination of a political candidate.
