Law enforcement officials tell lawmakers about Secret Service failures

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – Lawmakers investigating the attempted assassination of former president Donald Trump in July held their first public hearing Thursday. Law enforcement on the ground that day testified and were pressed for answers. Local law enforcement painted a disjointed picture of the day.

They say the Secret Service, the agency in charge, did not effectively communicate on the ground.

They say it created a situation where ultimately the gunman, who came within centimeters of killing the former president, was allowed to stand armed on a roof for nearly three minutes.

“We didn’t receive any direction from the Secret Service as far as how they wanted our sniper teams to deploy or what their actual mission would be,” said Commander Edward Lenz, Butler County Emergency Services.

It’s one of many security failures local law enforcement say took place July 13th in Butler, Pennsylvania when a 20-year-old gunman, Thomas Crooks, fired several rounds at former President Trump striking him and killing one man.

At a bipartisan hearing lawmakers tasked with investigating the attempted assassination called the breakdown inexcusable.

“I think we realize it was entirely preventable,” said Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.).

Pennsylvania law enforcement on the ground that day told the committee the Secret Service did not streamline communication, and while mapping out a plan beforehand they say the agency ignored warnings about the building Crooks fired from.

“A 10-year-old looking at that satellite image could have seen that the greatest threat posed to the president at that day outside security perimeter was the AGR building,” said Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Texas.).

Patrick Sullivan, a retired Secret Service agent, says the Secret Service should have acted quicker after local law enforcement flagged Crooks as suspicious well before the shooting.

“I would have told the supervisors. It’s not safe to bring the president here,” said Sullivan.

The committee will now move to phase two of its investigation.  Former president Donald Trump
will be returning to the scene of the crime next week and will hold a rally at the same venue.

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