.CBS reported that the team that took down Crooks had initially been directed to focus on another area of the venue, which meant the snipers had to reorient themselves before taking the shot. A local tactical team sniper photographed Crooks looking through a rangefinder, CBS reported, noting that cellphone video showed rallygoers tried to alert authorities that Crooks was on a rooftop with a rifle about two minutes before shots were fired. I just got off a briefing with the Secret Service and FBI. I am appalled to learn that the Secret Service knew about a threat prior to President Trump walking on stage. I have no confidence in the leadership of Director Cheatle and believe it is in the best interest of our…
— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) July 17, 2024
On Wednesday, Republican Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming confirmed that Crooks had caught the attention of law enforcement more than an hour before he wounded Trump, killed one attendee and wounded two other people, according to Fox News
“He was identified as a character of suspicion because [he had] a rangefinder as well as a backpack. And this was over an hour before the shooting actually occurred,” Barrasso said.
“So, you would think over the course of that hour, you shouldn’t lose sight of the individual. Somebody ought to be following up on those sorts of things. No evidence of that happening at all,” he said.
Barrasso said the Secret Service was aware of the threat that Crooks potentially represented before Trump took the stage.
Barrasso said a Secret Service agent he described as in charge of security for the rally was on the phone with local authorities when Trump was shot. Someone has died. The President was almost killed. The head of the Secret Service needs to go. pic.twitter.com/Bed6NnuS00
— Sen. John Barrasso (@SenJohnBarrasso) July 17, 2024
Barrasso said Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle must resign.
“The American people shouldn’t feel comfortable with this,” Barrasso said, according to Fox News. “This is a total failure [on behalf of] the Secret Service. We need replacement at the top.”
The rooftop where a gunman shot at former President Donald Trump during a campaign rally was identified by the Secret Service as a potential vulnerability in the days before the event, two sources familiar with the agency’s operations told NBC News. The building, owned by a glass research company, is adjacent to the Butler Farm Show, an outdoor venue in Butler, Pennsylvania. The Secret Service was aware of the risks associated with it, the sources said. “Someone should have been on the roof or securing the building so no one could get on the roof,” said one of the sources, a former senior Secret Service agent who was familiar with the planning. Understanding how the gunman got onto the roof — despite those concerns — is a central question for investigators scrutinizing how a lone attacker managed to shoot at Trump during Saturday’s campaign event. The Secret Service worked with local law enforcement to maintain event security, including sniper teams poised on rooftops to identify and eliminate threats, Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said. But no officers were posted on the building used by the would-be assassin, outside the event’s security perimeter but only about 148 yards from the stage — within range of a semiautomatic rifle like the one the gunman was carrying. The Secret Service had designated that rooftop as being under the jurisdiction of local law enforcement, a common practice in securing outdoor rallies, Guglielmi said.Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger said his office maintains an Emergency Services Unit team, which deployed four sniper teams and four “quick response teams” at the rally. But he said the Secret Service agents were in charge of security outside the venue. “They had meetings in the week prior. The Secret Service ran the show. They were the ones who designated who did what,” Goldinger said. “In the command hierarchy, they were top, they were No. 1.”Goldinger said the commander of the Emergency Services Unit told him it was not responsible for securing areas outside the venue. “To me, the whole thing is under the jurisdiction of the Secret Service. And they will delineate from there,” he said. The former senior Secret Service agent also said that even if local law enforcement “did drop the ball,” it’s still the agency’s responsibility “to ensure that they are following through either beforehand or in the moment.” “Just because it is outside of the perimeter, it doesn’t take it out of play for a vulnerability, and you’ve got to mitigate it in some fashion,” the source added. A volley of shots rang out minutes into Trump’s speech. He reached for his right ear — he said later it was pierced by a bullet — then dropped to the ground as Secret Service agents rushed to shield him. Trump emerged with blood on his ear and his face.
Emilio T. Gonzalez, a former Army intelligence officer and Homeland Security official, said the shooting revealed flagrant flaws in the Secret Service’s planning and resources. He said he thought much of Trump’s security detail should be replaced since the shooting.
“This was terribly, terribly organized from a security perspective,” Gonzalez, who supports Trump, said in an interview.
“This guy should never have been that close to President Trump. His Secret Service protection should have been airtight, and it wasn’t,” he added. “Then the question is: Why wasn’t it?”
NN: Let answer this question. It is obvious that Bullseye Biden wants Trump stopped. A guy runs around with latter, range finder, and a sack with a rifle inside. They spot him take a picture…… lose him nd still let Trump get shot. And when they spot him on the roof they hold fire so he can shoot first.. Surely you can connect the dots.