By Steve Neavling
State and local law enforcement testified before lawmakers Thursday about the Secret Service’s failure to secure the area during the July assassination attempt on former President Trump in Pennsylvania.
Officials told a congressional task force investigating the shooting that there was no plan to secure the building where the gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was positioned with a clear line of sight to Trump’s speaking location.
Despite concerns raised by local police about a suspicious person, the Secret Service allowed Trump to take the stage.
Task force chairman Mike Kelly, R-Pa., criticized the Secret Service for a series of failures, including a lack of coordination with law enforcement partners and failure to secure the rally site perimeter. These issues, he said, created a “dysfunctional security situation” that resulted in the death of firefighter Corey Comperatore, two injuries, and nearly claimed Trump’s life. Trump was grazed by a bullet, losing part of his ear.
A Senate committee’s recent investigative report echoed these findings, citing security lapses and a lack of clear command during the event. The hearing also followed a second potential assassination attempt on Trump earlier this month at his Florida golf club, prompting the task force to expand its investigation.
Local law enforcement officials testified about communication breakdowns with the Secret Service. Edward Lenz, commander of the Butler County Emergency Services Unit, said his team was not asked to secure the building where the shooter was located. Despite police identifying suspicious individuals near the building, Trump was still allowed to take the stage.
Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., and other lawmakers criticized the lack of clear communication between the Secret Service and local police, calling it “disjointed and unclear.” A retired Secret Service agent called the failures “shocking and infuriating,” urging better coordination in the future.
The hearing came shortly after Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe released an interim report detailing significant agency failures in the assassination attempt.
