Hello everyone. Hold onto your hats because we’ve got a doozy of a story that’ll make your jaw drop.
On July 13, the Secret Service failed to protect former President Donald Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The details are straight out of a thriller: Trump narrowly avoided a fatal headshot from Thomas Matthew Crooks, who perched himself on the rooftop of the American Glass Research building, just 200 yards from the rally stage.
Now, you might wonder how Crooks managed to get such a prime spot for his nefarious plans. Well, it turns out this rooftop wasn’t secured. How a major lapse like this happened is a point of embarrassment for the Secret Service. And the questions keep piling up: How many shots did Crooks fire? Did he act alone? What was his motive? The agency admits it was a catastrophic failure and is taking the heat for this near-disaster.
Let’s dive into the shocking revelations. During a press conference last Friday, Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe revealed some disturbing facts. First, the counter-sniper teams didn’t realize Crooks was armed until he opened fire. Second, the agency didn’t have access to the local law enforcement radio system, which had been warning about Crooks for almost 100 minutes before the attack. Imagine that – a 20-year-old was ahead of the agency with a $3.6 billion budget.
The Washington Post took a deeper look into this communications breakdown. Inside a mobile communications hub for local police, an urgent message crackled over the radio at 5:42 p.m. – a local countersniper reported a young man with long hair lurking around the AGR building, using a range finder to sight the stage. The message went unheard by the Secret Service, as they were stationed almost 300 yards away with no direct communication line to local police. Instead, the local commander had to use his cell phone to relay the message to a state trooper.
Despite efforts to keep tabs on Crooks, local officers lost sight of him. They didn’t see him again for another 20 minutes. When they finally spotted him, it was too late – he was already on the roof, armed and ready. One brave officer, hoisted up to the roofline by a colleague, confirmed the threat: “He’s armed. I saw him, he’s laying down.” The officer had to lower himself quickly to avoid being shot.
According to Townhall,
At 6:11 p.m., a local officer hoisted up to the roofline by a colleague reported the first sign that the man on the roof was, in fact, a deadly threat.
“He’s armed,” the officer said, according to the transcript. “I saw him, he’s laying down.”
Local officials have previously said the officer lowered himself because his hands were on the roofline, preventing him from pulling his weapon as Crooks pointed his rifle in the officer’s direction.
“He’s got a long gun,” the officer said again into the radio.
Local officials and the Secret Service scrambled to respond. The Butler County quick response force, positioned behind the rally stage, faced the AGR building but was too late to prevent the danger Crooks posed. It’s clear from the timeline that this attack was preventable. Spectators shouted warnings about Crooks being armed on the roof, but the security measures were inadequate.
This incident highlights a massive failure on the part of the Secret Service. The setup left Trump vulnerable, and the refusal to secure the AGR building nearly resulted in tragedy. More answers are needed to understand this embarrassing failure. In just a month, the agency has made a compelling case for its complete overhaul. This was a preventable disaster that almost caused a national crisis. Stay tuned, folks – this story is far from over.
