House Task Force Investigates Security Failures in Near Assassination of Donald Trump

The House task force investigating the near assassination of former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, held a hearing to examine the events of July 13, when Trump was shot at and a rallygoer was killed. Local law enforcement officials and a medical examiner provided testimony about the communication breakdown and security lapses that occurred that day.

Local officers testified about the complicated communication setup, detailing how multiple groups of law enforcement operated on separate radios, distinct from the Secret Service’s communication channels. This lack of coordination was underscored in a recent bipartisan Senate report, which criticized the Secret Service for its failure to establish effective decision-making and leadership on the day of the shooting.

The Senate report indicated that these shortcomings resulted in significant security failures, including inadequate resource allocation and a lack of clarity regarding responsibilities at the rally. The hearing focused on local law enforcement’s actions, featuring testimony from a patrolman, a sergeant, a Pennsylvania State Police officer, and the medical examiner involved in the case.

Before the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, opened fire, local law enforcement received reports of a man on the roof, but these alerts failed to reach the Secret Service agents assigned to Trump. Testimonies revealed that communication systems established post-9/11 were functioning properly, even while standard cellular connections were unreliable, complicating efforts to share critical information about Crooks’ presence.

Edward Lenz, commander of the Butler County Emergency Services Unit, affirmed that emergency communication systems like FirstNet performed effectively during the incident. “They worked the entire time,” he stated.

Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz of Florida emphasized the need for implementing proven solutions, saying, “We created a solution, and yet it’s 2024, and we’re still not implementing that solution at the highest levels of our security agencies to keep Trump safe.”

Witnesses also noted the absence of coordination meetings with the Secret Service and a lack of direction regarding security coverage for the buildings Crooks accessed. The task force, recently expanded to include investigations into a second attempted assassination of Trump in Florida, has previously visited the Pennsylvania rally site and interviewed various law enforcement officials involved in the security measures.

While the Secret Service initially blamed local law enforcement for the chaos in Butler, the agency has since accepted full responsibility for the failures that day. Nevertheless, questions persist about why local officers could not prevent Crooks from climbing onto nearby rooftops with a rifle, despite prior warnings. Crooks was shot and killed by Secret Service agents shortly after he began firing.