Off The Record

Secret Service Faces Questions Concerning Rooftop Access And Security Footprint At Trump Event

Published on July 18, 2024

According to sources, Trump’s platform is at “three o’clock” in the firing, and gunshots are coming from his right side.

Shortly after gunshots were heard, the suspect, who was discovered on a roof, was shot by Secret Service counter-assault snipers.

Interestingly, the gunman was outside the security perimeter, which begs the issues of how big the perimeter was, how well it was swept and secured the American Glass Research facility, and how the gunman was able to get access to the rooftop.

On Sunday, US Secret Service chief Kimberly Cheatle was given instructions by President Joe Biden “to review all security measures – all security measures – for the Republican National Convention.”

“I’ve directed an independent review of the national security at yesterday’s rally to assess exactly what happened. And I’ll share the results of that independent review with the American people,” Biden declared

According to law enforcement sources, part of the fallout will involve an examination of whether the Secret Service had sufficient resources to shield Trump a few days before he formally announced his candidacy as the Republican nominee for president and whether protocols were observed to carry out security checks of the structure that provided a shooting position for the suspected shooter.

Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe stated on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday morning that “Foundationally, one of the most basic elements of site security, especially a site that’s outside and largely uncontrolled, is (to) eliminate sight lines to this space where the protectee will be either speaking or just occupying, When you look at that map, it so clearly points to those buildings that are within it, clearly within shooting range.“

The FBI is currently in charge of the assassination attempt investigation.

It’s still unclear how the gunman was able to enter a building so near to the rooftop and why it wasn’t included in the “hard” security cordon. The primary organization looking into the attempted assassination is currently the FBI. However, Congress, the USSS, and the Department of Homeland Security will need to investigate the security lapse issue.

Moments before the attempted murder, a witness reportedly informed police that he saw a gunman traveling “from roof to roof,” according to Pittsburgh CNN affiliate KDKA.

Ben Macer witnessed “the guy move from roof to roof” when he was standing along a fence line. According to KDKA, he said “(I) told an officer (the alleged shooter) was on the roof. When I turned around to go back to where I was, it was when the gunshots started, and then it was just chaos, and we all came running away, and that was that,” the speaker said.

Reporters have also been told by witnesses that they observed an individual who appeared to be the shooter carrying a firearm outside the rally’s security perimeter prior to the shooting.

A senior law enforcement official said that local law enforcement saw the shooter on Saturday after they suspected him of acting strangely close to the event magnetometers. They broadcast it on their radio to keep a watch on him, and the insider claims that the Secret Service was also informed of this information.

CNN was informed by many law enforcement sources that the gunman had explosive materials in both his residence and his vehicle. Weapons are not permitted within the perimeters of any event, according to the Secret Service. CNN has questioned AGR regarding the incident and security, but AGR has not replied.

The attacker, named by the authorities as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was shot and killed on the spot by Secret Service officials.

Counter-sniper teams have a great deal of latitude when taking down a danger, according to several law enforcement sources with extensive knowledge of Secret Service operations that spoke with CNN.

There were four counter-sniper teams, according to the Secret Service, two from USSS and two from local law enforcement. According to the agency, Cheatle was in Milwaukee, where the Republican National Convention is being hosted this week, when the incident occurred.

The New York Times reports that Cheatle praised the agents accompanying Trump at the event on Saturday in a document he issued on Sunday, saying they moved swiftly and eliminated the threat. In the memo that the Times examined, she stated, “The attempted assassination of former President Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, is a moment that forever will be remembered in history.”

In regards to the alleged memo, CNN has contacted the Secret Service.

Congress has called for investigations into security “failures.”

Lawmakers, both Republican and Democratic, have already begun pressing the agency for information on the security posture and hearings regarding the incident.

Along with testimony from the FBI, DHS, and USSS, House Speaker Mike Johnson promised a “full investigation” into the shooting. Two Republicans on the Senate Homeland Security Committee have also called for a probe.

In an interview with CNN’s “State of the Union,” House Intelligence Chairman Mike Turner stated that Congress had “oversight, scrutiny, and responsibility” and that there was a “failure of the overall broader net.“

A committee source familiar with the conversation told CNN that House Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green spoke with Cheatle on the phone on Sunday afternoon and pressed her about what caused the security lapses on Saturday. According to the source, Cheatle promised to give the committee the necessary materials as soon as possible.

The source stated that Green went into depth about the information requests he has made to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, including records and communications from the USSS related to the event. In a letter to Mayorkas earlier on Sunday, the Tennessee Republican asked for a briefing by July 22 and papers by July 19 regarding the Secret Service’s communications and security plans.

James Comer, the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, has requested a briefing from the Secret Service and has asked Cheatle to attend at a hearing on July 22.

Additionally, Republican Mike Lawler and Democrat Ritchie Torres of New York are drafting a law that they claim will grant Trump, Biden, and independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. increased protection under the USSS.

In a joint statement given to CNN, the two stated, “As reports continue to emerge, it’s clear that more protection is needed for all major candidates for president.”

Democratic Representative Ruben Gallego said that there had been a “security failure at the highest level, not seen since the attempted assassination of President Reagan” in a second, critical letter sent to the director of the Secret Service on Sunday.

The candidate for the Arizona Senate seat, Gallego, declared, “This cannot happen, and I demand accountability.“

Claims that the Secret Service turned down Trump’s requests for increased security are refuted.

The Secret Service, local Pennsylvania law enforcement, sources close to Trump’s campaign, and others are refuting reports on social media, including one from a Republican member of Congress, that the agency turned down requests for additional security from Trump’s team.

The Secret Service claimed in a statement that there has been an increase in detail recently.

According to Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi, “there’s an untrue assertion that a member of the former President’s team requested additional security resources and that those were rebuffed. This is absolutely false. In fact, we added protective resources & technology & capabilities as part of the increased campaign travel tempo.“

On Saturday night, the FBI refuted the notion as well.

During a press conference, FBI special agent in charge of the Pittsburgh office, Kevin Rojek, stated, “There was no additional request for security that was ever denied by the FBI.”

Concerns of security at the impending Republican convention are also brought up by this occurrence. At a recent news briefing describing the RNC security strategy, concerns were voiced over how the Secret Service and law enforcement would handle persons bringing firearms.

Due to Wisconsin law, a local official named Nick DeSiato made it clear that firearms would be permitted in the “soft” perimeter, which is the region outside the magnetometers that is only accessible by foot.

Check out **this** angle. Counter snipers see something and engage?

The investigation is being conducted in light of security breaches that the Secret Service has had to cope with recently. Despite having round-the-clock security from the Secret Service, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan’s home was broken into in May 2023. After spotting the burglar in his house, Sullivan called his security detail. Sullivan was not hurt.

The newly appointed vice president, Kamala Harris, was driven yards from a pipe bomb outside the Democratic National Headquarters on January 6, 2021, by her security detail. More than 90 minutes after her arrival, she was evacuated when law enforcement found the pipe bomb.

To assess security posture, the Secret Service consults strategic data and intelligence.