Local police responsible for roof where Trump shooter hid at Butler rally had never spoken to Secret Service, report says

The local police team responsible for the roof a shooter used to fire at ex-President Donald Trump on July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania, had never spoken to the Secret Service prior to the attempted assassination, a report released by the Secret Service on Friday says.

The “initial mission assurance report” compiled by the Secret Service’s own internal investigators found that bad planning and poor communication between agencies caused the security lapse that allowed Thomas Crooks to fire on Trump, killing a member of the crowd, critically injuring two others and wounding Trump.

Among other errors, the report found that one local police entity working security at the Trump rally requested support from another local department without the Secret Service being aware.

That second local department ultimately became responsible for securing the roof of the AGR building, where Crooks took position. The local departments were not named in the report.

“This led to a situation where the local tactical team operating on the second floor of the AGR building—a team that was providing mutual aid support — had no prior contact with Secret Service personnel before the rally,” the report said. “There was also no discussion with Secret Service advance personnel about positioning that team atop the AGR roof.”

The report also said that the Secret Service’s counter sniper asset team, which would ultimately be responsible for taking down any shooter in the area, arrived in Butler after previous law enforcement organizations had already met and made security plans. 

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between killed New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between killed New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

• Add to Google

Secret Service in focus after apparent 2nd assassination attempt on Trump

02:43

“It’s important that we hold ourselves to account for the failures of July 13 and that we use the lessons learned to make sure that we do not have another mission failure like this again,” acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe said at a news conference unveiling the report Friday.

While investigating the incident, the Secret Service placed some officials, including the director of the Secret Service’s Pittsburgh Field Office, on leave.

Friday’s report said “recommendations to leadership” may be coming at another time. 

Rowe spoke shortly after the House of Representatives voted unanimously to approve a bill that would ensure presidential candidates get the same level of security as sitting presidents.

“The former president is getting everything that the current president has with respect to Secret Service assets,” Rowe said.

The report also blamed a “high operational tempo” for the security breach on July 13, suggesting the agency may have been stretched too thin between increasing security for Vice President Kamala Harris, staffing the Republican National Convention and preparing for the Democratic National Convention.

• Add to Google

Authorities say armed suspect in apparent Trump assassination attempt hid along golf course for nearly 12 hours

03:38

“This summer, we experienced an unprecedented tempo,” Rowe said. “This high operational tempo continues as the U.S. Secret Service prepares for the United Nations General Assembly next week.”

He also praised the agent who recently fired at a potential assassin on the golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, where Trump was playing golf Sunday. Rowe said the agent is relatively early in his career and acted exactly in accordance with his training.

Rowe also told reporters at a news conference Friday that the Secret Service did not deny security assets to the Trump campaign ahead of the July rally in Butler.