House committee cites 'stunning security failures' that led to Trump rally shooting in Butler, PA

A bipartisan panel of House members cited "stunning failures" that led up to the July 13 assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in Bulter, Pennsylvania. The 53-page long interim report was released on Monday morning and details the communication and coordination failures that occurred that allowed Trump to become the target of a shooter on July 13.

According to the report, “Investigating the stunning failures on July 13, 2024 in Bulter, Pennsylvania,” lawmakers, led by Reps. Mike Kelly (R-PA) and ranking member Jason Crow (D-CO) wrote, “Put simply, the evidence obtained by the Task Force to date shows the tragic and shocking events of July 13 were preventable and should not have happened." The US Secret Service (USSS) "did not effectively verify responsibilities were understood and being executed," it added. 



"Although the findings in this report are preliminary, the information obtained during the first phase of the Task Force’s investigation clearly shows a lack of planning and coordination between the Secret Service and its law enforcement partners before the rally," the report added.

The building which Thomas Matthew Crooks took his shots from was outside the perimeter of security for the rally, a point which was highlighted in the report, and there was abysmal coordination on the building’s security. The lawmakers reported that there was “disagreement and confusion” surrounding who would secure the building, either USSS or local police officers. The critical piece of information, of when Crooks was able to make it on the roof with the gun, was also not able to be passed to Trump's security detail in the moments leading up to the shooting.

"Moments before Crooks fired, a local law enforcement officer radioed that Crooks was on the roof with a gun. There is no evidence, to date, that this information reached the former President’s detail, and he remained on stage," the report stated. At the rally, instead of having one unified command post, there were two, one with USSS and one with the local authorities.

"Notably, local law enforcement was not represented in the Secret Service command post. According to testimony from Butler ESU Commander Lenz, the lines of communication for July 13 were not established in advance of the event," the lawmakers reported.

"Federal, state, and local law enforcement officers could have engaged Thomas Matthew Crooks at several pivotal moments. Throughout the afternoon, as Crooks’s behavior became increasingly suspicious, fragmented lines of communication allowed Crooks to evade law enforcement and, eventually, climb on to the roof of the AGR complex and fire eight shots at the rally stage and crowd, killing a rally attendee and injuring three others, including former President Trump," the lawmakers reported.

After July 13, USSS Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned following the catastrophic failures of that day and grilling from Congress. The USSS has been placed under higher scrutiny amid the July 13 assassination attempt as well as the second assassination attempt on Trump by Ryan Routh in Florida. The House members have until December to release the final report on the incident.