Senate Report on Butler, PA Assassination Attempt: Highlights

The U.S. Senate released its interim report on the first attempt on Donald Trump’s live in Butler, PA on July 13. Great, real reporter at Real Clear Investigations, Susan Crabtree, posted the following initial summary of that report on X:

Full Text:

"A PERFECT STORM OF STUNNING FAILURE": No one in the Secret Service took responsibility for the decision-making involved in securing the July 13 Butler rally where President Donald Trump was shot and fireman Corey Comperatore was killed in front of his family, according to a new bipartisan report by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

Here are some of the topline findings from the new Senate report:

-Senate investigators, which reviewed 2,800 pages of documents and conducted 12 transcribed interviews with Secret Service personnel responsible for the planning and security of the Butler rally, found that there was a lack of clear lines of responsibility and command of chain for the rally’s security.

--“USSS advance agents told the Committee that planning, and security were made jointly, which no specific individual responsible for approval,”

the report stated.

Rand Paul also points out:

--USSS failed to ensure the AGR roof was adequately covered by either USSS or local counter snipers.

--The USSS Counter Sniper Team Lead never went on the AGR property prior to the shooting, including the roof or inside the building where the local counter snipers were positioned, to evaluate line of sight concerns to the stage.

--This BIZARRE ADMISSION: The USSS Counter Sniper Team Lead told the Committee that when he went to the roof of the barn where the USSS counter snipers would be positioned, he said, “[…] I looked around real quick, but I actually wasn't looking independently at all the threat areas. It was more to make sure that the roof was secure for us to stand on.”

REMEMBER WHEN THE SECRET SERVICE, IN THE 48 HOURS AFTER J13 PUBLICLY REPUDIATED MY REPORTS THAT THEY HAD DENIED SECURITY TO THE BUTLER RALLY -- SAYING THEY ACTUALLY STEPPED UP ASSETS RESPONDING TO AN IRANIAN THREAT?

HERE'S THE ASSETS THEY DENIED:

--Leading up to former President Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, the USSS denied requests from the Donald Trump Detail (“DTD”) for additional assets and resources, including a more advanced C-UAS system with enhanced capabilities I.E. A SOPHISTICATED COUNTER DRONES PROGRAM.

Additional Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems assets (“C-UAS”) were requested by DTD as early as July 10, but those requests were denied by USSS. These additional assets could have acted as a crucial redundancy, as the existing C-UAS system was not operable until 4:33 p.m., nearly 40 minutes after Crooks had allegedly flown a drone over the event.

--While there was a Counter Assault Team (“CAT”) present at the July 13 rally, CAT liaisons (“LNO”) were requested by DTD and denied by the USSS.

--The predominate function of CAT LNO is to coordinate tactical assets with local and state law enforcement in advance of the CAT’s arrival to the site.

REMEMBER WHEN THE SECRET SERVICE SPOKESMAN ANTHONY GUGLIELMI TOLD ME IN A DIRECT TWEET THAT I WAS "VERY WRONG" FOR SAYING SOME SECURITY ASSETS WERE DIVERTED (I.E. MISALLOCATED) TO THE JILL BIDEN DINNER IN PITTSBURGH THE SAME NIGHT?

Here's the reality on that as highlighted by Rand Paul:

While a Counter Surveillance Unit (“CSU”) was deployed for Dr. Jill Biden's protection at a nearby indoor event, a unit was not requested for former President Trump. USSS agents raised concerns about not having a CSU at the rally, which would have been responsible for identifying suspicious behavior outside the event perimeter.

Furthermore, a USSS agent interviewed by the Committee stated that CSU was not a typical asset used for former Presidents, so it was not requested. It has been publicly reported that prior to July 13, DTD requested USSS counter-sniper support for previous outdoor rallies but was denied. To date, USSS and DHS have not complied with the Committee’s requests for information related to requests for assets by Donald Trump's Secret Service detail.

USSS WERE AWARE OF A SUSPICIOUS INDIVIDUAL WITH A RANGEFINDER FOR AT LEAST 27 MINUTES BUT DID NOT DELAY PROCEEDINGS OR REMOVE FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP FROM THE STAGE.

USSS agents were aware of a suspicious individual with a rangefinder by at least 5:44 p.m. Reports of a suspicious person began to circulate at approximately 5:44 p.m. Between 5:44 p.m. and 6:11 p.m., when Crooks fired his weapon at former President Trump, the USSS Security Room and a number of USSS agents were all made aware of a suspicious person with a rangefinder. • The USSS Counter Sniper Advance Lead witnessed law enforcement running towards the AGR building with their weapons drawn, but the “thought did not cross his mind” to inform the former President’s protective detail.

At approximately 6:08 p.m. a local law enforcement officer radioed to other local law enforcement, “Someone’s on the roof. […] I have someone on the roof with white shorts.” Shortly after, the USSS Security Room was informed that a “suspicious person” was on the roof of the AGR building.

As I HAVE previously reported, MOST OF THE Pittsburgh Field Office, which jointly shared the role of providing security for the entire rally along with the Donald Trump Detail WAS NOT informed about threats to former President Trump's life, specifically not the Iranian threat that the FBI had informed USSS headquarters about and the Donald Trump Detail.

-THIS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE FOUR MEMBERS OF THE PITTSBURGH FELD OFFICE ARE ON WORK FROM HOME LEAVE WHILE AN INTERNAL USSS INVESTIGATION INTO THE FAILURES AT BUTLER CONTINUES WHILE ONLY ONE MEMBER OF THE DONALD TRUMP DETAIL IS ONE LEAVE.

-The July 13 Butler event was the first time former President Trump had USSS countersnipers at an event. USSS Assistant Director of the Office of Protective Operations (OPO) told the Committee that sometime prior to July 5, a decision was made that USSS would send USSS countersnipers to all outdoor events for former President Trump going forward based on intelligence and threat information.

-All but one of the witnesses that the Committee interviewed were made aware of this decision. • The Lead Advance Agent was told that “credible intelligence” existed of a threat, but still wrote in a security planning document that there was “no adverse intelligence” concerning the visit to Butler, PA.

-USSS personnel told the Committee that their expectation was that any credible threat or intelligence would appear in the planning document.

-The Lead Advance Agent also did not inform her superiors or other USSS personnel involved with planning and securing the Butler rally that she was told of a threat.

-On July 10, 2024, the USSS Pittsburgh Office sent a letter to the FBI requesting any intelligence related to former President Trump and the July 13 rally in Butler, PA.

-The FBI did not respond to the letter or share intelligence information with USSS in response to the letter. • The morning of July 13, the USSS Intelligence Agent called USSS headquarters and asked if any adverse intelligence had been developed concerning the visit. USSS headquarters said no. • USSS agents told the Committee that they should have been made aware of any credible intelligence or threats prior to July 13. They also said that had they known about credible intelligence or a threat to former President Trump they would have requested additional assets.

-FAILURE TO FULLY COMPLY WITH COMMITTEE REQUESTS – USSS, DHS, FBI, ATF, and other federal agencies continue to obstruct the Committee’s bipartisan investigation:

--USSS, DHS, and ATF have not made all requested personnel available to the Committee for transcribed interview.

-USSS, DHS, FBI, and other federal agencies have failed to provide the committee key documents, including information related to requests by the Trump detail for additional security that were denied by USSS.

[End]

Disgraceful. Kudos go to the members, Republican and Democrat, of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committees, who jointly conducted this investigation and agreed to release its findings. It is nice to know the Senate is still capable of doing this sort of thing.

That is all.