Senator Ron Johnson, responding to the alarming circumstances surrounding the attack, has taken immediate action by reaching out to key federal officials, including Attorney General Merrick Garland, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and FBI Director Christopher Wray.
In his letter, Johnson demanded the preservation of all records related to the security of the rally, background information on the alleged gunman, and communications between law enforcement agencies, including the Secret Service, from July 11 to July 14, 2024.
“The lack of transparency from federal entities regarding this assassination attempt is unacceptable,” according to the summary of the preliminary investigation. “Congress and the public deserve a full explanation and complete answers to all questions regarding the failure of security at the Butler rally.”
According to local law enforcement, the Secret Service initially had no plans to deploy snipers to the rally.
Below are the key findings, according to the investigation:
Secret Service did not attend a security briefing provided to local special weapons and tactics (SWAT) and sniper teams the morning of July 13, 2024.
At 9:00am on July 13, 2024, Butler County Emergency Services (Butler ESU) provided a security briefing for the local SWAT teams and snipers assigned to the rally. In addition to Butler County, local SWAT teams and snipers from Washington County and Beaver County were also tasked with security responsibilities.
According to local law enforcement, Butler ESU was responsible for assigning locations for the sniper teams under its command. According to information obtained by Senator Johnson’s office, there were less than 40 local SWAT operators and snipers assigned to the Butler rally.
During the briefing, Butler ESU provided local law enforcement with images of the security perimeter at the rally—which did not include the American Glass Research (AGR) building where the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was located—the location of law enforcement agents, and a breakdown of security sectors on the farm show grounds. Secret Service did not attend this security briefing according to individuals with knowledge of the briefing.
It is unclear why Secret Service did not participate in this security briefing and the extent to which Butler ESU coordinated with Secret Service in creating and implementing the security plan for the rally.
Given the recent reporting that Crooks “was able to fly a drone and get aerial footage of the Pennsylvania fairgrounds shortly before the former president was set to speak there,” it is important to note that Butler ESU’s security briefing did address drones, according to information obtained by Senator Johnson’s staff. It is unknown whether any action was taken regarding Crooks’ drone and the exact time when Crooks’ drone was discovered.
Local law enforcement said communications were siloed and they were not in frequent radio contact directly with Secret Service.
Individuals with local law enforcement told Senator Johnson’s office that communications between different entities providing security at the rally were siloed. For example, local SWAT and sniper teams operated on separate radio channels from patrol.
According to these individuals, communications had to be routed to Butler ESU command, who would then relay information to either Secret Service or other local law enforcement patrols. It is unclear why communications were set up this way and whether the lack of direct communications between local law enforcement and Secret Service hindered any response time or decision-making.
Local law enforcement notified command about Crooks prior to the shooting and received confirmation that Secret Service was aware of the notification.
At 5:10pm on July 13, 2024, nearly one hour before former President Trump was shot, one of two local law enforcement snipers (hereafter AGR sniper 1) positioned in the AGR building observed the shooter, Crooks, for the first time. Local law enforcement told Senator Johnson’s office that at the time, even though Crooks did not have a weapon, he seemed suspicious.
At 5:14pm AGR sniper 1 took at least two pictures of Crooks (one of the pictures appears to show Crooks on his phone).
Source: Preliminary findings/Ron Johnson
At 5:28pm, AGR sniper 1 took a picture of a bicycle and backpack near the AGR building (it is unclear whether these items are associated with Crooks).
Source: Preliminary findings/Ron Johnson
At 5:32pm, AGR sniper 1 saw Crooks again near the AGR building apparently looking at news feeds on his phone and holding a range finder, according to information reported to Senator Johnson’s office. Shortly after, AGR sniper 1 reported the suspect to a group text of other law enforcement snipers on site and was instructed to report the suspect to command.
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At 5:41pm AGR sniper 1 called into command to report the suspect and described the suspect’s appearance and notes that he has a range finder. At 5:45pm AGR sniper 1 texted the Beaver ESU Group Command about the suspect and instructed them to relay the message to command. At 5:59pm, a Beaver County law enforcement operator received confirmation from a Butler County SWAT commander that command, which included Secret Service, was made aware of the messages and requested more information about the suspect’s location.
To date, there are public reports that a “counter sniper flagged a suspicious man using a rangefinder to the Secret Service some 20 minutes before a gunman opened fire” at the rally.7 The information obtained by Senator Johnson’s office appears to confirm these reports but raises further questions about what the Secret Service did with this information, why Secret Service did not immediately send agents to the AGR building, and, perhaps most importantly, why former President Trump was allowed to go on stage.
Following the shooting Secret Service was seen on the roof of the AGR building with local law enforcement; photos of the shooter were sent to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) for facial recognition.
At approximately 6:23pm on July 13, 2024—twelve minutes after former President Trump was shot—two Beaver County, PA law enforcement agents accessed the roof of the American Glass Research (AGR) building and saw Crooks, deceased. During a subsequent search of Crooks, local law enforcement discovered a suspected remote triggering device.
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At 6:32pm, 7:45pm, and 7:46pm, the Beaver County law enforcement agents took pictures of Crooks, a cellphone and the remote control device near the suspected shooter’s body.8 Between 6:40pm and 6:50pm, local law enforcement on the roof were joined by the Allegheny County Bomb Squad and one individual wearing a suit who local law enforcement assumed to be a Secret Service agent, according to information reported to Senator Johnson’s office.
According to individuals on the roof, a member of the Allegheny County Bomb Squad requested the photos be sent to a phone number, with a 215 (Philadelphia) area code, which was stated to be for the ATF. The ATF was apparently requesting the photos of Crooks for facial recognition purposes.
Senator Johnson’s staff called the phone number and confirmed that it was, in fact, associated with the ATF. However, in subsequent attempts to establish further talks with the individual with that number, Senator Johnson’s staff received the following email from ATF’s Acting Deputy Chief of Legislative Affairs: I’m reaching out because I understand that you that you reached out to our personnel in the Philadelphia Field Division with questions regarding the assassination attempt on former President Trump.
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It is unclear when Secret Service arrived on the roof following the shooting, how Secret Service (and others) accessed the roof of the building, why ATF would be the agency responsible for conducting facial recognition in an attempt to identify Crooks, and whether ATF ultimately did conduct any facial recognition on the photos provided to their agent.
Secret Service was initially not going to send snipers to the rally, according to local law enforcement.
Local law enforcement informed Senator Johnson’s office that days before the rally, they learned from Butler County law enforcement that Secret Service was not going to send their own snipers to the rally and that local law enforcement would need to go “sniper heavy” in order to ensure proper coverage. Local law enforcement learned at least a day before the rally that Secret Service changed course and decided to send two sniper teams. If Secret Service had originally not intended to send snipers to the rally, it is unclear why and when Secret Service changed their plan.
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