Staff Reports
Local law enforcement in Butler, Pennsylvania, has revealed some eyebrow-raising details about the July 13 rally featuring Donald Trump. It turns out the ever-so-capable Secret Service could not be bothered to ask local police to protect an area that gave a notorious gunman a clear shot at the former president. Instead, they confidently assured local cops that they had it all under control. Spoiler alert: they didn’t.
Officer Drew Blasko of the Butler Township Police Department testified that during the rally’s planning stages, he made it crystal clear that the local police force lacked the resources to cover the sprawling AGR International complex, which is loaded with interconnected warehouses. The Secret Service, however, brushed aside these concerns with a reassuring pat on the back, proclaiming that they would “take care of it.” It seems that in Washington, the Secret Service has perfected the art of telling local law enforcement to sit tight while they fumble through significant responsibilities.
Secret Service snipers literally watched the shooter climb onto the rooftop and set up his rifle, and let him take the shot at Trump.
Footage shows the Secret Service spent 42 seconds staring down the barrel of their snipers at the shooter without doing anything.
(🧵 3/6) pic.twitter.com/kwnFxPo9j3
— Alex Barnicoat (@AlexBarnicoat_) July 14, 2024
The July rally ended up making headlines for all the wrong reasons when a disturbed individual named Thomas Matthew Crooks clambered onto the roof of an AGR building and launched a barrage of gunfire at Trump. In the pandemonium, one bullet grazed the former president, and another shot tragically took the life of a rallygoer while injuring two others. Situations like this make one wonder if the Secret Service’s definition of “taking care of it” involves quite a few new shades of red in the report cards.
Commander Edward Lenz, head of the Butler County Emergency Services Unit, also testified, highlighting how the Secret Service neglected to request coverage for the AGR building. In fact, while they aimed to set up a few sniper teams, they somehow managed to forget to specify where those sharpshooters should actually aim their scopes. Lenz noted that they took the initiative to position snipers on the second floor of the AGR building, which should have been the Secret Service’s job to coordinate in the first place. Maybe the agency thought playing darts blindfolded would be a better method of securing the event.
Ironically, these snipers from Butler and Beaver County ended up providing blind coverage from their vantage point—overseeing the stage and monitoring the area where hundreds were gathered to support their candidate. Lenz indicated that the Secret Service was fully aware of their placement and tactical plans but apparently decided staring at the sun would be more entertaining than offering guidance. One would think after two assassination attempts on Trump’s life, the agency would get its act together and at least communicate a little more effectively.
As concerns about safety at political events grow louder, questions linger about the priorities of the agencies tasked with protecting candidates. If the Secret Service can’t even muster the decency to ask local law enforcement to secure an obvious threat, perhaps it’s time for a reassessment—or at least a refresher course in basic situational awareness. If local police have to go rogue because the Secret Service is asleep at the wheel, it’s a pretty good indicator that broader reforms might be overdue.
