BUTLER, Pa. (KDKA) — Members of the Task Force for the attempted murder of former President Donald Trump were in Butler County on Monday to inspect the grounds of the Butler Farm Show.
On July 13, a gunman opened fire at Trump’s rally at the Butler Township Agricultural Fair. A bipartisan congressional task force then began investigating the incident and the security lapses that allowed the gunman to shoot the former president.
The task force, which includes Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly of Butler and Democratic Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado, got a firsthand look at the venue and surrounding areas on Monday. They also planned to speak with local law enforcement officials about what happened that day.
Perhaps the most dramatic moment of the tour came when members of Congress were on the roof of the AGR building, where gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks fired eight shots, wounding Trump. David Dutch And Jim Copenhaver and killing Corey ComperatoreBut what really struck many people was how small the agricultural exhibition site is and how close the buildings are to each other.
“Before I came to Congress, I was an Army Ranger and deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan,” Crow said. “One of the basic principles you work by is you always secure the high ground or keep an eye on the high ground. So I definitely took note today that there are a lot of sight lines that are not secured.”
Task force members said what they saw on Monday raised even more questions.
“It’s so important that this task force has the opportunity to do what we did here: to actually walk this site, look at the area, get a sense of the physical environment and see where these safety deficiencies occurred,” said Republican U.S. Rep. Laurel Lee of Florida.
Kelly, the task force co-chair, attended the July rally and said it was puzzling why Trump was allowed on stage even though police had discovered the shooter on the roof.
When asked by reporters whether the task force had received all the documents requested by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the United States Secret Service and the FBI, members said no.
“Finding the truth is a slow process,” Kelly said. “For us, it’s not about getting a quick answer. We want the right answer.”
The motive for the shooting is still unclear. The shooter’s parents have hired an attorney. KDKA-TV contacted his Pittsburgh office on Monday and was told he would not comment.
Latest information on the investigation into the assassination attempt on Trump
According to the US intelligence agency’s investigation into the attempted assassination during a campaign rally on July 13, five people take a vacation.
They include the special agent in charge of the Pittsburgh field office, three other officials from the Pittsburgh office and an agent from Trump’s task force.
“We are investigating the processes, procedures and factors that led to this operational failure. The U.S. Secret Service requires its personnel to adhere to the highest professional standards and all identified and proven violations of policy are investigated,” a U.S. Secret Service spokesperson told KDKA.
Report: SWAT agent’s shot in Butler delayed shooter
A new report was filed on August 12 by Republican Representative Clay Higgins of Louisiana, describing the events immediately after gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks fired the shots that injured Trump when a the bullet grazed his ear.
A SWAT officer from Butler fired at the shooter’s weapon from a distance of about 100 yards, hitting the butt of his rifle.
Shrapnel hit his face, neck and right shoulder, slowing the shooter long enough for a U.S. intelligence sniper to fire the fatal shot.
