(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) An internal Secret Service investigation into the assassination attempt on President Donald Trump has uncovered major security lapses by the federal agency on July 13, according to unnamed government officials.
The probe found that the Secret Service recklessly neglected to direct local police to secure the roof from which Thomas Matthew Crooks nearly killed Trump, fatally shot Corey Comperatore and injured two other individuals. This is according to The Washington Post.
According to these individuals, “Secret Service headquarters and the Pittsburgh field office had an alarmingly slipshod strategy to block a potential shooter from having a clear sight of the Republican nominee for president at the July 13 rally in Butler, Pa.”
The investigation, dubbed Mission Assurance, uncovered that agents had discussed using heavy equipment and flags to block the view of the building and the Trump stage.
The plan was abandoned when supervisors noticed that the flags and the crane were used differently.
Other findings included claims that a Secret Service radio room had no access to real-time alerts from local police surveilling the rally.
As previously revealed, local police had noticed Crooks before he nearly killed Trump. However, their alerts were not “broadcast widely” on Secret Service radio.
Instead, local counter-snipers were ordered to send a photo of Crooks to a Secret Service official.
“Secret Service agents never heard local police radio traffic about trying to track down and then spotting that man after Trump began speaking,” the outlet reported.
The interim information also claimed that the Secret Service failed to increase protection for Trump following the announcement of his 2024 presidential campaign.
According to the Post, the full report is set to be released as soon as next week.
Secret Service Acting Director Ronald Rowe briefed the Senate Homeland Security Committee and members of the House on Thursday.
He claimed he had ordered a new set of plans to avert another assassination attempt as the 2024 election nears.
