by TYLER DURDEN
When looking at the circumstances in favor of Thomas Matthew Crooks, the identified alleged suspect in the attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Butler, PA, it’s hard to see how the guy failed. Almost every Secret Service security protocol seems to have been ignored, allowing Crooks easy access to a perfect shooting position and plenty of time to acquire a bead on Trump’s podium.
The rooftop used by Crooks was a mere 140 yards away from the event with a clear line of sight to the right of Trump. Those familiar with precision shooting know that any shot within 300 yards is considered easy for a moderately trained rifleman. With the right caliber an expert can hit a torso sized target consistently at 1000 yards or more. At 140 yards any amateur should be able to hit a pie plate-sized target with little difficulty, even without a magnified optic.
The Secret Service is supposed to secure all obvious “sniper perches” well before the arrival of a protectee – Meaning, nearby rooftops and buildings are supposed to have a security presence in place along with drone surveillance. In the case of Butler, PA, this was apparently not done. SS snipers were only present on the building right behind the venue stage.
The lack of a security presence at the building across the field made it possible for the would-be assassin to brazenly jaunt to the location and climb to the rooftop with his rifle in broad daylight. The SS traditionally uses concentric “circles of security” going out hundreds if not thousands of yards when preparing a location for protection. Watch the video below for insight on how meticulous the Secret Service is supposed to be when preparing an area to prevent assassination attempts.
The idea of Crooks being able to get that close with an elevated position on the stage is unthinkable. Another fail was the lack of sight obstructions put in place near the stage. The Secret Service is supposed to erect barriers to block the line of sight from potential shooting locations. Again, this was not done.
Finally, there’s the dismal lack of response time. Witnesses outside the event report that they saw Thomas Crooks climbing to the building rooftop with his rifle at least three minutes before he started shooting. They claim they tried to warn police and Secret Service agents to no avail.
“How could you have somebody on the rooftop?” said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise – a victim of political violence, after the shooting. “There are reports that people watched him climb up the roof and even alerted authorities, and we’re going to be looking into that.”
Meanwhile, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer on Saturday night demanded immediate answers from the Secret Service as to how it failed to prevent the assassination attempt.
“I have already contacted the Secret Service for a briefing and am also calling on Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to appear for a hearing,” Comer said on X. “The Oversight Committee will send a formal invitation soon. There are many questions and Americans demand answers.”
As Just the News notes, warning signs about the Secret Service were there months before the Trump assassination attempt.
Back in May, Congress requested a briefing with the Secret Service, after several incidents allegedly raised internal concerns over the quality of its trainings.
A petition within the Secret Service has reportedly been circulating because of the incidents and called for a congressional investigation into the agency, according to Comer.
One incident saw a Secret Service agent assigned to Vice President Kamala Harris allegedly attack her superior and other agents. The unnamed agent also exhibited other “concerning” behavior, according to her colleagues.
Luckily for Trump, Crooks seems to have had terrible aim and he was not smart enough to shoot from a covered position which would have offered him protection and allowed him even more time. Unfortunately, the shooter’s stray bullets hit at least three bystanders in the crowd, leaving one dead and two in critical condition. The security failure in this situation is so complete that former Secret Service agents are admitting it publicly and calling for an investigation into how this could have happened.
Wall Street Journal is trying to rehabilitate itself by doing a tad of investigative reporting.
they found out the gun was legally obtained by the shooter’s dad.
No comment on whether the son just took it or had permission to use it.
The shooter registered Republican (which loads of dems do in order to screw with primaries) but gave cash to uber-liberal causes.
(“Your money is where your mouth is,” is an old saying because its true.)
PT needs to get his own private security detail comprised of former special operators. The Secret Service is compromised. That’s not saying they were in on it but they were clearly unprepared for their mission either because of incompetency or being understaffed. The sooner he gets his own people in there the better because the democraps will most certainly try to assassinate him again.
Too bad they killed t he Assassins otherwise Hollywood would have made a folk Hero out of him
Found you on FB memories (2017)