July 30th 2024.
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New information has been released today regarding the attempted assassination of Donald Trump by Thomas Matthew Crooks. It appears that law enforcement officials were unable to keep track of Crooks during the July 13 rally, leading to confusion and miscommunication among officers.
According to documents from Senator Chuck Grassley's office, law enforcement was aware of Crooks' presence at the rally over 90 minutes before he climbed onto a roof and fired eight shots at Trump. At 5:14pm, an officer even took photos of Crooks sitting outside. These images were then sent to a group chat 20 minutes later with the message, "Kid learning around building we are in."
However, just 10 minutes later, the same officer sent the images to another group chat and urged its members to forward it to anyone in command. It's clear that there was a sense of urgency and concern among the officers as they tried to keep track of Crooks' whereabouts. One text reads, "I did see him with a range finder looking towards the stage. FYI. If you wanna notify SS snipers to look out. I lost sight of him."
At 5:51pm, someone responded to the images with a simple "Sent" message. But just 15 minutes before the shooting, another member of the group chat admitted to losing track of Crooks. "They are asking for a direction of travel," someone wrote at 5:59pm, referring to the command center. Another person responded, "Not sure. He was up against the building. If I had to guess towards the back. Away from the event."
In addition to the released text messages, Senator Grassley also shared the after-action report from the Beaver County ESU and the Butler Emergency Services Unit's plan for the rally. These documents shed light on the responsibilities of federal and local law enforcement during the event.
It's worth noting that the extent of the security planning for the rally is still unclear, and these documents only provide a glimpse into how local law enforcement viewed their roles that day. The redacted entries show the communications as they were passed up the chain of command.
In preparation for the rally, law enforcement was anticipating a possible lone active shooter situation and were also keeping an eye out for drone activity in the area. Unfortunately, both of these scenarios occurred under their watch. The FBI has confirmed that Crooks was able to fly a drone in the rally area two hours before Trump's appearance and was able to sneak past the stationed law enforcement officers, eventually climbing onto a roof and nearly killing the president.
Senator Grassley also released the Butler Emergency Services Unit's plan, which stated that the Secret Service Counter Assault Team would handle any necessary evacuations and that the Butler County ESU Team would respond in the event of a single active attack. The plan emphasized the need for a quick and direct response to neutralize any potential threats.
The documents also confirm that local law enforcement officers were positioned in the area where Crooks opened fire. The ESU sniper team was given a Butler County radio and a Butler Police frequency to dial into, but it's still unclear how they communicated with the Secret Service that day. This lack of clear communication may have contributed to the officers losing track of Crooks before the shooting.
The document also includes a list of all the law enforcement officers who were assigned to security that day, including the two Secret Service snipers known by their call signs, Hercules 1 and 2. However, the Secret Service has not released its operational plan for the rally, leaving some questions unanswered.
Overall, the released documents provide insight into the chaotic and confusing situation that unfolded at the July 13 rally. It's clear that there were breakdowns in communication and a sense of urgency among law enforcement as they tried to track and stop Crooks from carrying out his deadly plans.
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