Police Warned Secret Service They Didn’t Have Resources To Cover Building Used By Trump Shooter

Local law enforcement officials reportedly warned the U.S. Secret Service before President Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania over the weekend that they lacked the resources to station a patrol car outside of the building where 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks climbed on the roof and shot Trump and others in attendance.

Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger told The Washington Post that the Secret Service “was informed that the local police department did not have the manpower to assist with securing that building.”

A Secret Service official confirmed to the newspaper that Goldinger’s allegation was accurate. The official said that having officers posted outside of buildings is critical for preventing potential assassins from gaining rooftop access to buildings where they have the high ground and a clear line of sight on their target.

Video from the incident that was analyzed by the Post showed that police were warned at least 86 seconds before the suspect opened fire.

Secret Service Director Kim Cheatle said during an interview this week that she would not resign after her agency failed to prevent the shooting.

Cheatle will testify next week before the GOP-led House Oversight Committee on the attempted assassination, the panel announced on Monday.

Scheduled to take place on Capitol Hill at 10 a.m. ET on Monday, the public hearing will give lawmakers and the American people a chance to hear first-hand about the attack that took place at Trump’s campaign rally in Pennsylvania over the weekend.

“The Secret Service has a no-fail mission, yet it failed on Saturday when a madman attempted to assassinate President Trump, killed an innocent victim, and harmed others,” Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-KY) said in a post to X, adding that his panel will “get answers.”

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