Text messages between law enforcement officials before the assassination attempt on Donald Trump earlier this month reveal that concerns about the shooter’s presence were raised more than 90 minutes prior to the incident. Obtained by Republican Senator Chuck Grassley and reported by The New York Times, the texts show that a local countersniper first alerted his team at 4:26 p.m. after spotting a suspicious individual near their vehicles. The same man, later identified as shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks, was photographed and shared in a group chat with other officers about 30 minutes before he opened fire at Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Text messages obtained by The New York Times reveal a local countersniper’s concern over a suspicious individual near the Trump rally, including a warning to Secret Service snipers. Despite this early alert, questions linger about why local law enforcement did not prevent the shooter from accessing a nearby building and nearly killing the former president.
Beaver County SWAT team members, who were meant to have a briefing with the Secret Service, reported to ABC News that this crucial meeting never occurred. Jason Woods, a sniper on the team, highlighted the oversight, stating, “We were supposed to get a face-to-face briefing with the Secret Service members whenever they arrived, and that never happened.”
The timeline of communication between local law enforcement and the Secret Service remains unclear, particularly regarding when they informed federal agents and sent photos of the suspect before the shooting.
With Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle having resigned, acting Director Ronald Rowe and FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate are scheduled to testify before Senate committees on Tuesday, as lawmakers seek to clarify the failures that led to the assassination attempt.
