By Jonathan Fisher, Jennifer Borrasso
/ CBS Pittsburgh
Task force looks for answers in trip to site of attempted Trump assassination
BUTLER, Pa. (KDKA) — Members of the task force on the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump were in Butler County assessing the Butler Farm Show grounds on Monday.
On July 13, a gunman opened fire at Trump’s rally on the farm show grounds in Butler Township, leading to a bipartisan congressional task force investigating the event and the security lapses that allowed the gunman to shoot at the former president.
The task force, which includes Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly of Butler and Democratic Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado, got a firsthand look at the venue and surrounding areas on Monday. They also planned to talk with local law enforcement officials about what happened that day.
Perhaps the most dramatic moment of the tour was when members of Congress were on the roof of the AGR building, where gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks fired eight shots, injuring Trump, David Dutch and Jim Copenhaver and killing Corey Comperatore. But what really stood out to many was how small the farm show space is and how close the buildings are to each other.
“Before I was in Congress, I was an Army Ranger serving in Iraq and Afghanistan,” Crow said. “One of the fundamental principles you operate on is you always secure the high ground or you have eyes on the high ground. So, I definitely took note today that there are a lot of lines of sight that weren’t secured.”
Task force members said what they saw on Monday raised even more questions.
“It is so important that this task force has the opportunity to do what we did here, to actually walk these grounds, to see this area, to get an understanding of the physical space and where this security shortcoming took place,” Republican U.S. Rep Laurel Lee of Florida said.
Kelly, who co-chairs the task force, was at the rally in July and said it is baffling as to why Trump was allowed to go on stage when law enforcement had spotted the gunman on the roof.
Reporters asked if the task force had received all of the documents it requested from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, United States Secret Service and the FBI, and members said they have not.
“Getting to the truth is a slow process,” Kelly said. “For us, none of us are looking at we have to get a quick answer. We’re looking at we have to get the right answer.”
A motive for the shooting is still unclear. The gunman’s parents have hired a lawyer. KDKA-TV reached out to his Pittsburgh office on Monday and was told he was not going to comment.
Latest on the Trump assassination attempt investigation
Following the U.S. Secret Services’ investigation into the attempted assassination during a campaign rally on July 13, five people were put on leave.
This includes the special agent in charge of the Pittsburgh field office, three other officials from the Pittsburgh office and one agent within Trump’s detail.
“We are examining the processes, procedures and factors that led to this operational failure. The U.S. Secret Service holds our personnel to the highest professional standards, and any identified and substantiated violations of policy will be investigated,” a U.S. Secret Service spokesperson told KDKA.
Report says Butler SWAT operator’s shot delayed gunman
A new report was filed on Aug. 12 by Republican Rep. Clay Higgins of Louisiana detailing the events right after the gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, fired shots, injuring Trump when a bullet grazed his ear.
A Butler SWAT operator shot the gunman’s gun from around 100 yards away, hitting his rifle stock.
Fragments struck his face, neck and right shoulder area. That delayed the gunman long enough for a United States Secret Service sniper to take the fatal shot.
