U.S. House investigators have just released a scathing report on the July 13 attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. “Although the findings in this report are preliminary, the information obtained during the first phase of the Task Force’s investigation clearly shows a lack of planning and coordination between the Secret Service and its law enforcement partners before the rally,” the report stated.
“Put simply, the evidence obtained by the Task Force to date shows the tragic and shocking events of July 13 were preventable and should not have happened,” the report added.
The report cited mistakes which led to critical gaps in Trump’s protection during the Pennsylvania rally.
Issues included the Secret Service’s slow relay of information regarding a suspicious individual, inadequate training for agents, and no joint meetings to coordinate security efforts.
Poor communication among Secret Service agents and other law enforcement caused “critical pieces of information … [to move] slowly due to fragmented lines of communication and unclear chains of command on July 13,” and the Secret Service “did not effectively verify responsibilities were understood and being executed,” the report said.
Despite warnings about the gunman, the Secret Service did not effectively verify responsibilities, allowing the assailant to fire multiple rounds before being stopped.
“From there, I just start yelling out to the guys that are there, I yell on the radio right away. I start saying, you know, ‘South end, He’s got a long gun, male on the roof.’ I just kept repeating, ‘He’s got a gun, he’s got a long gun,’” a Butler Township Police PD officer recalled.
“To date, the Task Force has not received any evidence to suggest that message reached the former President’s USSS detail prior to shots fired,” the report stated.
