{"id":2315187,"date":"2024-07-29T05:01:09","date_gmt":"2024-07-29T09:01:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/secret-service-failures-turn-gop-into-detectives-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-07-29T10:50:10","modified_gmt":"2024-07-29T14:50:10","slug":"secret-service-failures-turn-gop-into-detectives-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/secret-service-failures-turn-gop-into-detectives-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Secret Service failures turn GOP into detectives &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fsecret-service-failures-turn-gop-into-detectives-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2315187&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses the failures of the Secret Service to prevent an attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. Following the incident, some Republican lawmakers have taken it upon themselves to investigate the security lapses. They claim that federal investigators are not being transparent and have released new footage highlighting security pitfalls that allowed the would-be assassin, identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, to access a rooftop position from which he shot at Trump during a campaign rally.<\/p>\n<p>Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa has publicly released nearly 30 minutes of bodycam footage related to the shooting, depicting the aftermath and revealing the security breaches that may have contributed to the attempted attack. Grassley emphasizes the need for transparency from federal agencies and has committed to releasing all relevant records regarding the incident.<\/p>\n<p>House Republicans led by Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green have also visited the shooting site, disputing claims by former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle that the rooftop was too steep for agents to safely operate. Lawmakers, including former Navy SEAL Rep. Eli Crane, stated it was accessible and highlighted the vulnerabilities in the security measures in place for Trump during the event. The article underscores a growing frustration among some lawmakers toward federal security agencies in light of recent events.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Secret Service failures turn GOP lawmakers into private detectives<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1710695\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Failures by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/secret-service\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Secret Service\">Secret Service<\/a> to prevent the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3100477\/fbi-interviewing-trump-assassination-attempt-inquiry\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Secret Service\">attempted assassination<\/a> of former President Donald Trump have some Republicans taking matters into their own hands.<\/p>\n<p>Armed with accusations that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wake-up-with-the-washington-examiner-bidens-supreme-court-plan-defining-harris-and-the-fbis-cryptic-problem-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Wake up with the Washington Examiner: Biden\u2019s Supreme Court plan, defining Harris, and the FBI\u2019s cryptic problem - Washington Examiner\">federal investigators aren&#038;rsquo<\/a>;t being transparent, lawmakers have obtained and unveiled new footage and details of security pitfalls that may have enabled a rooftop shooter to strike Trump from only a few hundred feet away.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The only way for the Secret Service to regain Americans&rsquo; trust is to be totally transparent about what went wrong on July 13,&rdquo; Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. &ldquo;Unfortunately, federal agencies seem to be behind the ball.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Grassley made public nearly 30 minutes of bodycam <a href=\"https:\/\/ussen-my.sharepoint.com\/personal\/clare_slattery_grassley_senate_gov\/_layouts\/15\/stream.aspx?id=%2Fpersonal%2Fclare%5Fslattery%5Fgrassley%5Fsenate%5Fgov%2FDocuments%2FPublic%2FGrassley%20%2D%20Beaver%20County%20ESU%20Full%20Bodycam%20Footage%2F2024%2D07%2D13%20Beaver%20Co%20ESU%20Bodycam%202%2Emp4&amp;referrer=StreamWebApp%2EWeb&amp;referrerScenario=AddressBarCopied%2Eview%2Edc05e74b%2Ddf4a%2D402e%2Db08b%2Dcb545f2a2cc0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"footage \">footage <\/a>taken by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-red-wave-of-conservative-women-elected-to-congress\/\" title=\"The Red Wave of Conservative Women Elected to Congress\">law enforcement<\/a> in the <a href=\"https:\/\/ussen-my.sharepoint.com\/personal\/clare_slattery_grassley_senate_gov\/_layouts\/15\/stream.aspx?id=%2Fpersonal%2Fclare%5Fslattery%5Fgrassley%5Fsenate%5Fgov%2FDocuments%2FPublic%2FGrassley%20%2D%20Beaver%20County%20ESU%20Full%20Bodycam%20Footage%2F2024%2D07%2D13%20Beaver%20Co%20ESU%20Bodycam%201%2Emp4&amp;referrer=OneDriveForBusiness&amp;referrerScenario=OpenFile\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"aftermath \">aftermath <\/a>of the shooting, including the graphic moments when <a href=\"https:\/\/ussen-my.sharepoint.com\/personal\/clare_slattery_grassley_senate_gov\/_layouts\/15\/stream.aspx?id=%2Fpersonal%2Fclare%5Fslattery%5Fgrassley%5Fsenate%5Fgov%2FDocuments%2FPublic%2FGrassley%20%2D%20Beaver%20County%20ESU%20Full%20Bodycam%20Footage%2F2024%2D07%2D13%20Beaver%20Co%20ESU%20Bodycam%203%2Emp4&amp;referrer=StreamWebApp%2EWeb&amp;referrerScenario=AddressBarCopied%2Eview%2E51106630%2Df57c%2D45af%2Da5a1%2De237e3f91ceb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"agents encountered\">agents encountered<\/a> the lifeless body of the would-be assassin, identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks.<\/p>\n<p>Parts of the video show Crooks&rsquo;s body on the roof of the building where a Secret Service counter-sniper shot and killed Crooks in the moments after he opened fire on Trump during a July 13 campaign rally. The videos offered greater details into reports that agents were warned of Crooks as a possible threat prior to him gaining roof access and shooting Trump.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;So, this is the guy that your snipers saw?&rdquo; a Secret Service agent says on the roof to a Beaver County Emergency Services Unit officer.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Yes, Beaver County snipers seen him and sent pictures out. This is him,&rdquo; a Beaver County ESU officer said before the two men compared pictures on their phones.<\/p>\n<p>Grassley obtained the footage from Beaver County ESU in response to congressional requests. His office said he&rsquo;ll be &ldquo;making public all relevant records in the interest of transparency&rdquo; from federal and local agencies.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Federal agencies ought to be embarrassed that Chuck Grassley has beaten them to the investigative punch,&rdquo; Grassley said. &ldquo;My oversight won&rsquo;t be letting up anytime soon.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green (R-TN) led a group of House Republicans to survey the rooftop shooting site. Members said their in-person assessments undercut claims by former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle that the rooftop&rsquo;s slope rendered it unsafe for agents.<\/p>\n<p>Several lawmakers filmed themselves on the roof to provide a first-person perspective of Crooks&rsquo;s ability to navigate the position with ease and its direct line of sight to where Trump was speaking.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not that steep at all. We just had a 70-year-old man back here climb up on the roof easily,&rdquo; Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ), a former Navy SEAL, said in a video he posted to social media.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I&rsquo;m on the roof of the building in Butler, PA where shots were fired in an attempt to assassinate President Trump.<\/p>\n<p>As a former Navy SEAL sniper, it was clear to me that many security measures were dropped making Pres. Trump extremely vulnerable.<\/p>\n<p>Many questions still remain. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/p2EhBTFg1M\">pic.twitter.com\/p2EhBTFg1M<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Rep. Eli Crane (@RepEliCrane) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RepEliCrane\/status\/1815432341373780041?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 22, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The man he referenced was Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL), a former SWAT member. In his own video, Gimenez called the Secret Service&rsquo;s reasoning &ldquo;crazy.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m a 70-year-old man, and this roof is not a big deal,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;You can see you got a clear line to [Trump].&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) revealed an anonymous whistleblower told his office that the Secret Service declined to deploy drones beforehand to help secure the rally site. Crooks used a drone himself before the event to survey his future firing position.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;According to one whistleblower, the night before the rally, U.S. Secret Service repeatedly denied offers from a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/justice-dept-launches-regional-gun-trafficking-strike-forces\/\" title=\"Justice Dept Launches Regional Gun Trafficking Strike Forces\">local law enforcement partner<\/a> to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/secret-service-declined-drone-use-before-trump-shooting\/\" title=\"Secret Service Declined Drone Use Before Trump Shooting\">utilize drone technology<\/a> to secure the rally,&rdquo; Hawley wrote in a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, whose department oversees Secret Service. &ldquo;This means that the technology was both available to USSS and able to be deployed to secure the site. Secret Service said no.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The Secret Service &ldquo;changed course&rdquo; and &ldquo;asked the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/former-surgeon-general-discusses-how-to-end-this-pandemic-equitably\/\" title=\"Former Surgeon General Discusses How To \u2018End This Pandemic Equitably\u2019\">local partner<\/a> to deploy the drone technology to surveil the site&rdquo; after the assassination attempt, according to the whistleblower.<\/p>\n<p>The Secret Service has yet to address the allegations.<\/p>\n<p> <script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1710695\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1710695\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Secret Service shortcomings prompt GOP lawmakers to act as investigators. The Secret Service&#8217;s inability to thwart the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump has led some Republicans to take action themselves. Claiming a lack of transparency from federal investigators, these lawmakers have gathered and released new footage and information about security failures that may have allowed a shooter on a rooftop to target Trump from just a few hundred feet away. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) stated, \u201cThe only way for the Secret Service to regain Americans\u2019 trust is through complete transparency regarding what went wrong on July 13.\u201d He noted that federal agencies appear unprepared in this situation.<\/p>\n<p>Grassley made available nearly 30 minutes of bodycam footage recorded by law enforcement after the shooting, which includes graphic scenes where agents discovered the deceased would-be assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks. Some clips show Crooks\u2019s body on the roof where he was shot by a Secret Service counter-sniper shortly after firing at Trump during a campaign rally on July 13. The videos provide more context regarding reports that agents had been alerted about Crooks as a potential threat before he accessed the roof and fired at Trump.<\/p>\n<p>A conversation captured in the video shows one Secret Service agent confirming with an officer from Beaver County Emergency Services Unit about recognizing Crooks as someone who had been spotted prior to his attack. Grassley obtained this footage through congressional requests and plans to release all pertinent records from both federal and local agencies for transparency purposes. He expressed disappointment that he has outpaced federal agencies in investigating this matter.<\/p>\n<p>Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green (R-TN) led House Republicans in inspecting the rooftop shooting site, asserting their findings contradicted claims made by former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle regarding safety concerns due to slope issues on the roof. Several lawmakers documented their experiences on social media while demonstrating how easily they could access the area with an unobstructed view of Trump&#8217;s speaking location.<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ), who is also a former Navy SEAL, shared his observations stating it was not steep at all and highlighted security lapses that left Trump vulnerable during his speech: \u201cMany questions still remain,\u201d he noted in his post alongside video evidence from Butler, PA.<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL), another participant who previously served in SWAT, echoed similar sentiments about how manageable accessing the roof was despite being 70 years old himself: \u201cYou can see you got a clear line [to Trump].\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) disclosed information from an anonymous whistleblower indicating that prior offers for drone surveillance assistance were repeatedly declined by the Secret Service before the rally took place; ironically, Crooks had used drone technology himself beforehand for reconnaissance purposes related to his attack plan.<\/p>\n<p>Hawley&#8217;s letter addressed these concerns directly to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas\u2014whose department oversees secret service operations\u2014highlighting missed opportunities for utilizing available technology effectively before any incident occurred: &#8220;This means that technology was both accessible and deployable.&#8221; Following Crooks&#8217;s attempt on Trump&#8217;s life, it appears there was finally an acknowledgment leading them back towards using drones for site surveillance according to whistleblower accounts; however, no official response has yet come forth from the Secret Service addressing these allegations<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3108,"featured_media":2315188,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/republicans-investigate-trump-shooting.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[6203,3976,32171,34163],"class_list":["post-2315187","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-gop","tag-investigation","tag-political-commentary","tag-secret-service"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/republicans-investigate-trump-shooting.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2315187","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3108"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2315187"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2315187\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315188"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2315187"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2315187"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2315187"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}