New evidence is beginning to emerge that paints a clearer picture of the failures in security that allowed President Donald Trump to be shot by an assassin during his Saturday rally in Pennsylvania.
As THAIMBC News reported, witnesses spotted the shooter, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, several minutes before he opened fire.
Police were warned that an armed man was scaling the rooftop a short distance from where Trump was speaking.
Despite the warnings, however, Crooks fired several shots at Trump as he spoke, striking him in the ear.
Videos show that Trump’s cocked his head slightly in the split second before the bullet pierced his ear and narrowly avoided death.
WATCH:
REPORT: Donald Trump says a last millisecond head tilt likely saved his life as slowed-down footage shows the bullet grazing his ear.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) July 14, 2024
If Trump hadn't moved his head, the bullet would likely have hit the rear of his head, ending his life.
Trump says he turned his head to look at… pic.twitter.com/uXIEjHIcRA
The incident has raised serious questions about how the shooter was able to get in position and open fire before the Secret Service responded.
According to a new report from Susan Crabtree of Real Clear Politics, Trump’s Secret Service detail was made up of temporary agents after the federal agency diverted resources elsewhere.
The Secret Service had shifted critical resources to guard First Lady Jill Biden’s campaign event in Pittsburgh on Saturday.
Due to both events being held at the same time, agents were diverted away from the 45th president’s rally and assigned to “Doctor” Biden’s event.
Two sources told Crabtree this was because they were following the agency’s protocol of treating Trump as a former president.
This is despite the fact this “former president” is the frontrunner to become the next president of the United States.
This is in addition to Trump having the largest political following, and the greatest opposition, in the country.
The situation raises concerns about who in Democrat President Joe Biden’s administration made the decision to divert agents from Trump’s massive rally to the first lady’s minor event.
“Secret Services resources were diverted to Jill Biden’s event and away from Trump’s because they followed agency protocol applying to Trump as a former president, according to two sources within the Secret Service community,” Crabtree reports.
“There were also many supplemental agents from different field officers (not Trump’s regular detail) providing security at the rally because Trump’s regular detail has been overworked (some working 7 days straight), and only two counter-snipers.
“But Trump is not just a former president — he is the first in modern history to have run for president again — and he has been the focus of several prosecutions and controversies (understatement intentional).
“Who made the decision to divert the resources to Jill Biden’s event?”
🚨New info from a source in the Secret Service community — Trump’s usual protective Secret Service detail was worked so hard (working 7 days a week with no days off) that many of agents assigned Saturday were temporary replacements from different field offices.
— Susan Crabtree (@susancrabtree) July 14, 2024
This is not the…
In addition, former Secret Service agent Dan Bongino has blasted the “absolutely catastrophic” failure during Trump’s rally in Butler, Penn.
Bongino surmised that Trump’s quick decision to duck was life-saving.
“The bunting around the front of the stage is probably armor,” Bongino told Fox News’ “Fox & Friends Sunday.”
“Donald Trump knew to duck. I mean, most people would.
“He saved his own life.”
Bongino served in the Secret Service from 1999 to 2011 and served on then-President Barack Obama’s detail.
He raked the protective agency over the coals for the security failures that took place.
“If that’s the best technology we have, and we had a CS [Counter Sniper] team up there — we’re trained out to 1,000 yards in the Secret Service with the counter sniper team — how did they miss someone, at most 1/5 of the way there?” he pondered.
“It doesn’t make any sense.”
“Even worse, it’s broad daylight on a white roof.”
One witness told the BBC that he saw a gunman crawling up on the roof and warned the police several minutes before the shooter opened fire.
The assassin’s position is estimated to have been roughly 130 yards from the stage where Trump spoke.
Sources claimed that the suspect was on a roof outside the security perimeter when he opened fire from a shed roof.
Ultimately, law enforcement “neutralized” the suspect, according to the Secret Service, but only after he shot Trump and others.
Bongino also ripped the Secret Service for other failures.
“The evacuation did not go right,” he said.
“The rule with the Secret Service is: Cover the protectee and evacuate.”
Still, he commended the agents onstage who went to barricade Trump shortly after the gunfire began.
Bongino also disputed the Secret Service’s denial that Trump’s team requested a more robust security presence in the past.
Several individuals with close ties to Trump, such as Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL), publicly claimed to have heard from “very reliable sources” that there had been requests for more robust security for Trump.
However, Waltz alleges that Biden’s Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas denied those requests.
Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi dismissed those allegations, without naming Waltz directly.
“There’s an untrue assertion that a member of the former president’s team requested additional security resources & that those were rebuffed,” he posted on X.
“This is absolutely false”
“In fact, we added protective resources & technology & capabilities as part of the increased campaign travel tempo,” he added.
Bongino was deeply skeptical of that assertion, however.
He claims to have reliable sources who contradicted it.
“I can tell you, and absolutely confirm from the horse’s mouth, from multiple people, not just one…there have been repeated requests [to] increase the security footprint.
Bongino also echoed many of the grumblings from conservatives about the Secret Service’s focus, suggesting it had gotten distracted with irrelevant concerns.
“They were more concerned about the color of the Secret Service agents ties around Donald Trump, given the perception,” he said, noting fear that a red tie could suggest an agent had conservative sympathies.
He also conveyed conservative gripes about the agency’s “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) program.
The DEI agenda has drawn scrutiny from congressional Republicans.
“You have one job, and only one job,” Bongino said.
“Your job is [to] keep the body alive. No matter what.
“And the fact that Donald Trump didn’t die yesterday is no reason for anybody to take some kind of victory lap.”
![Trump campaign statement says President Trump safe following gunshots in vicinity – [UPDATE: Shots were fired at P. TRUMP!]](https://i0.wp.com/www.thaimbc.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/567tryrtyuet.jpg?resize=218%2C150&ssl=1 "Trump campaign statement says President Trump safe following gunshots in vicinity – [UPDATE: Shots were fired at P. TRUMP!]")
![Trump campaign statement says President Trump safe following gunshots in vicinity – [UPDATE: Shots were fired at P. TRUMP!]](https://i0.wp.com/www.thaimbc.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/567tryrtyuet.jpg?resize=100%2C70&ssl=1 "Trump campaign statement says President Trump safe following gunshots in vicinity – [UPDATE: Shots were fired at P. TRUMP!]")
