The evidence of incompetence on behalf of the Secret Service in handling the rally that resulted in Donald Trump nearly being assassinated is growing by the hour.
Various reports have discovered that Trump’s security team was understaffed and they failed to secure a rooftop from an obvious prime area for a shooter because it was too sloped and created a safety hazard.
Videos and images have shown the shooter was spotted nearly 30 minutes before the attack, and multiple bystanders pointed out his presence on the roof. And still, the Secret Service failed to stop him.
Now, CNN reports an even worse timeline. The would-be assassin was on the radar of the Secret Service three hours before the shooting.
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Shooter Drew Attention Of Secret Service Three Hours Before Firing At Trump
20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks was spotted at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania trying to pass through metal detectors while carrying a rangefinder.
The device, described by CNN as “used by hunters and target shooters to measure distances when setting up a long-range shot” drew attention from officials.
The next sentence in the report is truly remarkable. The Secret Service watched Crooks because of his suspicious activity and the presence of a device used to line up shots for hunters, but then just let him walk away.
“Investigators are unsure of where Crooks went after he left the screening area but the working theory is that he went to his car to retrieve the rifle,” they write.
Ya think?
They’re lucky things didn’t get much worse, though it bears repeating that a man did lose his life due to the incompetence of the Secret Service.
Along with the rifle being in Crooks’ car, investigators found a bulletproof vest and two explosive devices. Images captured show a device that could have detonated the explosives next to his body.
“A newly released photo shows the detonator, a small rectangular grey device resembling a television remote, strewn alongside a spare battery that was recovered alongside gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks’ phone.” – The Telegraph pic.twitter.com/1B1TCQpVz0
— Drew Hernandez (@DrewHLive) July 17, 2024
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Back On Their Radar 40 Minutes Before Shooting
Having now lost the attempted assassin, knowing he had a rangefinder on his person, the Secret Service had an amazing stroke of luck.
“About 40 minutes before the shooting Crooks was back on the Secret Service radar,” the Daily Mail writes.
“A photograph showing the 20-year-old sniper appearing to crawl on the ground while scouring the area was circulated to law enforcement as a suspicious sighting at 5:30pm.”
Okay, so we have a guy with a rangefinder 3 hours before the shooting, then the same guy having his picture circulated to the Secret Service with 40 minutes to spare because he was seen crawling on the ground.
Nothing to be alarmed with yet, I guess. Well, luckily they had another chance to stop him. An agent allegedly saw him on the roof.
“Witnesses spotted Crooks crawling onto the roof of the American Glass Research building,” the Mail continues. “A Secret Service counter-sniper team codenamed ‘Hawkeye’ also spotted him looking at their position through the rangefinder.”
Three hours. Multiple sightings. Multiple concerning behaviors. And yet, nobody in the Secret Service decided to stop him? Weird.
