Local law enforcement say they provided what Secret Service asked for in first Trump assassination

Local officials and law enforcement testified on Thursday before the congressional task force investigating the two assassination attempts against former president and GOP nominee Donald Trump and said the provided what the Secret Service asked for, exposing a failure by the protective agency to fully utilize its local partners.

“I feel that with them being the lead, and we were request assist function, we provided we provided what they asked for and we secured the perimeter of the fairgrounds,” Lieutenant John Herold of the Pennsylvania State Police said Thursday. 

This is the first hearing conducted by the task force and will focus on the Butler, PA assassination attempt where shooter Thomas Crooks fired on Trump's rally, killing one and injuring three, including the former president who was struck in the ear. 

Herold said the Secret Service did not discuss securing the AGR Building, where Crooks would ultimately fire from, with local law enforcement during a walkthrough with his men. 

“Our walkthrough was Thursday, and the AGR building was not discussed,” he said. “We were inside the fence line of the farm show and we picked our or they picked their stationary posts where they wanted troopers assigned within the perimeter and the AGR building was never discussed.” 

Herold confirmed that the building could have been surrounded by eight or 10 officers and that could have prevented Crooks from gaining access. 

"It's the obligation of this of this Congress, this administration, and public servants at all levels of government to stand against those who would use violence to interfere with our elections," said task force Chairman Mike Kelly, R-Penn., said in his opening statement. 

The members of the bipartisan task force agreed that they would work to get to the bottom of the security failures and pursue solutions that would ensure more failures could be prevented. 

"Every American should be outraged, regardless of who they intend to support by these attempts to nullify their votes through violence. We use ballots, not bullets, to make a determination who's to serve. Today's hearing is the task force's, latest attempt to seek accountability and answers on what happened in Butler, Pennsylvania and to restore the faith, trust and confidence the American people deserve," he continued. 

The witnesses that testified Thursday include: Sergeant Edward Lenz of the Adams Township Police Department, the Commander of the Butler County Emergency Services Unit ;  Patrolman Drew Blasko of the Butler Police Department; Lieutenant John Herold of the Pennsylvania State Police; Allegheny County Medical Examiner Dr. Ariel Goldschmidt; and Former United States Secret Service Agent  Patrick Sullivan. 

Sergeant Lenz described the moments leading up to the attempt and how communication with the Secret Service about the threat did not make the rounds quick enough to prevent Crooks from firing on the rally. 

"Yes, I was aware through radio traffic that there was somebody on the roof and also that he was armed," Lenz said of the minutes leading up to the moment shots were fired. 

"The first report that there was somebody on the roof came on a different radio channel than the tactical units were operating, which would be PD ops three, and that transmission at 18:08 and 20 seconds is somebody's on the roof, 18:09 I made a phone call to the PSP sergeant in the Secret Service command center and relayed the information that there was a suspect on the roof of the AGR building."

He describes how further radio traffic shows Butler Township units spotted Crooks and notified the others that he appears to be armed with a long gun.

"So my actions for that at that point, the gentleman on the roof clearly is a threat, and I radio to our quick reaction force to deploy them to the AGR complex to begin to address that threat," he said. "Prior to me finishing that radio transmission, you can hear the shots being fired through my open microphone."

The hearing follows an initial investigation by the task force which visited the rally site, collected documents, and conducted 23 transcribed interviews with witnesses. 

In a second panel that took place immediately following the testimony from local law enforcement, the Chairman invited two GOP Representatives, Eli Crane of Arizona and Cory Mills of Florida to share their perspective. Both are veterans and have training as snipers. Democrats left the room before the second half of the panel began. 

Both called for the committee to pursue every lead, even those that others label as conspiracy theories. The pair shared their observations about their visit to the rally site, including their concerns that the high ground was not sufficiently covered by the Secret Service perimeter. 

"I don't think the event should have ever been held there," Crane said, citing the threat profiles of the venue. 

The pair also raised the potential of a second shooter, a theory that federal investigators say they have ruled out. 

"So much of any investigation, I think, needs to be open minded and willing to look at anything and everything even if it may be outside the official narrative," Crane said, highlighting video evidence that seems to show a bullet coming in at a different trajectory than Crooks was perched. 

"I think that’s something we are going to seriously consider," Chairman Kelly said. 

“We must investigate every potential theory,” said GOP Rep. Clay Higgins, who sits on the panel.