Overlapping investigations will focus on the decisions the protection agency made before and immediately after bullets nearly felled former President Trump on Saturday.
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A Secret Service sniper team on watch before former President Donald J. Trump spoke at a rally in Butler, Pa., on Saturday.
The building from which a gunman fired at former President Trump on Saturday was — at least in hindsight — an obvious security risk. Its rooftop offered an ideal sniper’s perch, with a close, elevated and unobstructed view of Mr. Trump.
But when the Secret Service drew up plans for Saturday’s rally, it left that building outside its security perimeter. Instead, local law enforcement officials were given responsibility for that building, and no police officers were stationed on the roof itself.
The building, used as a warehouse by equipment manufacturer AGR International, has become a focal point of myriad investigations into the shooting that nearly felled a former American president, one that Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas on Monday called a security failure.
The first question is why the building, about 400 feet from the stage, was left out of the perimeter. A Secret Service advance team visited the site and made the determination, and a supervisor would have had to approve it. The agency so far has not said who that was.
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“Look, they’re all pointing. Yeah, someone’s on top of the roof — look.” “There he is right there.” “Where?” “Right there, you see him? He’s laying down. You see him?” “Yeah, he’s laying down.” Trump: “Instead, I’m here with you, fighting like hell to get a sense —” “What’s happening?” Trump: “Because if we do, we’re going to make America better than ever before. We’re going to make it —” “Yeah, look, there he is. Trump: “Because we have millions —” “Officer.” Trump: “People in our country that shouldn’t be here. Dangerous people. Criminals, we have criminals.” “He’s on the roof. Right here, on the roof.” Trump: “It’s much tougher —” “On the roof.”
CreditCredit…@djlaughatme, via TikTok
That is just one of many unanswered questions. It is also unclear how the gunman got on the roof. People at the rally reported a suspicious person to local law enforcement. Quickly thereafter, rally visitors pointed out a man on the warehouse and the Secret Service shot and killed him after he began his assault.
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Source: nytimes.com
