Trump’s would-be assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks, reportedly flew a drone over the Pennsylvania site hours before the event, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Law enforcement officials briefed on the matter told the outlet Friday that Crooks was able to fly a drone on a programmed flight path, getting aerial footage of the rally site hours before the event on July 13. Officials noted due to the predetermined path, Crooks could have flown the drone more than once in order to research and scope the area. (RELATED: ‘You Owe President Trump Answers!’: Video Shows GOP Senators Confront Secret Service Director Kim Cheatle)
The new discovery adds to a growing list of security lapses from authorities, as Republican lawmakers have urged for answers to the attempted assassination of 2024 GOP presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump.
Law enforcement officers move during a rally on July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Following the attack, Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle sat down for her first interview Monday with ABC News Chief Justice Correspondent Pierre Thomas, stating that the incident was “unacceptable,” and noted the “buck stops” with her.
“The buck stops with me. I am the director of the Secret Service, and I need to make sure that we are performing a review and that we are giving resources to our personnel as necessary,” Cheatle told ABC News. “It was unacceptable and it’s something that shouldn’t happen again.”
Crooks was able to shoot multiple rounds at Trump and the crowd of supporters, from an elevated platform seated upon a shed, which had been outside of Secret Service’s security perimeter.
However, roughly thirty minutes prior to the attack, local law enforcement reportedly spotted the 20-year-old, anonymous law enforcement sources told WPXI. Additionally, a local officer had climbed up onto the roof and spotted Crooks, however, retreated down the ladder after the 20-year-old pivoted his weapon towards the officer, according to The Associated Press.
During a Wednesday meeting with lawmakers at the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the Secret Service and FBI confirmed Crooks was identified roughly 50 minutes prior to his attack. Both Republican Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn and Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso were later recorded confronting U.S. Secret Service Director Kim Cheatle over the issue.
Blackburn could be heard scolding Cheatle as to why authorities did not address Crooks, despite knowing “an hour out” that there was a “potential threat” to Trump and instead allowed the former president to take the stage.
The FBI and Secret Service did not immediately respond to Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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