BUTLER, Pa. – Congress was denied access to an integral Ops Report that details the protection plan for former President Trump’s public meetings, according to lawmakers who were at the FBI briefing Wednesday and spoke to Fox News Digital on condition of anonymity.
Paul Mauro, a lawyer and retired NYPD inspector, said the Ops Report “should be detailed to cover the area of the roof that (Thomas Matthew) Crooks fired from.”
“If there is no Ops Plan completed, or if they do not cover the rooftop, whoever enters dies in failure,” Mauro said.
The detailed, written plan was in the hands of the FBI as of Thursday afternoon, according to Mauro, who said the information came from a source “I absolutely believe 100%. The FBI declined to comment.”
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Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is masked by U.S. Secret Service agents at a campaign rally, Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Somehow, Crooks, 20, fell through the cracks, although some reported sightings as early as hours before he opened fire on a crowd of people in Butler, Pennsylvania on Friday.
One bullet nicked Trump’s ear, and might have killed him if Trump had not moved his head at the right moment.
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Beloved former fire chief Corey Comperatore died while protecting his wife and children from ice bullets, and two others were seriously injured.
“It was something that was very well planned,” Mauro said. “Just the idea that they have Trump in the car, and they can’t get the car off the grounds because it’s locked is unbelievable.”
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump rushes off stage after being shot during a rally on July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Republican presidential candidate and former US President Donald Trump is assisted by security personnel after gunshots rang out during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania, US, 13 July 2024. (REUTERS/Brendan McDermid)
Usually, there are special hospital cars and evacuation plans with drivers who know the direct route to the hospital, Mauro said.
That “suggests that this thing is being done very casually, that there are few resources and that there is no organized thought about the whole thing,” he said.
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“There is no incident commander. There is no one in command. Maybe on paper, there always is, but whoever is asleep at the switch.”
Mauro said he’s lucky Trump didn’t suffer more serious injuries.
Authorities are closing in on the suspected gunman from where he collapsed after the US Secret Service returned fire after attempting to kill former President Donald Trump. (Acquired by Fox News Digital)
FBI agents visit the home of would-be Trump assassin Thomas Crook in Bethel Park, Pa. (AFP/REUTERS/Aaron Josefczyk)
Now that lawmakers are blocked from seeing the report, and the Secret Service is quick to point the finger at local police, they scream at “shut your mode,” he said.
“There were a lot of mistakes, and this idea, oh, the locals blew it, the idea was starting to fall apart.”
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Former Buffalo Township Fire Chief Corey Comperatore is pictured with his children in an undated family photo. Authorities said Thomas Matthew Crooks, who tried to kill former President Donald Trump at a rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, struck and killed Comperatore in the crossfire. Secret Service agents returned fire, killing Crooks. (Helen Comperatore/Facebook)
After 26 seconds of shooting, Crooks “neutralized” on the roof which was about 150 yards from the podium where Trump was standing when he was shot.
Nearly a week after the shooting, there are many unanswered questions and apparent delays in planning and/or execution.
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The next step is a meeting of the Council’s Oversight Committee on Monday, where MPs will ask questions Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, who agreed to comply with the committee’s request.
The Oversight Committee is chaired by Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.).
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“It’s great that Comer immediately announced that he’s going to be monitoring this, and that he’s going to use the House subpoena power because you need someone looking over the shoulder of the task force that’s investigating this,” Mauro said.
“Realistically, they could say they did it in conjunction with the Pennsylvania State Police, blah, blah, blah, but the FBI did this, and I’m sorry … I don’t trust their leadership.”
He says there have been too many failures, and says someone needs to look over his shoulder during the investigation.
Undated image of Thomas Matthew Crooks. (About via AFP)
Police snipers are positioned on the roof of a rally held by former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, Saturday, July 13, 2024. An assassination attempt was made on the former president at the event, killing one person and injuring three others, including Trump. (Todd the Driller)
Earlier this week, the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General began a “review to examine the processes used by the United States Secret Service (USSS) to secure” the July 13 political campaign event.
He also reviewed the Secret Service Counter Sniper Team’s “readiness and operations.”
“Our goal is to determine whether Secret Service Counter Sniper Teams are prepared for, and respond to, threats at events attended by designated protectors,” the DHS OIG said in a statement.
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The office “continues to consider other reviews related to USSS (United States Secret Service) programs and operations that may arise. DHS OIG will coordinate reviews with other law enforcement partners, as appropriate.”
