There may be radio traffic from local police that the Secret Service does not have access to that could prove crucial in preventing former President Donald Trump from taking the stage on the day of the assassination attempt, the Secret Service’s acting director said. Friday.
“It is very apparent that in this incident, in the last 30 seconds, which is the focus of the incident before the attacker opened fire, there is clearly a radio transmission that may have happened on a local radio network that did not have,” said acting director Ronald Rowe at a conference the press “Therefore, we need to do a better job of collaborating, using these partner systems, and that will drive our operations forward.”
Rowe said the shooting was a failure of the Secret Service alone.
“None of the state or local agencies that supported us in Butler on July 13th are being held accountable,” he said.
One bystander was killed and two others were injured in an assassination attempt at a July 13 election rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump suffered an injury to his ear. The gunman was killed by a sniper.
Rowe said July 13 was the first time Secret Service snipers had been sent to a Trump rally this year. Going forward, he said the Secret Service will have counter snipers at all events with presidential candidates.
Rowe said there are two command posts: one post with the Secret Service and Pennsylvania State Police, and one post with local police. He said it was “unique” to have two security command posts, and going forward, he would make sure everyone was in the same room.
Rowe also walked through the timeline.
On July 8, agents from the Pittsburgh field office conducted a walkthrough of the event, he said. On July 10, Secret Service counter snipers and technical security personnel arrived in Pittsburgh and began planning further for the team, he said.
On July 12, construction of the campaign rally site began, he said, and continued until the morning of July 13.
The morning of July 13, a site briefing was conducted with Secret Service personnel and law enforcement partners supporting the event, Rowe said. Secret Service personnel took delivery and a technical security sweep of the protective site began before the site was opened to event staff, vendors and the public, he said.
About 15,000 people came to the rally, Rowe said.
At 5:53 p.m., the Secret Service counter sniper team leader texted the Secret Service counter sniper team that local police were looking for a suspicious individual outside the perimeter, surrounding the AGR building, Rowe said.
“At this time, Secret Service personnel are operating with the understanding that local law enforcement is working on a suspicious individual,” Rowe said.
“Neither the Secret Service counter sniper team, nor the members of the former president’s security detail, knew that there was someone on the roof of the AGR building with a firearm,” he said.
At 6:11 pm, the gunman fired the first shot, he said. Within three seconds, Trump’s details rushed to the stage and shielded themselves, Rowe said.
He said video from that day confirmed that there was better coverage.
“We need to have better protection for the protectee. We need to have better coverage on that roofline,” said Rowe.
Going forward, Rowe said, he is directing each special agent in charge — who oversees Secret Service field offices in the U.S. — to be accurate and clear with their state and local counterparts.
“We’re not going to have this assumption, ‘Oh, we think they have it,’ and we’re going to work together,” he said. “We’re going to have a good, tough, tough conversation about what we’re going to do, and then we’re going to come out, and we’re going to make the whole place safe moving forward.”