PA - Assassination attempt, shooting injures former POTUS Donald Trump, leaves 1 spectator deceased two in critical condition, 13 July 2024 #5

[Chimera]

I think the "they" being referred to were the local/county/state LE, not the Secret Service.

Unless the local LE had communicated that to SS, they wouldn't know. The weak link was local LE. SS are mere mortals like the rest of us. They don't have powers of telepathy, mind reading or the ability to fly or materialize in any location at will. JMO

<modsnip>

Bbm.
I have a different take, with the first bolded.
The local LE may have been anything from trained sharpshooters ( Wasn't said there was an outside source who were a trained Swat unit ? As in, subcontracted ?) to cops assigned to traffic duty.

The bulk of the responsibility would have been with the secret service whose main job is to detect possible threats and protect the former potus and the crowd.
Imo.

<modsnip>

 

[Chimera]

Local SWAT team blames Trump assassination attempt on lack of planning, communication

Members of the local SWAT team on duty at the Butler Trump rally told ABC News that a lack of planning and communication resulted in the failure to protect Donald Trump.

abcnews.go.com

The sniper and his fellow Beaver County SWAT officers were assigned to Trump's Butler campaign rally, and tasked with supporting the Secret Service and other law enforcement in the mission to keep the event and Secret Service protectee, safe.
Rbm.
They (local LEO's) were not running the show, so to speak.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/10/politics/snipers-detail-breakdowns-trump-assassination-attempt-invs/index.html

“Could it have been avoided? Absolutely,” said Det. Pat Young, commander of the Beaver County SWAT team and Nicol’s boss. “And should it have been avoided? Yeah, absolutely.”
A Butler sniper leader who met Nicol and his partners at the AGR building told them their mission was to look out those windows and scan the area for threats, Nicol said
Over the next 13 minutes, Nicol attempted to pass his concerns up the chain of command.
The state trooper then conveyed the information to Secret Service agents also in the command post at approximately 5:44 p.m.

The secret service were notified.
They did nothing.
There was time to act.

The burden of blame is more on them than anyone else; their job is to neutralize threats.

Some good maps at the Cnn link.

All of this happened in an area that wasn't overly large for the secret service to handle.

Secret Service blames local police, says they were tasked with securing properties surrounding Trump’s Pa. rally

BUTLER, Pa. — The Secret Service blamed local police for failing to secure the rooftop from which gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump, insistin…

nypost.com

Pennsylvania police confirmed they assisted the Secret Service and regularly do so when high-profile government officials come to town, but that the federal agency ultimately runs the show.
Attendees reported seeing 20-year-old Thomas Crooks acting suspiciously near rally metal detectors, according to CNN, with local law enforcement being notified and broadcasting warnings over their radios to the Secret Service to be on the lookout for him.

Included is a photo of a gate at the edge of the rally.
Good work in securing that gate, secret service !
Even if they weren't the ones who used zip ties, they should have noticed it wasn't secured.
A good pair of Fiskars could cut the ties quickly.
Wire or bolt cutters would get that chain undone.
After that, a truck could easily have been driven through the fence.
Smh.


Omo.

 

[CCJD]

Butler County law enforcement set aside radios for the U.S. Secret Service to use at the July 13 campaign rally for former President Donald Trump, but the federal law enforcement agency did not retrieve the radios, according to a preliminary investigative report released Aug. 15 by Congressman Clay Higgins, R-Lousiana.

Congressman’s report: Radios were offered to Secret Service at Butler County Trump rally

Butler County law enforcement set aside radios for the U.S. Secret Service to use at the July 13 campaign rally for former President Donald Trump, but the federal law enforcement agency did not retrie...

www.butlereagle.com

 

[Mica]

The FBI are the ones who give permission for the release of the body. It's in the Preliminary Investigation Report that @Mica linked.

"Yes, Butler County Coroner technically had legal authority over the body, but I spoke with the Coroner, and he would have never released Crooks’ body to the family for cremation or burial without specific permission from the FBI."

It sounds, to me, as if the congressman who wrote the report doesn't trust the Coroner or the FBI. Or just wanted to see the body for himself, instead of reading the reports and viewing all of the photos. Though I don't think he is a Coroner himself, so I am not sure what else the body would have told him.

imo

From Rep. Clay Higgins report (link above)…paragraph 2 explains Higgins reasons for wanting to see the body.

 

[PrairieWind]

The FBI are the ones who give permission for the release of the body. It's in the Preliminary Investigation Report that @Mica linked.

"Yes, Butler County Coroner technically had legal authority over the body, but I spoke with the Coroner, and he would have never released Crooks’ body to the family for cremation or burial without specific permission from the FBI."

It sounds, to me, as if the congressman who wrote the report doesn't trust the Coroner or the FBI. Or just wanted to see the body for himself, instead of reading the reports and viewing all of the photos. Though I don't think he is a Coroner himself, so I am not sure what else the body would have told him.

imo

I'm still confused here. Did the coroner release the body or not?

 

[PrairieWind]

I think it is a Federal law that an employer must allow their employee time to pump when the need is there. It is pretty painful to not be able to relieve the pressure.

I guess that if family was there, caring for the infant, the time taken to feed would be equivalent to the time it takes to pump. And it would avoid trying to find somewhere to store the equipment for pumping and then keeping the milk cold.

US Dept of Labor - FLSA Protections to Pump at Work

Yes, but she should not have been on an assignment that would be jeopardized by the the breastfeeding. A reasonable accommodation would have been a different assignment. There has to be an attempt to come up with a plan agreed to and this seems to have been a surprise to the SS. The breastfeeding employee has obligations as well.

 

[layer]

A good pair of Fiskars could cut the ties quickly.
Wire or bolt cutters would get that chain undone.
View attachment 525049
Omo.

Actually... why cut off the ladder rungs they installed for you to hop right through that wide opening at the top?

 

[Seattle1]

I'm still confused here. Did the coroner release the body or not?

I think they are saying that the Butler County Coroner released the body to the family for cremation on July 13, ten days after the shooting, but that specific authorization to release the body had to come from the FBI.

Seems the Congressmen have the same complaint that the FBI also released the crime scene too soon-- including that FBI released first responders the night of the shooting, causing several to express “everything from surprise to dismay to suspicion” during interviews.

Nonetheless, neither the FBI, SS will comment, and reporters calls to the Butler County Coroner have not been returned.

Trump assassination attempt task force member questions FBI over evidence, gunman's body

WASHINGTON — A Louisiana congressman on the House task force investigating the July 13 assassination attempt of Donald Trump in Butler took the FBI...

www.post-gazette.com

 

[Friday Fan]

I think it is a Federal law that an employer must allow their employee time to pump when the need is there. It is pretty painful to not be able to relieve the pressure.

I guess that if family was there, caring for the infant, the time taken to feed would be equivalent to the time it takes to pump. And it would avoid trying to find somewhere to store the equipment for pumping and then keeping the milk cold.

US Dept of Labor - FLSA Protections to Pump at Work

The emphasis is on "reasonable accommodations".

Yes, you can, but she should have made arrangements ahead of time to leave her station and a replacement agent should have been assigned for the time period that she was breastfeeding.

SS agents are human, they need to eat and use restrooms just like everyone else. They also get sick and suffer from minor emergencies just like the rest of us. Obviously they must have some sort of arrangements for breaks worked out.
In this case, it appears they did not.

 

[shotgun09]

'He definitely was a hero': Corey Comperatore's wife and daughters talk about deadly shooting

Helen Comperatore talks exclusively with Pittsburgh's Action News 4 about what happened that day -- and about the love of her life.

www.wtae.com

 

[Friday Fan]

Subject: Preliminary Investigative Report to Chairman Mike Kelly
Investigative Authority: House Bi-Partisan Task Force on the Attempted Assassination of Former
President Donald Trump.
Author of Preliminary Report: Congressman Clay Higgins
Date: 12 August 2024

https://clayhiggins.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Preliminary-Investigative-Report-8.12.24.pdf

Why is this a thing?

I read about it somewhere after Crooks' body was released. I also knew he was released for cremation. It wasn't a secret at the time. I can't find the original article because all the searches are overshadowed by this.

Cause of death for Crooks was released on July 16th.

Official Cause of Death Released for Trump Rally Shooter

The shooter was shot by the Secret Service immediately after firing at Donald Trump in the July 13 attack, which killed a person attending the rally and severely injured two others.

people.com

An autopsy report was released on Aug 1st

Trump shooter autopsy reveals cause of death after attempted assassination

Butler County Coroner William Young released a one-page autopsy summary of the man who attempted to kill former President Donald Trump.

www.usatoday.com

How long are they supposed to keep his body?

I don't believe Congress can order a body "be kept in storage", just because there is a Congressional investigation. Was there an order somewhere?

I believe those are decisions of when to release a body is the medical examiner's.

Why would Congress even want his body in storage? I've never heard of something like this?

Higgins also contradicts itself with regards to Crook's body. He even states the coroner released the body:

My effort to examine Crooks’ body on Monday, August 5, caused quite a stir and revealed a disturbing fact… the FBI released the body for cremation 10 days after J13. On J23, Crooks was gone. Nobody knew this until Monday, August 5, including the County Coroner, law enforcement,Sheriff, etc
Yes, Butler County Coroner technically had legal authority over the body, but I spoke with the Coroner, and he would have never released Crooks’ body to the family for cremation or burial without specific permission from the FBI

https://clayhiggins.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Preliminary-Investigative-Report-8.12.24.pdf

The FBI called the accusation of obstruction “inaccurate and unfounded.” The FBI arranged for cleaning the area where Crooks died and released his body to his family in coordination with the coroner’s office and other law enforcement partners.

House member blasts FBI Trump shooting probe, agency defends 'painstaking' investigation

Rep. Clay Higgins blasted the FBI investigation of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, including the cremation of the shooter's body.

www.usatoday.com

 

[Friday Fan]

Secret Service Pulls From Biden’s Protective Team to Guard Trump

In the aftermath of an assassination attempt last month, the agency has shifted members of President Biden’s protective team to the Trump campaign.

www.nytimes.com

 

[BayouBelle_LA]

'He definitely was a hero': Corey Comperatore's wife and daughters talk about deadly shooting

Helen Comperatore talks exclusively with Pittsburgh's Action News 4 about what happened that day -- and about the love of her life.

www.wtae.com

From the link -

To get answers about what happened, Helen Comperatore has hired an attorney.

"I want justice for my husband, and I'm going to get it," she said.

They specifically want answers from security at the rally.

"I just want them to know that I really think my dad's blood is on their hands, and I hope they wake up every day thinking about what they took from our family," Kaylee said. "Because we have to wake up every day and see that image of our father in our head, and no child should ever have to see that."
(…)
Helen Comperatore says she has been invited to be a part of Trump's next visit to Butler in October, but that she will have to see how security is before making a decision whether to join him on stage.

 

[Chimera]

'He definitely was a hero': Corey Comperatore's wife and daughters talk about deadly shooting

Helen Comperatore talks exclusively with Pittsburgh's Action News 4 about what happened that day -- and about the love of her life.

www.wtae.com

Thanks so much for posting this link, @shotgun09 .

I teared up reading it, and am thankful Helen is fighting for justice and answers for Corey's death !

It's sad that she must hire an atty., and also regrettable that the secret service employees who were there haven't been questioned about their lack of timely response; among other issues that day.
Omo.

 

[SouthAussie]

From Rep. Clay Higgins report (link above)…paragraph 2 explains Higgins reasons for wanting to see the body.

Thank you. Yes, I read the whole report. He couldn't confirm it was "100% accurate".

But he also feels sure that Shot 9 from a "bad-a$$" SS sniper (his words) stopped Crooks from shooting any more. And that Shot 10 from a different SS sniper killed Crooks. And that Crooks is dead. What else is needed?

 

[SouthAussie]

The emphasis is on "reasonable accommodations".

Yes, you can, but she should have made arrangements ahead of time to leave her station and a replacement agent should have been assigned for the time period that she was breastfeeding.

SS agents are human, they need to eat and use restrooms just like everyone else. They also get sick and suffer from minor emergencies just like the rest of us. Obviously they must have some sort of arrangements for breaks worked out.
In this case, it appears they did not.

Maybe she was not alone at her post? I have read the articles. None of them (that I have read) say what or where her post was, if she was alone or with another agent(s) at that post, if the post was being covered by one less person and yet was still covered for her break.

I have read that her family (with the infant) was escorted to the room where she breastfed, so someone with authority for that special room knew it was happening.

We just don't have the details - other than no adverse incidents happened, and she did it prior to the main event - but it makes for good media fodder I guess.

imo

ETA example link ... Donald Trump security breach sparks another Secret Service controversy

 

[Seattle1]

Maybe she was not alone at her post? I have read the articles. None of them (that I have read) say what or where her post was, if she was alone or with another agent(s) at that post, if the post was being covered by one less person and yet was still covered for her break.

I have read that her family (with the infant) was escorted to the room where she breastfed, so someone with authority for that special room knew it was happening.

We just don't have the details - other than no adverse incidents happened, and she did it prior to the main event - but it makes for good media fodder I guess.

imo

ETA example link ... Donald Trump security breach sparks another Secret Service controversy

None of this is true -- she abandoned her post without warning or being authorized to do so, and the breach by this woman wasn't discovered until the Agent in charge swept her post!

First, the agent abandoned their post without permission and/or warning to the event site agent. Second, a working agent on duty cannot bring a child to a protective assignment. And third, the agent and her family members bypassed the Uniformed Division checkpoint and were escorted by an unpinned event staff into the room to breastfeed, Unpinned means they have not been cleared by the Secret Service to be there.

^^rsbm

https://twitter.com/x/status/1824059727766290534

 

[Simply Southern]

Maybe she was not alone at her post? I have read the articles. None of them (that I have read) say what or where her post was, if she was alone or with another agent(s) at that post, if the post was being covered by one less person and yet was still covered for her break.

I have read that her family (with the infant) was escorted to the room where she breastfed, so someone with authority for that special room knew it was happening.

We just don't have the details - other than no adverse incidents happened, and she did it prior to the main event - but it makes for good media fodder I guess.

imo

It doesn't matter what her post was or if she was alone.

What matters ....
•Left her post without permission
•Escorted unauthorized family members into a HIGH secured area, like it was a back stage VIP pass
•She and her family were in a tent reserved for a protectee emergency.

Like any job, a person doesn't just walk off and do their own thing when they chose. She violated many polices and requires immediately termination.

What if surgeons walk out of a surgery, an airline pilot walks out of the cockpit, police officer walks out during a shooting? There are many jobs that folks don't/can't walk off on a whim. Even at McDonald's breaks are scheduled.


Like @Seattle1 stated it doesn't matter WHAT she was doing. She was NOT doing what she was paid to do.

Moo....

 

[SouthAussie]

None of this is true -- she abandoned her post without warning or being authorized to do so, and the breach by this woman wasn't discovered until the Agent in charge swept her post!


^^rsbm

https://twitter.com/x/status/1824059727766290534

I am going to have to agree to disagree. As we do not know if she was alone at her post. And we do not know who else knew about her break, said (perhaps) "okay, go now". We only know that the site supervisor was not aware.
In other words, perhaps her fellow co-workers were aware.

imo

 

[Chimera]

The emphasis is on "reasonable accommodations".

Yes, you can, but she should have made arrangements ahead of time to leave her station and a replacement agent should have been assigned for the time period that she was breastfeeding.

SS agents are human, they need to eat and use restrooms just like everyone else. They also get sick and suffer from minor emergencies just like the rest of us. Obviously they must have some sort of arrangements for breaks worked out.
In this case, it appears they did not.

Agreed.
Also wanted to add that a competent secret service agent would have made those arrangements ahead of time !

Raises some eyebrows as to what kind of people the former director of the secret service, K. Cheatle, was in the habit of hiring ?
Maybe she should have made better choices.

It doesn't matter what her post was or if she was alone.

What matters ....
•Left her post without permission
•Escorted unauthorized family members into a HIGH secured area, like it was a back stage VIP pass
•She and her family were in a tent reserved for a protectee emergency.

Like any job, a person doesn't just walk off and do their own thing when they chose. She violated many polices and requires immediately termination.

What if surgeons walk out of a surgery, an airline pilot walks out of the cockpit, police officer walks out during a shooting? There are many jobs that folks don't/can't walk off on a whim. Even at McDonald's breaks are scheduled.


Like @Seattle1 stated it doesn't matter WHAT she was doing. She was NOT doing what she was paid to do.

Moo....

All good points made.^^^

People have been let go for walking away from all sorts of places of employment.
What if her family members had been asked to leave in the event of an emergency ?
Even though the former potus was escorted to a vehicle to go to the hospital , what if even more people had been shot and injured ?
The tent would have been commandeered for triage, correct ?

Would the SS woman's family been ok with being requested to leave ?
It takes time to pack up a babies' things, including if they had a pack-n-play (portable playpen).
That could have become a problem if multiple people needed treatment on site.
And on and on.
This SS woman needs to be fired.
Omo.