Grassley: Local Police Dispute Key Claim from Acting Secret Service Director’s Testimony

Local law enforcement are disputing claims that the Secret Service assigned them to cover the rooftop where a would-be assassin fired at former President Donald Trump during a Pennsylvania campaign rally in July.

Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe, during recent testimony, said local police snipers were positioned inside a building adjacent to the rooftop and if they had stayed at their post, they would have seen Thomas Matthew Crooks climb into his position. Others have posted video that also suggested this, as reported by Breitbart News.

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Matthew Perdie / Breitbart News, Jack Knudsen / Breitbart News

According to a map provided to Sen. Chuck Grassley’s (R-OH) office, local police snipers from the Beaver County Emergency Services Unit, who were assisting the Secret Service that day, were not assigned to cover the rooftop. The map has lines that show the area of their alleged responsibilities, which exclude the rooftop.

In a letter to Rowe, Grassley requested more information about whether or not the Secret Service indeed had assigned local law enforcement to cover the rooftop. He also requested more information on a site briefing that local law enforcement claimed never happened that day, but that Rowe claimed did happen.

Grassley asked Rowe in the letter the following:

1. Please provide a site diagram making clear where all local and federal law enforcement counter snipers were positioned and their assigned coverage areas, along with the shooter’s positions throughout the day.
2. Do the photographs and diagrams referenced above conflict with Secret Service records regarding how local snipers were supposed to be positioned and how the AGR building was supposed to be covered? Please explain and provide all records.
3. Describe, in detail, how the Beaver County and Butler County counter sniper teams were assigned to their positions on the second floor of the AGR complex and their respective coverage areas. Did the Secret Service assign or approve the location of the counter snipers in the AGR complex? If so, when, who and how was the instruction given?
4. Do any Secret Service records indicate that the local counter snipers were supposed to be located inside, and not outside, the AGR building? Provide all records.
5. Regarding your testimony, who told Secret Service that the building “was going to be covered”? Who took part in the “face to face” meeting that you referenced?

Grassley also requested to know if Secret Service ever saw Crooks on the rooftop before he opened fire. Rowe has claimed that Secret Service snipers did not see Crooks at all before he opened fire — a claim that has been called into question after video recorded by one of the injured victims behind Trump clearly showed someone running along the rooftop.

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“Did any federal law enforcement personnel assigned to the July 13 event see a person on the roof of the AGR building at any point prior to the gunman opening fire? If so, which agency? Please explain in detail and with timestamps,” Grassley asked Rowe.

Grassley set a deadline for Rowe for August 16.

While it has been nearly 30 days since the July 13 assassination attempt, there are still few answers as to how the Secret Service failed to secure the building from which the shooter fired at Trump, nearly killing him on live television.

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