Republican lawmakers visit site of Trump shooting amid investigation
- Visit is part of a Congressional investigation into the shooting
- Comes as US Secret Service director testifies in Congress
- Rooftop gunman used was assigned to be covered by local law enforcement
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(NewsNation) — A group of Republican lawmakers visited Butler, Pennsylvania, to get a first-hand look at the scene of former President Donald Trump’s attempted assassination.
House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green led the trip Monday as part of a bipartisan investigation into how the gunman was able to gain access to the rooftop he shot at Trump from, saying the investigation has revealed some discrepancies between local and federal law enforcement.
“Normally, they put a person from the locals (law enforcement) in the Secret Service (control) area. Today, the locals shared with us that they were not allowed to have anybody in there. So that makes you want to dig a little further right?” Green said during a Monday press conference.
Green also said they learned there was “very limited communication” between local law enforcement and U.S. Secret Service officers.
The visit and subsequent press conference took place at the same time U.S. Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle testified to a different committee on Capitol Hill regarding the shooting.
Secret Service shot and killed the gunman, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, moments after the attempt on the former president’s life. The FBI says the attack was the most serious attempt to assassinate a president or presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981.
The roof Crooks used was less than 150 meters from where Trump was speaking at a rally.
NewsNation sources the building was assigned to be covered by local authorities, which is standard procedure for areas outside event perimeters.
A witness told media outlets he saw Crooks on a roof outside the rally and tried to alert police three to four minutes before the shooting.
One local police officer told AP he climbed to the roof after witnesses said there was a man on the roof with a rifle, and encountered Crooks, who pointed his rifle at the officer. The officer then retreated down the ladder, and Crooks quickly took a shot toward Trump.
Now, amid an ongoing investigation into the shooting, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are calling for Cheatle’s resignation
