Secret Service Blames Local Police for Assassination Attempt on Trump, Officials Dispute Claims

Despite testimony from the former Secret Service chief claiming that local law enforcement failed to provide adequate security at a recent rally where former President Trump was targeted by an assassin, officials from Beaver County, Pennsylvania, are disputing those allegations, raising questions about the agency's handling of the incident.

On July 13th, a man named Thomas Matthew Crooks attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Crooks fired shots from the roof of the AGR building, but Trump and his security detail were unharmed. In the aftermath of the incident, the acting director of the Secret Service, Ronald Rowe Jr., testified before a Senate panel, blaming local law enforcement for the security breakdown.

Rowe claimed that Secret Service agents were unaware of Crooks on the roof until it was too late and that the responsibility for the security breakdown ultimately rested with the Secret Service. However, Rowe also admitted that he never received communication that there was a suspicious person with a weapon or with bad intentions.

Secret Service Blames Local Police for Assassination Attempt on Trump, Officials Dispute Claims

Local officials from Beaver County are disputing Rowe's claims. Patrick Young, the commander of the Beaver County Emergency Services Unit, and Nathan Bible, the Beaver County District Attorney, spoke to Fox News, stating that there were two snipers inside the AGR building during the rally, one from Butler County and one from Beaver County.

Young said that one of the snipers saw Crooks and took pictures of him because he looked suspicious, but there was no indication that he was a threat. Young also said that his unit was told where to go by the Butler County Emergency Services Unit with the presumed approval of the Secret Service.

Secret Service Blames Local Police for Assassination Attempt on Trump, Officials Dispute Claims

Bible defended the snipers, saying that their job was to be on the outside of the perimeter looking into the crowd, not looking outside the area where the roof was. He added that if the Secret Service had told local officials to station snipers on the roof, they would have done so.

The Beaver County officials expressed frustration with the Secret Service's portrayal of the incident, claiming that their team did an amazing job that day and should not be blamed. They added that if they were asked to do the same job again, they would not hesitate.

Secret Service Blames Local Police for Assassination Attempt on Trump, Officials Dispute Claims

The conflicting accounts of the assassination attempt have raised questions about the Secret Service's handling of the incident and its willingness to shift blame to local law enforcement. The investigation into the security breakdown is ongoing, and it remains to be seen what further information will come to light.