A burning question that could solve the Trump assassination case
After days of testimony on Capitol Hill and two weeks after former president Donald Trump escaped an assassination attempt that killed a bystander and wounded two others, there are still more questions than answers about the event.
However, some experts believe many pressing questions remain unsolved but could shed light on the case.
Col. Christopher Paris of the Pennsylvania State Police, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and former USSS director Kimberly Cheatle—who resigned shortly after testifying—were among those who came before Congress, as Fox News reported.
Thomas Matthew Crooks, the would-be assassin, slipped by authorities after they had identified him as a person of interest; he then climbed onto a rooftop that overlooked the former president.
Afterwards, he allegedly began firing shots, which hit Trump in the ear, killed one man in the crowd, and severely wounded two others, as reported by the FBI.
From a LEO
Paul Mauro, a retired NYPD inspector who has been in the command center for other VIP events, said the key question before investigators is, why was Donald Trump allowed to take the stage if there were any active questions about security?" According to Mauro, "That’s where the investigation is going to ultimately sum up."
According to him, there was a breakdown in communication because police had suspected Crooks well before Trump took the rally stage.
According to Mauro, the first shot could have killed the president if he hadn't been thrown off balance by a local cop who peered over the edge of the roof in pursuit of the suspect. Authorities were aggressively searching for Crooks as Trump emerged to start his speech.
"If it got to that level, hold Trump for 20 minutes until you find him," he added.
From the SS
In response to criticism over her statement that the rooftop did not have any agents stationed there due to its "sloped" nature, Cheatle informed legislators last week that the Secret Service "prefers sterile rooftops," which means that the rooftops are guarded in a way that no one can climb to the top.
However, the would-be killer managed to get to the top despite being marked as a suspect long before the incident.
"That's the elephant in the room," said Michael Verden, a former Secret Service agent founder of the Lake Forest Group, a security firm.
"What needs to be determined is why there was not a presence on that rooftop."
More Security
According to Pennsylvania's state police commissioner Paris, a Butler County tactical squad was informed by the Secret Service to secure the rooftop during a pre-rally review.
The episode is still the subject of various investigations, some of which have concentrated on the security flaws and others on Crooks personally. Those in charge of the event's preparations and safety will find this question to be very important.
"For the USSSS investigation, it’s important to know, so the appropriate individual is held accountable," said Nicole Parker, a former FBI agent. "The idea that law enforcement had identified a potential threat, then why didn’t they cover every potential vulnerability. It should have been locked down anyway, but especially when they learned of a suspicious or threatening individual."