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Even as the shock of the attempted assassination of Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday had yet to wear off, the questions began to flow.
A primary question is how the gunman, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, got so close to the former president. Crooks is believed to have fired at the former president from the roof of a nearby manufacturing plant about 150 yards away from the podium where Trump was speaking.
“An Associated Press analysis of more than a dozen videos and photos taken at the Trump rally, as well as satellite imagery of the site, shows the shooter was able to get astonishingly close to the stage where the former president was speaking,” the news agency reported Monday.
How did this happen? This, and other questions, need to be answered thoroughly and honestly. They also need to be answered quickly.
This year’s presidential election is less than four months away. Trump and President Joe Biden will be campaigning and speaking to thousands of people before then. Their safety, and the safety of all presidential candidates, must be assured.
If there were mistakes or oversights made at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, they need to be identified and corrected immediately.
“Individual Secret Service agents demonstrated extraordinary bravery as they shielded President Trump,” U.S. Sen. Susan Collins said in a statement emailed to the Bangor Daily News editorial board. “Still, there are many unanswered questions, such as how the shooter made his way to a nearby rooftop undetected, that must be resolved to help prevent such violent acts in the future.”
The Secret Service is responsible for the safety of current and former presidents. On Saturday, at fairgrounds in rural Pennsylvania, a gunman fired multiple shots during a rally for Trump. The former president was hit in the ear by a bullet.
Corey Comperatore, a volunteer firefighter who was attending the rally with family members, was killed by gunfire. Two other people at the rally were shot and injured.
A Secret Service sniper, on the roof of a building behind Trump, is said to have shot and killed Crooks before Trump, who was bloodied, was ushered from the stage.
Again, the basic question is how was Crooks able to get on the roof, carrying a rifle.
Attendees of the rally reported seeing the gunman on the roof and alerting nearby police officers. Recent reports indicate that local police were searching for a suspicious person at the rally and that they alerted the Secret Service.
There is already fingerpointing, with the Secret Service saying local law enforcement was responsible for oversight of the building where Crooks was found. This blame shifting is unhelpful. Ultimately, the Secret Service is responsible for the safety and well-being of Trump and Biden. If there were gaps in communication or responsibility, they need to be fixed immediately.
Biden has called for an independent investigation of Saturday’s events. The FBI is leading an investigation into the shooting. The Secret Service has said that it will investigate how the gunman was able to get so close to Trump. The House Oversight Committee and the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committees have also launched reviews.
As Collins noted in her statement to the BDN, the Senate Appropriations Committee increased the Secret Service budget this year, which included an additional $156 million specifically for protection and security operations in connection with the 2024 presidential election.
Americans are deeply divided, and tensions are high around this election. As we, and many others, have noted, violence is never an answer to political disagreements. Yet, in this environment, and especially with the prevalence of guns in America, violence is a significant concern. If the Secret Service, and other agencies, made mistakes in protecting a presidential candidate, those mistakes need to be immediately identified and corrected.
