House panel finds Trump assassination event "preventable" in interim report
SUMMARY
A bipartisan House task force has released a preliminary report indicating that the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump on July 13, 2024, was "preventable." The 53-page report highlights significant communication and planning failures between the Secret Service and local law enforcement prior to the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where a gunman opened fire, grazing Trump's ear and killing a rally attendee. Key findings include a lack of coordination and inadequate security measures, such as the absence of a unified command post and no meeting between federal and local agencies on the day of the event. Witnesses described the pre-event walkthrough as disorganized, allowing the gunman, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, to evade detection and fire eight shots from a nearby rooftop. House Speaker Mike Johnson called the security lapses "shocking and inexcusable," asserting that Congress will pursue justice for the victims and prevent future incidents.
