Homeland Security committee says ‘glaringly obvious issues’ were present at Trump rally
CONNOQUENESSING TWP — The July 13 rally for former President Donald Trump had “glaringly obvious” security issues, members of the House Committee on Homeland Security said after touring the Butler Farm Show grounds Monday, July 22.
Representatives on the committee got a firsthand look at not only the Butler Farm Show grounds, but also at the nearby rooftop where the 20-year-old Bethel Park man who shot at Trump was perched during the campaign rally.
Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, said from the roof of the American Glass Research (AGR) building in Butler Township, he had a clear line of site to where Trump would have been addressing the crowd at the Connoquenessing Township venue and noticed a nearby water tower that could have been a perch for counter-snipers.
His first thought standing on the roof, McCaul said, was “it’s way too close.”
“Being up on that rooftop, looking at where the president was relative to the roof, so close for a sniper,” McCaul said. “Why in the world wasn’t anyone up on that water tower? It really surveils the entire landscape, yet no one was there.”
The committee toured the grounds Monday morning alongside local officials, including Butler Township commissioners and Connoquenessing Township supervisors. State police also were on site.
Republican officials of the committee called for the resignation of U.S. Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle, who was testifying before Congress at the same time as the officials’ tour of the farm show grounds.
Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., chairman of the committee, said after the tour the committee had not followed along with Cheatle’s testimony of the day, but reinforced that she should resign from her position. He also said the members of the committee noted a lack of communication between Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies.
“That’s a vulnerability; someone should have had eyes on that building all the way around outside, so no one ever got on top of that building,” Green said. “There was very limited communication between the locals on the outer perimeter and the inner perimeter.”
While Butler Township’s police department was responsible for traffic control along Butler Township roads, according to township manager Tom Knights, a Butler Township police officer had encountered the gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks. Township police Lt. Matthew Pearson confirmed Tuesday, July 16, that one of his officers attempted to pull himself up on the roof. As the officer was hanging from the building, drawing a weapon would not have been possible, Pearson said. The officer dropped to the ground.
The officers from the township police department had only been tasked with traffic control, Knights said. Butler County Sheriff Mike Slupe and state police also indicated in interviews last week that their agencies were not responsible for the AGR building.
Rep. Mike Kelly, R-16th, said the committee visited the site to get answers being asked about the situation by their constituents. The ultimate point, Kelly said, is to make sure an event like the near-assassination of a former president and presidential candidate never happens again.
Democratic members of the committee spoke to media following remarks from Republican representatives. Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., said he was surprised to learn that about 50 volunteers went to the site the day before the event to help set up, and they were not vetted. Ivey added that he would like to see the investigation of the shooting and the response play out before making changes in agency leadership or to their policies.
Ivey also said the information he gathered Monday showed him that the farm show was not a secure place to have a presidential campaign rally.
“I don’t agree with having it here, but if you’re going to have it here, you need to seal down more of it,” Ivey said.
Present at the conference were Sam Zurzolo, vice president of the Butler Township commissioners, and Angela Fleeger, a Connoquenessing Township supervisor, who were also both at the rally July 13 in a position close to Trump.
Fleeger said the meeting Monday was the first one she was involved in regarding the investigation into the events of July 13. She said the committee members listened to the concerns she relayed to them about the pre-planning of the rally.
Fleeger said her main concern about the rally in the days leading up to it was that residents local to Connoquenessing Township were safe and aware of the plan for the rally. Following the tour of the farm show grounds Monday, Fleeger reiterated that local first responders, including the Connoquenessing Volunteer Fire Company, only had five days to prepare for the rally, which she said was not enough.
“Our township was not notified prior to it breaking … in the late evening of July 3,” Fleeger said. “I also spoke to the state police (July 8) asking for them to give me a call back. The lieutenant did, and he stated at that point that they had not met with the Secret Service and had no information to share with me as far as a traffic and safety plan.”
Fleeger also said there were about 250 heat-related illnesses at the rally, and people were collapsing right in front of her. Fleeger commended the Connoquenessing fire company for its work in coordinating health care-related services at the rally.
Zurzolo said Monday he is still shaken up having been close to the stage where Trump was speaking when the shooting began. He said he has gotten very little sleep the past week.
He said he was happy to have members of Congress hear about his experience July 13, and potentially follow up with local officials with more questions and information about the incident.
“I was impressed with the Congresspeople here today,” Zurzolo said. “They are concerned, and I know they are good Americans for being concerned. Democrat, Republican, it has nothing to do with it.”
