Head of Task Force on the attempted assassination: Trump’s rally security is ‘dramatically different’
U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-16th, says the security at Saturday, Oct. 5, campaign rally for President Donald Trump is significantly greater than it had been at the July 13 rally at the same Connoquenessing Township venue.
Kelly, who heads the bipartisan Task Force on the Attempted Assassination of Donald J. Trump, said Friday that communications between the task force and federal agencies like the FBI and U.S. Secret Service have created a clearer picture of security expectations for future Trump rallies, including for the one Saturday at the Butler Farm Show grounds.
“All the preparation in place right now are the lessons from what happened July 13,” Kelly said, calling security for the rally “dramatically different.”
He said there will be more law enforcement officers on site, who will have better communication methods in place. Kelly said a lack of communication between law enforcement and the federal agents at the July 13 rally contributed to the shooter’s ability to fire multiple shots at Trump and the crowd that day.
“Far before the shooter took his shots, there was an awareness that someone suspicious was there,” Kelly said. “The feds, they didn't have drones, they weren't able to communicate with local officers; they didn't communicate the way they should have.”
At Trump’s July 13 campaign rally, a gunman fired shots into the crowd, killing a Buffalo Township man named Corey Comperatore, severely injuring two others and grazing Trump’s ear. The gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was then killed by a sniper.
An investigative report following the rally indicated that Butler County law enforcement had set aside radios for the United States Secret Service so agents could use them during the rally, but the federal law enforcement agency did not retrieve those radios.
District Attorney Richard Goldinger told the Butler Eagle that the local Emergency Service Unit -- one of several local organizations that offered security help at the event -- was left on its own to determine positions and got “nothing” from the Secret Service.
“The Secret Service is responsible for everything at that event, and a big part of that is the ability to communicate,” Kelly said Friday.
The 13-member Congressional task force, made up of seven Republicans and six Democrats, has conducted visits to the farm show in the months following the July 13 shooting. Its members have also interviewed people involved in the planning and security of that day’s event. The House panel is expected to propose a series of legislative reforms and issue a final report before Dec. 13.
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned one day after she appeared before a congressional hearing where she was questioned for hours by both Democrats and Republicans for the agency's security failures. The Secret Service has an acting director, Ronald L. Rowe.
The Senate also unanimously passed a bill guaranteeing that Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris receive the same level of Secret Service protection as a sitting president. Kelly said Friday the funding should give the service everything it needs to provide security to Trump at his rally.
“We've given you what you asked for, now give us what we expect,” Kelly said of the Secret Service.
Kelly said he is unsure of specific details about the Secret Service’s preparations for the coming rally, but some of the entry information for visitors is the same as it was July 13. The only entrance and exit is via Buttercup Road, and people attending the event should “come early (and) expect to stay late.”
Kelly added that the safety of the rally is not a partisan issue, and the goal of the task force is to ensure no one is hurt when attending political rallies.
