New this morning, members of a local SWAT team assigned to protect Donald Trump on the day of the assassination attempt have revealed that the Secret Service never met with them face-to-face. They spoke to ABC News about the lack of action after a local sniper texted about someone suspicious.
“We had a text group between the local snipers that were on scene. I had sent those pictures out to that group and advised them of what I noticed and what I’d seen,” one SWAT team member explained. When asked what they thought would happen after sending in their observations, they assumed that someone would come out to speak with the individual or provide further instructions.
Their text messages also reveal that the issue of the gunman was raised nearly 90 minutes before shots were fired at the former president. CNN’s Zach Cohen provided the latest updates this morning, describing both a failure in planning and a failure in communication. The SWAT team was supposed to have a face-to-face briefing with U.S. Secret Service snipers before the rally, but that never happened.
One SWAT team member shared their frustration: “We were supposed to get a face-to-face briefing with the Secret Service snipers whenever they arrived. And that never happened. So I think that was probably a pivotal point where I started thinking things were wrong because that never happened, and we had no communication with the Secret Service.”
The lack of direct communication with the Secret Service until after the shooting occurred was astonishing. Warnings about a suspicious individual who turned out to be the would-be assassin were discussed among the local snipers in a group text approximately 90 minutes before the rally. These text messages, obtained by Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, who is investigating the shooting, highlight the gravity of the situation. One message from 4:26 p.m., over an hour and a half before the rally, noted, “Saw someone lurking around the building. We are in a war-type of there. I did see him with a rangefinder looking towards the stage. FYI, if you want to notify snipers to look out, I lost sight of them.”
Despite these early warnings, it remains unclear if the information ever reached the Secret Service.
Meanwhile, the FBI is continuing its investigation into the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. The former president has agreed to meet with the bureau for a victim interview, which is a routine part of such investigations. Senior justice correspondent Evan Perez noted that although this is standard procedure, it is significant given Trump’s high profile.
The FBI has not yet uncovered a motive for the attack and has found no co-conspirators. They described the shooter as a loner with a social circle limited to his family. The shooter spent significant time preparing for the attack, purchasing gun components and chemicals for improvised devices online using aliases and encrypted emails.
In Senate hearings, the FBI and Secret Service are expected to be pressed on the lapses in security. The Secret Service is anticipated to provide more detailed testimony following the resignation of its director last week. Overlapping lapses in security and communication have raised serious concerns about the former president’s safety.
Josh Campbell, a former FBI agent, highlighted the critical nature of communication in law enforcement. The lack of effective communication between the SWAT team and the Secret Service on the day of the rally is particularly alarming.
Campbell explained, “There’s a saying in law enforcement and the military that complacency kills. The standard types of briefings that you would expect didn’t happen. Communication is a staple in law enforcement, especially in crises. Here, it appears there was a text chain that some officers were on, but they weren’t even on the same channel. The Secret Service radios are encrypted, and local law enforcement can’t tap into that. You would expect a central command post or dispatcher to relay information, but it appears that wasn’t happening in real-time.”
As more details emerge, it becomes evident that there were significant security lapses on the day of the assassination attempt. The ongoing investigations and Senate hearings will hopefully shed more light on what went wrong and how such failures can be prevented in the future. The stakes are high as both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris continue their campaigns, making their cases to voters amid a backdrop of heightened security concerns and political tension.