'Security failure'

My blog title came from the mouths of several high-ranking law enforcement and government officials over the last couple of days, and all we could do is ask, “How did this happen?"

How did a 20-year-old would-be assassin somehow get on the roof of a building during a Donald Trump rally in Butler, Pa., and fire a series of rounds that grazed the presidential nominee’s ear, and sadly and tragically kill an innocent spectator protecting his family?

That’s a question that might take weeks and months to figure out, but one thing we do know coming out of the assassination attempt of the former president and current Republican presidential nominee – whatever local and federal security detail present during the Trump rally on July 13 was simply not enough to prevent a shooter from climbing onto a roof of a manufacturing plant approximately 130 yards away from where Trump was standing and opened fire on the former president.

Yes, the Secret Service immediately responded and killed the sniper within seconds of the attempted assassination, but it’s the Secret Service’s response – or lack of response - before the gunman took aim at Trump that has put security detail under the microscope in the days since the chaos unfolded in Butler.

First and foremost, how was the gunman able to gain access to the building rooftop without getting swarmed by the Secret Service? It’s apparent that the shooter’s rooftop perch was outside the security perimeter, meaning that climbing to the top of the plant was no problem for the gunman, giving him a clear shot (no pun intended) at Trump.

The security lapse was detailed by bystanders interviewed on television, describing how the gunman easily managed to move from roof to roof, and even after alerting officers nearby, nothing was done to detain the shooter before it was too late.

In the aftermath of the shooting, fingers started pointing as the blame game began. U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle said that local police were inside the building while the shooter was on the roof, and that it was the responsibility of the local police - not the Secret Service’s responsibility – to secure the building and its outer perimeter.

Regardless of which entities are responsible for the security breakdown, now it’s all about what can be done to prevent another would-be assassin from doing what Thomas Matthew Crooks tried to do.

Let’s be honest – if Trump was standing maybe three inches to his right on the podium, he might not be alive right now, harkening back to the painful memories of the assassination of Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy (father of current independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.) by Sirhan Sirhan at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles in 1968.  

It's scary when Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas himself called the events of July 13 a “security failure,” while Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego echoed Mayorkas’ sentiments in a letter he sent to the Secret Service, stating that there was a “security failure at the highest level, not seen since the attempted assassination of President Reagan.”

Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chairman Gary Peters, D-Mich., and ranking member Rand Paul, R-Ky., announced that the panel would conduct an investigation and hearing on the attempted assassination. Peters said the panel will be focused on getting all the facts about the “security failures that allowed the attacker to carry out this heinous act of violence.”

So, as the FBI takes over the role of lead investigator into the incident, and Congressional hearings take place in the coming days and weeks to get to the bottom of what transpired in Butler, the 2024 presidential race is in the homestretch. Actions must be taken immediately to ensure that President Biden, Donald Trump, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are fully protected with the election less than four months away.

Comprehensive security plans must be developed for rallies, conventions (including this week’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee) and other high-profile events where our presidential candidates appear in public settings in the weeks and months leading up to Election Day on Nov. 5.

We cannot have another security failure like the one we saw in Butler. I’m sure the family of Corey Comperatore, who died while shielding his loved ones from the hail of bullets intended for Trump, would agree.