It turns out that Thomas Matthew Crooks was not the only person security had their eyes on in Butler, Pennsylvania.
As investigations continue into the events that led up to and occurred during the failed assassination attempt that nearly took the life of former President Donald Trump, more information is coming out that paints a clearer picture of what happened that day. Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Christopher Paris spoke to the House Committee on Homeland Security, noting that Crooks wasn’t the only person on the security’s radar that day.
“Was [Crooks] the only one determined to be suspicious that day?” asked Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY).
“No, he was not,” Paris responded. “They identified Crooks for not matriculating. Crooks never made it through the secure perimeter into the venue space itself.”
Aside from Crooks, two other people were tagged as “suspicious” and were watched by law enforcement for the rest of the day. However, once the would-be assassin was seen holding a rangefinder, he was immediately declared a “special individual” and considered “even more suspicious.” Around 20 minutes before Trump came on stage, a sniper spotted Crooks who appeared to be looking at the rangefinder and his phone. The sniper then snapped a picture and sent it to a group chat, alerting others nearby of the young man’s odd behavior.
“There was a text thread that was going,” Paris explained. “They took a photo of him at some point when he utilized the rangefinder. The suspicion was heightened… I know from an interview that was immediately relayed in the command post to the Secret Service.”
Ten minutes after this interaction, Crooks was spotted on a rooftop across from President Trump, at which point an officer was tasked with monitoring the roof. A whistleblower claims that this officer ended up leaving their assigned area due to the heat.
“Before [Trump] went on to speak… just to be clear, [Crooks] was determined to be suspicious. There was no information that he possessed a weapon,” Paris noted. One of the reasons he was believed to be suspicious was that he “was walking around and not moving into the venue.”
“Just for some context, there were over 100 people that day that necessitated or required medical attention due to the heat, there was a missing six-year-old,” the commissioner added.
Paris was asked to give more details about the security operation surrounding the event by Rep. Mark Green.
.@HomelandGOP is grateful for the opportunity to speak with state and local officials and law enforcement members, some of whom were on-site and witnessed the events of that tragic day. My questions for Col. Christopher L. Paris, Commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police: pic.twitter.com/FwYdZLbbeU
— Rep. Mark Green (@RepMarkGreen) July 23, 2024
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Sierra Marlee is a millennial whose hunger for the truth in a world of fake news has led her to write. Marlee also contributes to BizPac Review.
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