Key moment in Trump shooting bodycam confirms bungling Secret Service KNEW Thomas Crooks was a threat before attack
BODYCAM footage has revealed that the Secret Service knew that Trump shooter Thomas Crooks was a threat before he launched his attack.
The newly released clip by Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley shows local cops and a Secret Service agent confirming that they were aware of the would-be assassin but “lost sight of him”.
In the video, a man who appears to be a Secret Service agent can be heard saying: “So this is the guy”.
A Beaver County emergency service unit officer then replies: “This is him.”
According to the New York Post, the emergency services officer also said a police sniper took photos of Crooks, including pics of him on a bicycle.
An officer can be heard saying: “That’s the sniper that sent the original picture and seen him come from the bike and set the book bag down and then lost sight of him.”
The footage confirms that law enforcement officers and the Secret Service were aware of the threat Thomas Crook posed before he shot Trump and killed a firefighter at the open-air rally in Pennsylvania on July 13.
The shot grazed the former President’s ear and also left two others injured.
The graphic video shows blood trailing from the 20-year-old gunman’s body while the rifle used during the shooting lies nearby.
The bodycam clip comes after Senator Grassley called on the Secret Service to release more information to the public after the failed assassination attempt on Republican candidate Donald Trump.
He said: “Federal agencies, particularly the Secret Service, have failed to be transparent with the American people.
“This assassination attempt is a matter of substantial public interest, and the public’s business ought to be public.”
Grassley released the video the same day Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle stepped down following pressure from lawmakers.
According to the Post, the Secret Service had previously claimed they were only in charge of the rally grounds, and that local police were in charge of securing AGR.
A Secret Service spokesperson told the Daily Beast: “All of us at the Secret Service are committed to better understanding what happened before, during, and after the assassination attempt of former President Trump to ensure that never happens again.
“That includes complete cooperation with Congress, the FBI and other relevant investigations.”
Moment officers found Thomas Crooks' body
NEW footage has shown the moment officers found Thomas Crooks’ body after he was shot by a sniper for attempting to assassinate former president Donald Trump. A man who appeared to be a Secret Service agent and a heavily armed man could be heard speaking about the would-be assassin.
“So this is the guy,” the man in a suit said to the heavily armed officer.
“Yes. The Beaver County sniper that seen him and sent the pictures out. This is him,” the cop responded.
“That’s the sniper that sent the original picture and seen him come from the bike and set the book bag down and then lost sight of him,” he told the man who appeared to be a Secret Service agent.
“So we’re treating that as a suspicious device?” the man who looked like a Secret Service agent asked.
“Maybe they were involved, maybe they weren’t,” the man in the suit recalled.
“The guys that saw them filming said, ‘They were filming us, then filming the guy on the roof, then filming us.’ When the shots started firing they tried to run away, isn’t that what everyone would do that had a phone?”
He then spoke about a man he said was detained on the ground.
“I’m not saying they were involved or they weren’t involved, but I got no problem detaining them. I just want to detain those guys find out what they know, who they are whatever, I’m trying to get clear information to relay back to DC.”
Would-be assassin Thomas Crooks, 20, positioned himself on a roof just 430 feet away from the former president before launching his terrifying attack at an open-air rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The gunman, who grazed Trump’s ear with one of his bullets which left one dead and two critically injured, was shot dead by counter-Secret Service snipers moments later.
It comes as…
- Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigns in disgrace over failed protection of Trump
- US Navy SEAL sniper says Secret Service left Trump ‘extremely vulnerable’ after visiting shooting site
- Gunman Thomas Crooks’ dad seen for the first time since his son’s assassination attempt on Trump
- Trump plans to stop holding outside rallies
Donald Trump Rally Shooting Timeline
Donald Trump was shot at during his Pennsylvania rally on July 13.
1pm: Doors open at the Butler Farm Show grounds where Trump was expected to speak at 5pm.
4:11pm: Sean Parnell gave the opening speech.
4:35pm: David McCormick rallied the crowd.
5:10pm: Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, later identified as the shooter, was first identified as a person of interest.
5:30pm: Crooks was spotted with a rangefinder.
5:30pm: Crowds were still waiting for Trump.
5:52pm: Crooks was spotted on the roof by Secret Service.
6:02pm: Trump takes the stage.
6:09pm: Two sniper teams posted on buildings to the north and south behind the rally stage repositioned and were locked on Crooks.
6:12pm: Gunshots were fired toward the stage as Trump delivered remarks.
6:12pm: Secret Service returns fire, confirming the shooter is dead.
6:12pm: Trump was ushered off stage by Secret Service agents.
6:42pm: Secret Service confirmed Trump is safe.
7:24pm: The shooter and one rally attendee are confirmed dead by law enforcement officials.
8:42pm: Trump confirms he was shot in the ear, sharing a statement on Truth Social.
8:49pm: The Secret Service confirms the shooter and a rally attendee are dead. Two others remain critically injured
‘QUARTER INCH FROM DEATH’
Trump, 78, took the stage at his rally shortly after 6pm.
He had just started his campaign rally when he turned to direct attention to a chart on illegal immigration at the border when shots rang out.
The former president quickly grasped his ear and pulled it away to find blood on his hand.
At the Republican National Convention, Trump recalled the moment he felt “something” hit him “really really hard” on his right ear.
“I said to myself ‘Wow what was that?’ It could only be a bullet,” he said.
He also described “blood pouring everywhere” as he lay beneath the bodies of his Secret Service agents.
“If I had not moved my head at that moment, the assassin’s bullet would’ve hit its mark,” he told the crowd.
He said he was a “quarter inch from death” but turned his head at the last second which saved him.