The House task force released an interim staff report detailing flaws in planning and security at former President Trump’s July 13 rally in Butler, Pa., suggesting that the assassination attempt was preventable.
The report highlighted inadequate planning, restricted field of vision for local snipers, lack of unified command post, and fragmented communication as contributing factors to the security failures.
Driving the news: Thomas Matthew Crooks, the would-be assassin, was able to climb a building with a clear line of sight to Trump and fire at him, with the report stating that the events were preventable and should not have occurred.
- The bullet missed Trump by inches and killed one rally attendee while injuring two others, prompting multiple probes into the security lapses.
The big picture: The report also included details on Crooks’s autopsy report and the release of his remains, addressing concerns related to the handling of the assailant’s body.
- The report mentioned plans to conduct over 20 transcribed interviews of federal officials and other relevant individuals in the following months and indicated that a final report is due by Dec. 13.
What they’re saying: “Put simply, the evidence obtained by the Task Force to date shows the tragic and shocking events of July 13 were preventable and should not have happened,” the report reads.
