How Did the Would-be Trump Assassin Get So Close?
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Former President Donald Trump’s assassination attempt leads many to question how the Secret Service allowed a gunman to fire from an elevated position 130 yards away.
The Details: Moments before gunfire erupted at the Trump rally Saturday, eyewitnesses saw Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, from Bethel Park, Pa., climbing onto a roof with a rifle, where they quickly alerted law enforcement. Police attempted accessing the roof, however, one officer was met with a gun pointed at him, being unable to retrieve a weapon, he let go and dropped out of harm's way.
For Context: Directly after the officers retreated, Crooks opened fire, grazing Trump’s ear, killing one rallygoer, and critically wounding two others. This was met with lethal force as a U.S. Secret Service counter-sniper fired four rounds back at Crooks. FBI officials say Crooks apparently worked alone. Trump is set to attend another rally in Milwaukee tomorrow.
How the Media Covered It: Media across the spectrum both condemned and questioned the shooting, especially security flaws at the event. Some outlets like the Daily Signal (Right bias) accused Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle of allowing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) to purportedly compromise the ability to secure Trump. Media on the left tended to place more emphasis on President Biden’s responses to the shooting, showing that Biden directed a review of Secret Service security measures for the upcoming Republican National Convention as well as an independent review of security at the rally.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Right
The Central Question Facing the Secret ServiceDominic wrote on the long list of failures by the U.S. Secret Service over recent decades, but when it comes to the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, one question in particular rises above them all: How did they allow a shooter to get on a roof that was in striking distance of Trump?
From the Center
Trump rally shooting: Focus on Secret ServiceThe U.S. Secret Service was under intense scrutiny on Sunday after a gunman managed to evade its agents and open fire on former President Donald Trump at a political rally, with Republican leaders vowing swift investigations and President Joe Biden calling for an independent review.
The gunman, a 20-year-old Pennsylvania man, injured Trump and killed a rally attendee from a rooftop perch around 150 yards (140 m) from the stage where the former president was speaking in Butler, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh, officials said.
From the Left
How could a gunman get close enough to nearly assassinate a former president?The attempt to assassinate former President Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday raised questions about security protocols and how a gunman could open fire so close to the presumptive GOP nominee.
The shooting, which left a spectator dead and injured Trump and at least two others, stunned operatives of both political parties who have seen firsthand the level of precision, care and detail the Secret Service takes in safeguarding its charges. American presidents and former presidents are among the most protected politicians in the world, with multiple...
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