WSJ Reports On Possible Drone Use During Trump Rally
Hello everyone! We have some breaking news regarding the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. Thomas Matthew Crooks, the would-be assassin, reportedly used a drone to fly over the Pennsylvania rally site hours before the event, according to The Wall Street Journal. This shocking revelation has raised serious concerns about security lapses and the effectiveness of current measures.
Law enforcement officials briefed on the matter revealed that Crooks managed to fly a drone on a programmed flight path, capturing aerial footage of the rally site. This allowed him to research and scope the area multiple times, undetected.
This new information adds to the growing list of security failures that have Republican lawmakers demanding answers about the attempted assassination of the 2024 GOP presidential candidate.
In her first interview since the incident, Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle addressed the issue with ABC News Chief Justice Correspondent Pierre Thomas. She described the incident as “unacceptable” and took full responsibility for the security failures.
“The buck stops with me. I am the director of the Secret Service, and I need to make sure that we are performing a review and that we are giving resources to our personnel as necessary,” Cheatle stated. She emphasized the importance of ensuring such an incident never happens again.
Crooks was able to fire multiple rounds at Trump and the crowd from an elevated platform atop a shed, which was outside the Secret Service’s security perimeter. Local law enforcement reportedly spotted the 20-year-old about thirty minutes before the attack, according to anonymous sources cited by WPXI. An officer even climbed onto the roof and saw Crooks but retreated when Crooks aimed his weapon at him.
During a Wednesday meeting at the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the Secret Service and FBI confirmed that Crooks had been identified roughly 50 minutes before the attack.
This revelation led to a heated confrontation between U.S. Secret Service Director Kim Cheatle and Republican Senators Marsha Blackburn and John Barrasso. Blackburn was particularly vocal, demanding to know why authorities did not address Crooks, despite knowing about the threat an hour before Trump took the stage.
The FBI and Secret Service have not yet responded to requests for comment.