Chilling leaked messages from Trump counter snipers have surfaced, detailing the moments leading up to the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13.
On Saturday, July 13th, there was a “colossal failure” of security, according to the former Director of the Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle.
The ‘colossal failure’ resulted in an alleged sniper, Thomas M. Crooks, taking shots at President Trump from the rooftop of the AGR Building in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The Gateway Pundit has published exclusive stories indicating the assembled group yelling, which included patriot Greg Smith, could see the sniper team on the second floor. Smith could also see that the second-floor sniper team was watching Crooks for a half hour prior to the shooting, doing nothing.
Recall that Rep. Ron Johnson (R-WI) released his 13-page preliminary findings on the investigation into the attempted assassination of President Trump.
Below is the preliminary timeline on the day of the assassination attempt, based on information uncovered by Senator Johnson’s office:
9:00am
Butler ESU holds a briefing for local SWAT and Sniper units from Butler County, Beaver County, and Washington County.
A 46-page slide deck is provided, outlining:
Areas of responsibility for each local unit.
Staging locations, including sniper positions for local units and the Secret Service.
Attendees note the absence of Secret Service or other federal law enforcement at the briefing.
Initially, Secret Service had no plans for sniper units but later changed their decision.
9:27am
Thomas Matthew Crooks, the alleged shooter, enters a Home Depot in Bethel Park, PA.
CCTV footage shows him entering alone.
9:41am
Crooks purchases a 5.5 FT Aluminum Dual Platform ladder.
9:42am
Crooks exits Home Depot.
CCTV footage captures him leaving the parking lot, though the vehicle make/model is unidentifiable.
10:30am
Two local law enforcement snipers position themselves on the second floor inside the American Glass Research (AGR) building.
5:10pm
Crooks is first observed by AGR sniper 1 at the AGR building.
5:14pm
AGR sniper 1 takes photos of Crooks.
Source: Preliminary findings/Ron Johnson
5:28pm
AGR sniper 1 takes a photo of a bicycle and two bags near the AGR building.
The whereabouts of the bicycle and bags post-event remain unclear.
Source: Preliminary findings/Ron Johnson
5:32pm
AGR sniper 1 spots Crooks using his phone and a rangefinder.
5:38pm
AGR sniper 1 messages the “Sniper Group” about Crooks.
5:40pm
AGR sniper 1 is instructed to call command regarding Crooks.
5:41pm
AGR sniper 1 provides a description of Crooks and the rangefinder to command.
5:49pm
Photos of Crooks are sent to Butler ESU Command.
5:55pm
Butler ESU Command confirms receipt and relays the photos.
5:59pm
Butler ESU Command inquires about Crooks’ direction of travel.
Initially, AGR sniper 1 is unsure.
6:05pm
AGR sniper 1 later reports Crooks moving northeast towards Sheetz with a backpack.
6:06-6:12pm
AGR sniper 1 moves to the ground floor to meet local law enforcement to alert them about Crooks.
Approx. 6:11pm
Crooks begins shooting.
Secret Service reportedly returns fire, killing Crooks.
6:23pm
Beaver County SWAT confirms Crooks’ death on the roof.
Local law enforcement and a Secret Service agent are present.
6:46pm
Crooks is patted down, revealing a transmitter device, phone, and rangefinder.
7:45pm-7:46pm
At Allegheny Bomb Squad’s request, local law enforcement texts pictures of Crooks and nearby items to an ATF agent’s phone for facial recognition analysis.
Now, chilling texts, which were obtained by the New York Times from local law enforcement, detail the frantic communications of countersnipers who were tasked with protecting Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
One of the countersnipers sent a message to his colleagues indicating that his shift was ending. At approximately 4:26 PM, he observed a suspicious individual—later identified as the assailant, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks—sitting on a picnic table just 50 yards from the exit.
“Guys I am out. Be safe,” the sniper wrote. “Someone followed our lead and snuck in and parked by our cars just so you know. I’m just letting you know because you see me go out with my rifle and put it in my car so he knows you guys are up there.”
He added that Crooks was “sitting to the direct right on a picnic table about 50 yards from the exit” in a message sent at 4:27 PM, a little over 90 minutes before the gunman fired. The two other countersnipers responded with a thumbs-up emoji and a “Roger that.”
Credit: New York Times via Senator Charles E. Grassley
Another screenshot, timed at around 5:38 PM, shows Crooks beneath the countersnipers, who had positioned themselves in a nearby warehouse. One of the remaining snipers photographed Crooks multiple times and texted the pictures to the group chat.
“Kid learning around building we are in,” one wrote. “I did see him with a range finder looking towards stage. FYI. If you wanna notify SS snipers to look out. I lost sight of him.”
Credit: New York Times
Witnesses later reported seeing Crooks crawling onto the roof of the American Glass Research building. At 5:40 PM, one of the countersnipers suggested calling in the report of Crooks. Within the next half hour, the gunman would be dead, and Trump would be photographed with blood coming from the area around his ear.
Taken together, the text messages provide the most detailed picture yet of the hours before the assassination attempt. They reveal that the gunman, later identified as Thomas Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pa., aroused police suspicion more than 90 minutes before the shooting, rather than about 60 minutes, as has been previously discussed in congressional hearings.
The messages also add to the evidence that the would-be assassin was often one step ahead of security forces, and in particular the Secret Service.
Mr. Crooks scoped out the rally site a day before the Secret Service did. He used a drone to survey the site while the Secret Service did not seek permission to use one for the rally. He researched how far Lee Harvey Oswald was from John F. Kennedy when he fatally shot the president in 1963 — the answer is about 265 feet — and managed to climb onto a roof that was about 400 feet from Mr. Trump at its closest point. The Secret Service left that roof unmanned.
And while countersnipers were assigned to surveil the rally, Mr. Crooks was also in a position to watch them.
Even after the episode ended, the police seemed confused about what Mr. Crooks had done and how.
