Members of the local SWAT team assigned to protect President Trump at his July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania have revealed that they had no communication with the Secret Service prior to the assassination attempt.
In an exclusive interview with ABC News’ senior investigative correspondent Aaron Katersky, the officers described how a lack of communication and planning failures led to a critical delay in identifying and neutralizing the threat.
“They told us they had no communication with the Secret Service until after the gunfire started. This SWAT team saw the shooter. They recognized him as suspicious, even took pictures of him,” Katersky reported.
“None of the concerns, though, had a chance of reaching decision-makers before Trump took the stage because of what these men and women described as failures of planning and communication,” he added.
Jason Woods, the lead sharpshooter of the SWAT team in Beaver County, expressed his frustration.
“We were supposed to get a face-to-face briefing with the Secret Service snipers whenever they arrived, and that never happened,” Woods said.
“So I think that that was probably a pivotal point where I started thinking things were wrong because that never happened and we had no communication with the Secret Service,” he added.
Jason Woods: We were supposed to get a face-to-face briefing with the secret service snipers, whenever they arrived and that never happened. So, I think that that was probably a pivotal point where I started thinking things were wrong because that never happened and we had no communication with the secret service.
Aaron Katersky: You had no communication with the Secret Service at all on that Saturday?
Jason Woods: Not until after the shooting.
Aaron Katersky: And by then…Jason Woods: It was too late.
The aftermath of this monumental failure resulted in one death—Corey Comperatore, a rally attendee—and left two others critically injured.
House Speaker Mike Johnson expressed his concerns on X regarding this security failure, stating, “Another alarming security failure. A local SWAT officer in PA told ABC his team had no contact with Secret Service at the rally until after the assassination attempt on President Trump. Our House Task Force will find the answers the American people deserve.”
Another alarming security failure.
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) July 28, 2024
A local SWAT officer in PA told ABC his team had no contact with Secret Service at the rally until after the assassination attempt on President Trump.
Our House Task Force will find the answers the American people deserve. pic.twitter.com/RojvR4YfDb
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