Trump shooter perceived as threat before attack, got lost in crowd

Donald Trump’s would-be assassin was flagged as a “suspect” by the Secret Service up to an hour before the shootings began, but he was lost in the crowd, lawmakers told law enforcement officials.

In two closed-door briefings with House and Senate lawmakers on Wednesday, law enforcement officials, including the Secret Service, shared limited new information about security and the man who opened fire at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.

Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso said the Secret Service told them they spotted the attacker an hour before the attack but then lost sight of him.

“He was identified as a suspicious figure because he had a rangefinder and a backpack. And this was over an hour before the shooting occurred,” he told Fox News.

“So you think that during this hour you should not lose sight of the individual.”

The briefings also revealed that the shooter had visited the site of the attack, the Butler County Fairgrounds, at least once in the days leading up to the assassination attempt and had previously searched his phone for symptoms of a depressive disorder, an official familiar with the briefing told CBS News, the BBC’s news partner.

The attacker had also used his phone to search for images of Trump and President Joe Biden. FBI Director Wray told lawmakers on the call that more than 200 interviews had already been conducted and 14,000 images reviewed.

Several Republican senators criticized the investigators’ lack of transparency in their call and expressed outrage that Trump was allowed on stage even after a threat was identified.

“I am appalled to learn that the Secret Service knew of a threat before President Trump took the stage,” tweeted Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee.

A law enforcement official involved in the investigation told CBS that a sniper from a local tactical team deployed to assist the Secret Service took a photo of the shooter while looking through the rangefinder and immediately radioed a command post to report the sighting.

According to ABC News and other US media, the 20-year-old gunman was spotted again on the roof of a building 20 minutes before the attack began, authorities revealed.

He was killed by Secret Service snipers within 26 seconds of opening fire on Trump.

Several senators on the call complained that investigators had not answered their questions and demanded the resignation of Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle.

“The glaring security failures and lack of transparency surrounding the attempted assassination of President Trump demand an immediate change in leadership at the Secret Service,” tweeted Utah Sen. Mike Lee.

Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson called the briefing to lawmakers “incredibly uninformative” and said investigators answered only four questions from lawmakers.

Other senior Republicans have also called for Cheatle to resign. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said after the call that “the nation deserves answers and accountability” and that a change in leadership at the Secret Service would be “an important step in that direction.”

House lawmakers were also briefed by law enforcement Wednesday on security and what led to Saturday’s shooting.

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson also called on Cheatle to resign. He said he planned to open a House investigation.

“It will be comprised of Republicans and Democrats to get to the bottom of this quickly, so the American people can get the answers they deserve,” he told Fox News.

FBI Director Chris Wray, who participated in the calls, told lawmakers that no motive had yet been identified for the shooter.

Ms. Cheatle, a 27-year veteran of the Secret Service, is scheduled to testify next week before the Republican-controlled House Oversight Committee and the House Homeland Security Committee.

She said the agency relied on local police to secure the building where the gunman climbed onto the roof and perched his rifle.

A local police officer came face to face with the gunman on the roof moments before the attack, Butler Township Manager Tom Knights told CBS.

The officer was looking for a suspicious person. He was hoisted onto the roof by another officer and saw the suspect point a rifle directly at him, Knights said.

The officer found himself in a “defenseless” position and let go, falling to the ground. He then alerted others to the gunman’s presence. Moments later, the shooting began.

The attack is being investigated by the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general, and President Biden has said he will order an independent investigation.