Graphic bodycam footage of the moments after a gunman attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on July 13 was released Tuesday, showing agents and officers on the rooftop where Thomas Crooks was killed.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) released the new video on Tuesday, citing the Beaver Co Emergency Services Unit “in compliance w congressional requests,” Grassley wrote on X in a post alongside the video. “Bodycam footage provides more info than Secret Service will share w America,” he continued. “We NEED detailed answers ASAP on security failures TRANSPARENCY BRINGS ACCOUNTABILITY.”
The grisly footage shows what appears to be an agent standing on the roof with a number of law enforcement officers while attempting to dissect the timeline of events. The blurred, lifeless body of 20-year-old Crooks can be seen at various moments while a trail of blood travels down the roof.
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“So this is the guy the sniper saw?” the agent asks, holding his phone up.
“Yes, this is him,” an officer replies. The pair discuss photos of the gunman that were reportedly snapped before the shooting when authorities spotted him and found him to be suspicious. “He’s got his glasses on,” the officer says.
“I believe the sniper that seen [him] and sent the pictures is right inside of there,” the officer says, pointing at an adjacent building. “...He’s the one that sent the pictures. I don’t know if you got the same ones I did.”
“I think I did, yeah,” the agent replies.
The officer says the sniper “sent the original pictures, and seen him come from the bike, and set the book bag down, and then lost sight of him.”
At another point, the agents asks, “I think we have three victims in the crowd, are you guys hearing that too?”
While Trump survived the ordeal, one man, a 50-year-old firefighter, was killed, while another two were injured.
The Secret Service has faced increased scrutiny in the days since. Its director, Kimberly Cheatle, resigned Tuesday after facing a deluge of criticism about the agency’s failures.
“We respect the senator and the role of congressional oversight immensely,” a spokesperson for the U.S. Secret Service told The Daily Beast in a statement after the release of the new video. “We will respond to his inquiry through official channels. All of us at the Secret Service are committed to better understanding what happened before, during, and after the assassination attempt of former President Trump to ensure that never happens again. That includes complete cooperation with Congress, the FBI and other relevant investigations.”
Grassley said in a statement: “For the past 10 days, questions have only been building regarding the catastrophic security failure that occurred on July 13. Federal agencies, particularly the Secret Service, have failed to be transparent with the American people. This assassination attempt is a matter of significant public interest, and the public’s business ought to be public. I’m releasing these records as part of my efforts to get answers and hold agencies accountable.”
Crooks’ motive is still yet to be determined.
