According to federal investigators, would-be Donald Trump assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks may have been scoping out the site nearly 6 days before the day of the incident.
Geolocation data found on a cell phone linked to Crooks revealed that he may have been near the Butler Farm Show grounds in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 7, one week prior to the shooting.
Crooks, 20, allegedly told his employer that he needed to have Saturday off because he was doing something important.
The agency reported that the shooter may have been checking out the grounds the day before the Secret Service met with local law enforcement officers for a security assessment on July 8.
Earlier this week, Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) learned during a Senate briefing that Trump’s would-be assassin was identified as “suspicious” an hour before the shooting.
“He was identified as a character of suspicion because [he had] a rangefinder as well as a backpack. And this was over an hour before the shooting actually occurred,” Barrasso told reporters. “So, you would think over the course of that hour, you shouldn’t lose sight of the individual. Somebody ought to be following up on those sorts of things. No evidence of that happening at all.”
According to others familiar with the matter, the Secret Service was aware of the threat against Trump twenty minutes before the shooting.
“They had identified the shooter as ‘suspicious’ a full 19 minutes before the shooting,” Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) said.
Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) wrote on X, “I just got off a briefing with the Secret Service and FBI. I am appalled to learn that the Secret Service knew about a threat prior to President Trump walking on stage.”
“I have no confidence in the leadership of Director Cheatle and believe it is in the best interest of our nation if she steps down from her position.”
