Staff Reports
A recent leak of text messages from Secret Service snipers offers a troubling glimpse into what can only be described as a colossal security failure during a recent rally for former President Donald Trump. These messages reveal alarming details about the young gunman, Thomas Crooks, who displayed such questionable behavior that he caught the attention of snipers—but for reasons that now seem downright laughable given the implications. It’s almost as if the Secret Service’s motto has become “better late than never,” which, in this case, could have had disastrous consequences.
On the morning of July 13, some security personnel got an early start, chomping through a hefty 48-page briefing about that afternoon’s Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. However, according to a subsequent analysis by Senator Ron Johnson, those supposed protectors of the president were quite conspicuous by their absence during preliminary meetings. One might think that at a political rally, especially with Trump as the main attraction, the Secret Service would pack their bags with a little more vigilance. Yet it appears they left their situational awareness at the door.
🚨 Newly Released Text Messages show conversations by the Countersniper team at the #Trump Rally just before the shooting. pic.twitter.com/r3SMJtOYO8
— Sofia (@Sofia456851) July 29, 2024
The sniper teams stationed themselves about 90 minutes before the rally, but it wasn’t until just before Crooks opened fire that one of them finally spotted him crawling around with a rangefinder. Apparently, the wannabe assassin was playing hide-and-seek while the men in suits did little more than twiddle their thumbs. Crooks was even caught using a drone to scope out the event, which raises the question: what was the Secret Service doing? They clearly weren’t up to speed on their tech game; while the gunman was getting ready to take aim, the snipers were still trying to figure out where he was. It’s a classic case of being a day late and a dollar short.
Investigators are piecing together a timeline that reveals Crooks was suspicious enough to warrant attention from the snipers over 90 minutes before he opened fire. In fact, one sniper described him as a “suspicious individual” nearly an hour before the incident, but instead of acting, they decided it was best to just keep talking amongst themselves. By the time Crooks fired his shot—barely grazing Trump’s ear—the agents were still scrambling to locate him on the ground. Maybe critical thinking isn’t a requirement after all.
The comedy doesn’t end there. It’s been uncovered that Crooks had more intel about the location than the Secret Service, getting a pretty good understanding of the landscape while the agents were apparently taking a long lunch. Using a drone to scope out vantage points, he was more than prepared for his misguided attempt. And the Secret Service? Well, they were left holding the bag, hoping their spy game was better than various members of Congress now seem to think. The fallout from this oversight is bound to be swift and severe, especially since Republican lawmakers have launched a full-throated attack on security agencies for their apparent disarray.
With the revelations of this security failure, the snipers’ lack of vigilance looks more like lazy oversight than the diligent duty citizens expect from those sworn to protect their leaders. If anyone needed evidence of how far the Secret Service has fallen from its duties, these texts are more than enough to put that speculation to rest. The resignation of high-ranking officials tied to this grievous mishap seems practically inevitable, but will that do anything to restore confidence in the agency? Only time will tell, but one thing is for certain—the absurdity of this situation would leave anyone shaking their head.
