The investigation into the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania continues, with the gunman’s motive still unclear. Trump appeared at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee with increased security, showing no stitches but a “nice flesh wound” according to his son Eric Trump. Questions are being raised about security flaws that allowed the shooter to fire on Trump and rally attendees.
Cellphone video taken before the shooting shows attendees pointing out the gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, to authorities before he opened fire. A local tactical team sniper deployed to assist the Secret Service at the rally had seen the gunman looking through a rangefinder minutes before the attempt on Trump’s life, indicating a possible security failure. The FBI is investigating whether the gunman was a politically motivated domestic extremist.
An independent review of security and events at the rally is being conducted by the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general following the attack. President Biden has also directed a review to determine what went wrong in the security protocols that allowed the gunman to carry out the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.