OPINION:
FBI investigators dangled a few scraps of information last week about the July 13 attempt to assassinate Donald Trump. This included photos of the tools used in the crime — material that could have and should have been shared weeks ago.
Despite ample passage of time, federal officials continue to dodge questions about the lapses in security that allowed Thomas Matthew Crooks to fire eight shots that struck the former president’s ear, killed Corey Comperatore and severely wounded two others.
In a briefing with select reporters, FBI spokesmen continued tailoring their account of Crooks’ motives, now describing them as “mixed.” Given FBI Director Chris Wray’s shameful attempt in late July to imply that Mr. Trump wasn’t shot at all, the bureau’s judgment on these matters remains suspect. The FBI should release the facts and let the public judge for itself.
Yet that’s not happening. Judicial Watch is being rebuffed in its effort to force disclosure through Freedom of Information Act requests. To date, the most important revelations about what happened have come from state and local officials who willingly comply with the law and talk to congressional committees.
Rep. Clay Higgins, Louisiana Republican, has compiled this information and produced a preliminary report of his own. Among his discoveries, he found that the Secret Service didn’t take the first shot at Crooks. A Butler County SWAT officer fired a round from the ground that struck the shooter’s rifle, which may have been enough to stop his rampage.
The Secret Service’s acting director, Ronald Rowe, never even hinted at this possibility when he testified before Congress, but the damage to the weapon is visible in the newly released FBI photos. Mr. Rowe was interested only in emphasizing that his counter-sniper team took the shot that killed Crooks.
If we allow the FBI and Secret Service to continue releasing only the information that suits a certain narrative, we will never get to the bottom of the security failures that must be addressed.
Since everyone with a cellphone is constantly recording these days, videos from July 13 are surfacing. They show Crooks scoping out buildings more than an hour before Mr. Trump’s rally began. They show Crooks walking on top of the building, alarming onlookers.
It’s unthinkable that the federal agents in charge of event planning would have nothing in place to deal with threats that were obvious to those present. The Secret Service leadership wants the Pittsburgh field office to take the fall, and five of its agents have reportedly been placed on administrative leave. Whatever their culpability, there are others who set Mr. Trump’s protection detail on the path to failure.
Top brass at the Secret Service refused to allocate sufficient resources to secure Mr. Trump’s public events, using obsolete protocols declaring former presidents unworthy of a full detail as an excuse to ignore the size of Mr. Trump’s rallies.
Perhaps this is why Mr. Rowe has yet to allow Congress to hear from the Pittsburgh agents. House Speaker Mike Johnson needs to wield congressional subpoena power with the same determination Democrats did when they were in charge to get answers. Without the application of substantial pressure, the administration will continue holding back.
After all, it’s a story of the administration’s failure and the courage of the politician who wants to drain incompetent bureaucrats from the swamp.
That’s why it’s a story Mr. Trump’s opponents want buried.
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