Almost a month after the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania rally, conflicting narratives persist regarding whether local law enforcement snipers had a clear line of sight to the rooftop where the would-be assassin opened fire, leaving key questions unanswered.
“Local law enforcement dispute the angle of the picture that you provided during your testimony,” the senator wrote in the letter.
On July 30, Rowe and FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate appeared for a joint hearing with the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security committees. It was the first time a Secret Service official testified before Congress since Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned.
The picture includes a narrow red triangle labeled “Beaver Sniper Line of Sight.” That line of sight narrowly connects the counter-snipers inside the AGR building to Trump’s onstage performance, and unambiguously does not cover any area of the rooftop where Crooks had positioned himself.
However, during the hearing, Rowe put out a picture from the second floor of the AGR building, suggesting that local law enforcement was primarily to blame for the shooter being able to access that AGR rooftop.
In the Aug. 9 letter, Grassley said he has obtained new testimonies and photos from local law enforcement to dispute Rowe’s claims.
The testimonies, according to Grassley, stated that the picture Rowe provided at the hearing “neither accurately depicts their line of sight and coverage area from their position in the building nor their physical placement within the building.”
The local law enforcement also provided the senator with a photo that they said accurately reflects their “true physical location” that day.
In addition, Grassley said Beaver County’s ESU team gave his office pictures purportedly taken by their counter-sniper on July 13, as well as a map the team used that day indicating the assigned approximate coverage areas. The AGR roof doesn’t appear in any of those pictures.
The map, meanwhile, includes a green triangle indicating the Butler County sniper’s line of sight. The narrow scope of the green triangle does cover a portion of the AGR building, but notably misses the exact spot from which Crooks fired.
Specifically, the senator wants the Secret Service to explain and provide all records about exactly where local snipers were supposed to be and how the AGR building was supposed to be covered, including a site diagram that would make clear “where all local and federal law enforcement counter snipers were positioned and their assigned coverage areas, along with the shooter’s positions throughout the day.”
“Did the Secret Service assign or approve the location of the counter-snipers in the AGR complex?” the senator asked, pointing to why they had to be placed inside, and not outside of the building. “If so, when, who and how was the instruction given?”
The senator also took issue with the communications between Secret Service and local law enforcement in the hours leading up to the attempted assassination. “Who told Secret Service that the building ‘was going to be covered?’” Grassley asked in the letter, referencing Rowe’s July 30 testimony. “Who took part in the ‘face-to-face’ meeting that you referenced?”
Some other questions involving the actions of federal agents at the Trump rally, such as whether any federal agent assigned to the July 13 event saw anyone on the AGR building roof at any point prior to the gunman opening fire.
The Secret Service was given until Aug. 16 to respond to those questions. The agency didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
