Former Secret Service Agent Criticizes Handling Of Donald Trump Rally

Last weekend, chaos erupted after gunshots were heard at Donald Trump's Pennsylvania rally. The attempted assassination has raised several questions about the handling of security for the event, with some even claiming this is now a potential political scandal.

Now, a retired U.S. Secret Service agent is weighing in, questioning why former President Donald Trump was allowed to take the stage at Saturday's rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, even though a "person of interest" had been identified beforehand.

Mike Matranga, who served as a protector of America's family as a Special Agent in the Presidential Protection Division of the United States, is questioning why the former President was allowed on stage even after the gunman was identified.

"Why the rush? Why push him on stage? Why not delay?" Matranga asked on "America's Newsroom," per Fox News. "It would have taken nothing to take a tactical pause, assess the situation, locate him, and potentially prevent what we haven't seen in 43 years."

Matranga later called the situation a "catastrophic failure."

"Failing to even address the American people or to point the finger solely at the local law enforcement is just not right," he said earlier this week. "This is a catastrophic failure of communications. We've known this for decades, that we rely too heavily on our local counterparts to do the jobs that we are designed to do, and so this is a catastrophic failure."

"The former president deserves better. The individuals who were harmed and the individual who succumbed to his injuries deserve better," the former Secret Service agent added.

According to Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi, the Secret Service identified Thomas Matthew Crooks as a "person of interest" after law enforcement observed him acting suspiciously and found that he had a golf range finder.

Guglielmi also said Crooks was only considered a threat when he "retrieved the weapon" and climbed onto the roof of a building just before the shooting. He added that dealing with a threat requires "a different protocol and a different course of action than addressing a person of interest."

Shortly after, Butler Township police officers confronted Crooks on the roof, where he pointed his weapon at one of them, causing the officer to fall off the roof. Crooks then opened fire on Trump and was subsequently neutralized by a Secret Service counter-sniper.

Sheriff Michael Slupe reported that Butler Township officers received reports of a suspicious individual outside the rally perimeter on Saturday and began searching for that person. A cop noticed Crooks on a roof, approximately 400 to 500 feet from the stage, and climbed up to investigate. However, the 20-year-old gunman turned his weapon onto the police officer. 

"All I know is the officer had both hands up on the roof to get up onto the roof. Never made it because the shooter had turned towards the officer, and rightfully and smartly, the officer let go," Slupe said.

As soon as the officer retreated, Crooks started shooting at Trump, and within seconds, a Secret Service agent responded by shooting and killing Crooks. "I'd have done the same thing. Absolutely. I mean, people think officers are Superman, like, you hold on to the roof with one hand while you're hanging on for dear life and pull a gun out of here," Slupe added. "And it doesn't work that way."

Rallygoer Mike DiFrischia came forward, stating that he saw Crooks on the roof before the shooting started and attempted to alert the police.

"A guy behind me said that he had seen him. He had a gun. And then when he said that, I moved over a couple feet, and I was able to see him perfectly, and I saw he had the gun. That's when I started to film," DiFrischia said.

Additionally, Stan Kephart, a former police chief who has provided security for two former presidents, called the shooting an "absolute and abysmal failure" on the part of the Secret Service in their responsibility to protect Trump.

“You don’t get to blame other people. They are under your control," he said, per The Associated Press.