Local SWAT units spotted Trump shooter two hours before attempted assassination: Report

 July 29, 2024

A local SWAT sniper at the Butler, Pennsylvania, fairgrounds where former President Donald Trump was shot saw the shooter two hours before the shooting and alerted his fellow SWAT members, according to newly released text messages.

The Beaver County SWAT team sat down for an interview with ABC News senior investigative correspondent Aaron Katersky and gave their story on what happened the day Trump was nearly killed.

The Secret Service had overall command of the entire event, and its agents were supposed to coordinate with local police and SWAT teams, but according to those officers, the Secret Service never did so.

Jason Woods, the lead sharpshooter on the SWAT team told ABC, "We were supposed to get a face-to-face briefing with the Secret Service members whenever they arrived, and that never happened."

The Secret Service refused to address those specific allegations and instead issued a statement talking about the agency's commitment to "better understanding" of the shooting.

This interview has given the American people a better understanding. At best the Secret Service was negligent, at worst its agents actively left the door open for a gunman to take a shot at Trump.