麻豆影视

Skip to main content

The biggest questions the U.S. Secret Service will have to answer, according to former federal agents

Share

After an assassination attempt on Donald Trump on Saturday, former U.S. Secret Service and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents are hoping the investigation uncovers what really happened.

Former U.S. Secret Service agent Mark Lowery says he believes the Secret Service team did a "wonderful job" covering and removing Trump from the stage where he was speaking, but he questions why the shooter's location on the rooftop of a building wasn't secured.

As part of the planning process, the Secret Service would've visited the entire site at least several days in advance of the event, he noted.

Reports from the scene suggest the shooter was about 122 metres from Trump as he spoke at the Pennsylvania rally. Lowery, who is no longer with the service but previously worked as a special agent in charge, told 麻豆影视 Channel that the Secret Service would have led the overall planning for securing the area at the rally.

As the FBI investigates the attempted assassination of Trump as a potential act of domestic terrorism, authorities identified Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pa., as the shooter, The Associated Press reported.

Crooks, 20, was shot dead by the Secret Service. The FBI said it believes Crooks acted alone. He was registered as a Republican but federal campaign finance reports also show he gave US$15 to a progressive political action committee on Jan. 20, 2021, the day Biden was sworn into office.

Lowery said a counter sniper team would've taken into consideration the building where the suspected shooter was found, so a major question that the team will have to answer during the investigation is how someone with a weapon was able to get to it.

"That building is critical threat level even though it's outside the perimeter," he said. "What happened? Why wasn't it covered? Did someone not execute their job according to the plans? I too am waiting for the investigation to determine what actually happened."

Michael Harrigan, former FBI agent and threat assessment expert, echoed Lowery's comments, as the service was ultimately responsible for the presidential candidate's safety. But whatever the issue was must be disclosed to the general public, he said.

"The study that's done is really going to tell us a lot about what went wrong and we all need to know it 鈥 the country needs to know it, because the country needs to have confidence in the Secret Service," Harrigan told 麻豆影视 Channel. "The Secret Service is a highly proficient organization. I mean, look at the rarity of these events, and they do a phenomenal job stopping threats in advance of when they materialize."

Harrigan said it will take weeks, months or even longer to truly understand what the shooter's motivation was, but noted law enforcement has been "grinding hard" to find information and intelligence.

Watch the full interview above for more on what Lowery noticed as he watched coverage of Saturday's events.

With files from The Associated Press

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

The union representing some 1,200 dockworkers at the Port of Montreal has overwhelmingly rejected a deal with their employers association.

A man who was critically injured in a police-involved shooting in Hamilton late Sunday afternoon has died in hospital, says the province鈥檚 police watchdog.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced voters in Cloverdale鈥擫angley City will pick their next member of Parliament on Dec. 16.

Local Spotlight

For the second year in a row, the 鈥楪ift-a-Family鈥 campaign is hoping to make the holidays happier for children and families in need throughout Barrie.

Some of the most prolific photographers behind CTV Skywatch Pics of the Day use the medium for fun, therapy, and connection.

A young family from Codroy Valley, N.L., is happy to be on land and resting with their newborn daughter, Miley, after an overwhelming, yet exciting experience at sea.

As Connor Nijsse prepared to remove some old drywall during his garage renovation, he feared the worst.

A group of women in Chester, N.S., has been busy on the weekends making quilts 鈥 not for themselves, but for those in need.

A Vancouver artist whose streetside singing led to a chance encounter with one of the world's biggest musicians is encouraging aspiring performers to try their hand at busking.

Ten-thousand hand-knit poppies were taken from the Sanctuary Arts Centre and displayed on the fence surrounding the Dartmouth Cenotaph on Monday.

A Vancouver man is saying goodbye to his nine-to-five and embarking on a road trip from the Canadian Arctic to Antarctica.