The gunman who attempted to assassinate Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania last week flew a drone over the scene just hours before the shooting, it has been revealed.
Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, was able to fly the drone over the Western Pennsylvania Fairgrounds and obtain aerial footage on July 13, the same day as Trump’s rally in Butler.
Crooks allegedly flew the drone on a scheduled flight path earlier in the day, and officials say the predetermined route suggests Crooks had flown the small aircraft more than once to scout the rally site.
The shocking revelation was made on Friday, nearly a week after the ill-fated campaign event, by law enforcement officials, according to the Wall Street Journal.
It was another example of how the Secret Service failed to do an adequate job of securing the area, leaving the MAGA crowd and the former president exposed to the dangerous situation that followed.
The gunman who attempted to assassinate Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania last week flew drones over the scene just hours before the shooting, it has been revealed.
Trump suffered a graze wound to the ear from a bullet and a bystander was killed when the assassin fired at least six rounds of ammunition.
Crooks died in the shooting after a Secret Service sniper team returned fire.
The Secret Service has come under intense scrutiny since it botched its job, with many calling for its director, Kimberly Cheatle, to resign.
The incident is being described as a massive security breach with a growing list of things that went wrong before and during the assassination attempt.
Scary video of TMZ captured the moment Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, lay down on the roof of a nearby building, in full view of horrified Trump supporters, and fired toward the stage.
He had reportedly been spotted and then placed under surveillance by law enforcement at the Trump rally site because they sensed something was wrong, but then lost sight of him before the massacre took place.
Witnesses say they warned police about a man armed with an AR-style rifle climbing to the top of a building, but he was still able to open fire.
In a damning statement Saturday night, FBI Special Agent Kevin Rojek said it was “astonishing” that Crooks managed to fire so many shots.
Thomas Matthew Crooks (pictured), 20, was able to fly a drone and obtain aerial images of the Western Pennsylvania Fairgrounds on July 13, the same day as Trump’s rally in Butler.
Trump suffered a wound to the ear where the shot grazed him and a bystander was killed when the assassin fired at least six rounds of ammunition.
Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., became the first lawmaker to say Cheatle “has to go.”
Speaking to ABC News on Tuesday, Cheatle claimed that agents were not positioned at the top of the tilted building, deeming it too dangerous, despite images from the scene showing Secret Service snipers positioned on a tilted roof behind where Trump was delivering his speech.
President Joe Biden, addressing Americans from the White House on Sunday, promised an “independent review” of what happened at the rally.
“I’m ordering an independent national security review into yesterday’s rally to assess exactly what happened, and we will share the results of that independent review with the American people as well,” Biden said.
Former Secret Service agent Joseph LaSorsa said there will be an “intensive review” and “massive restructuring” at the agency. “That can’t happen,” he said.
He told DailyMail.com he was lucky Trump turned his head at the last second so the bullet only hit his ear.
A shocking animation has shown how close Trump came to death as the bullet whizzed past his brain and hit his ear.
Days later, Cheatle was protected by her own officers after angry US senators chased her through the halls of the RNC, demanding she explain how a gunman could clearly have shot Donald Trump.
She was at the Milwaukee convention hall to oversee security arrangements Wednesday night, just hours after calling on senators to cover their butts over the shooting in Pennsylvania on Saturday night.
Sens. John Barrasso of Wyoming and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee led the charge, complaining that they had not had a chance to ask Cheatle questions during the call.
Barrasso, frustrated, then issued an ultimatum to the head of security.
“You brought him to the brink of death,” Barrasso shouted at Cheatle. “So resignation or full explanation.”