Butler Township police told Secret Service it could not secure building Trump rally shooter used
BUTLER TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KDKA) — The head of the United States Secret Service is facing tough questions in the wake of Saturday's attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a rally in Butler Township, Pennsylvania.
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle first said it was up to local law enforcement to secure the building that the shooter got access to, but now she's sharing a different message.
Butler County District Attorney Rich Goldinger said the Secret Service was told local police couldn't be responsible for securing the AGR building during the Trump rally.
"I don't know whose responsibility that building was," Goldinger said. "But someone should have been there."
"It was indicated we did not have the manpower to take that task on, as well, based on our number of officers on duty," Butler Township manager Tom Knights said.
Knights confirmed that message was sent to the Secret Service two days before the Trump rally. Butler Township also told the Secret Service that its team could only handle traffic control. KDKA-TV learned the Secret Service never responded to those messages.
"All I know is our township police department was very clear that we did not have the manpower for it," Knights said.
"Tell me about what was said about what they did to assess the area, the Secret Service?" KDKA-TV's Jennifer Borrasso asked Knights.
"I know they had a walk around with the field," he said. "Our officers were part of that walk around. Several buildings were identified as areas of concern, which it did include the AGR building."
Cheatle said police were originally supposed to be on the roof, but a decision was made to move them inside because of a sloped roof. Cheatle cited safety factors.
But it's not clear who made that decision or how it was communicated.
Sources told KDKA-TV that one or two members of a local SWAT team were assigned to the AGR complex near the rally. They were stationed inside the building and looking out the windows with no access to the roof, sources added.
KDKA-TV has asked who was responsible for that area and what instructions they got from the Secret Service, but no one has commented.
The FBI is investigating the attempted assassination. Congress and the Department of Homeland Security have begun their inquiries.