Trump shooting investigations focus on motive, security failures

The father of Thomas Matthew Crooks called police before Crooks opened fire at a rally for former President Donald Trump, a law enforcement source confirmed Thursday. 

The father was concerned about his son and his whereabouts, the source said. 

The shooting killed one man and wounded three others, including Trump, before the gunman was killed by a Secret Service sniper. 

Law enforcement sources told CBS News the gun used in the attack, a semiautomatic AR-style rifle, was legally purchased in 2013 and was registered to the shooter's father. 

Authorities are still looking into the motive. 

The family is cooperating with investigators, according to the FBI.

The Secret Service on Thursday criticized attacks against its female agents made in the wake of the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump.

Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle is facing calls to resign after the shooting left one man dead and Trump and two others injured. 

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has joined the calls for Cheatle to resign, referred to her as a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion hire. Rep. Tim Burchett also made a similar post about Cheatle, who previously worked as a security director for Pepsi.

"I can't imagine that a DEI hire from @pepsi would be a bad choice as the head of the Secret Service. #sarcasm," he wrote after the shooting.

Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi pushed back claims that female agents are unqualified, saying all Secret Service agents are highly trained and fully capable. 

"It is an insult to the women of our agency to imply that they are unqualified based on gender," Guglielmi said in a statement. "Such baseless assertions undermine the professionalism, dedication and expertise of our workforce. Our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion ensures that we attract the best talent, fostering a robust and effective team that reflects the society we serve. We stand united against any attempt to discredit our personnel and their invaluable contributions to our mission and are appalled by the disparaging and disgusting comments against any of our personnel."

Female agents have been part of the Secret Service for more than 50 years. Cheatle served with the Secret Service for nearly three decades before her appointment as director.

She's not the first woman to serve as director of the agency. Julia Pierson served as director during the Obama administration.

Cheatle last year told CBS News she aims to have 30% female recruits by 2030 in an effort to diversify the Secret Service.

People are paying their respects to Corey Comperatore, the former Buffalo Township fire chief and dad who died protecting his family from gunfire at the Trump rally on Saturday.

Visitation was scheduled from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday at Laube Hall on Community Park Road in Freeport, Pennsylvania. 

In the morning, Buffalo Township fire trucks led a van carrying their former chief's body from Redmond Funeral Home downtown towards Laube Hall in a small procession.

Read more here.

–CBS Pittsburgh 

Authorities are continuing to investigate how the assault rifle used by the gunman at the Trump rally was apparently not seen by law enforcement officers before the shooting, according to a person familiar with the investigation. 

Investigators are looking at various theories, including that the shooter had the weapon in a backpack or that he might have previously stashed it near the building where he fired from. 

Law enforcement sources confirmed the gunman climbed onto an air conditioner unit to access the roof from which he launched his attack and one theory is that he hid the weapon next to the unit. 

Investigators are working on reconstructing the movements of the gunman on the day of the shooting and in the months, weeks and days prior to the assassination attempt. 

Multiple people briefed on the investigation into the attempted assassination of Donald Trump told CBS News that U.S. Secret Service agents did not stop the former president from going on stage at the rally in Pennsylvania because they did not know that a suspicious person who had been flagged by security before the shooting had a weapon.

When Trump took the stage, there were reports that a suspicious person, who turned out to be the gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, only had a rangefinder but no weapon and was not making any active threats, the people briefed said.

The Secret Service was notified that local law enforcement officers were following up on the report of the suspicious man, according to the people briefed on the investigation. 

A sniper from a local tactical team deployed to assist the Secret Service at Trump's rally on Saturday took a picture of the gunman and saw him looking through a rangefinder minutes before the gunman opened fire, a local law enforcement officer told CBS News. 

—Pat Milton, Nicole Sganga

After the FBI identified the gunman as Thomas Matthew Crooks, CBS News and other outlets reviewed public records that verified he was a registered Republican who had previously donated $15 to a Democratic organization via ActBlue. 

The apparent contradiction in Crooks' political alignment didn't fit an easy partisan narrative, and so far, investigators say, many questions about his motive remain unanswered. Some social media users seized on the lack of information to spread false claims and cast doubt on whether the gunman actually made the donation.

Posts spinning a tale of mistaken identity quickly spread. "Thomas Crooks, who donated 15 bucks to Act Blue, is a 69-year-old Democrat who lives in Pittsburgh and just happens to have the same name as the Republican who shot Trump," one X user inaccurately claimed.

In fact, Federal Election Commission records show that the Bethel Park address on the $15 donation, earmarked to Progressive Turnout Project, is the same street address and ZIP code where the gunman lived. But the municipality is mistakenly listed as Pittsburgh, despite Bethel Park being outside Pittsburgh city limits. In screenshots of the FEC filing shared on social media, users blurred Crooks' street address, causing confusion. 

Crooks made the donation on Jan. 20, 2021, the same day President Biden was inaugurated. At that point he would have been 17 years old. He was not eligible to register as a Republican or vote in the 2020 election at the time.

The donation was made in response to an email asking recipients if they planned to watch the inauguration, and Crooks unsubscribed from the group's email list two years ago, a representative from the organization wrote in an email to CBS News.   

Read more here.

Trump received a private, in-person briefing with Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle on Tuesday in Milwaukee regarding the failed assassination attempt, a source familiar with the meeting confirmed to CBS. 

The briefing took place at Trump's hotel.

A drone and four magazines full of the same ammunition that was used in the attack were among the items investigators seized from the gunman's vehicle after the shooting, according to three sources familiar with a law enforcement briefing to members of Congress on Wednesday.

Two explosive devices and a tactical vest with plates in the front and back were also seized from his vehicle.

Another explosive device as well as 14 weapons were taken from his residence in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, the sources told CBS News.

A rifle, remote transmitter, receipt from Home Depot and primary cell phone were found on and around the gunman's body, the sources said.

— CBS News' Ellis Kim, Chris Laible, Michael Kaplan

The family of Corey Comperatore, who was shot and killed in the attack on Trump, released a statement Thursday honoring him after a local vigil and ahead of his private funeral. 

"He was a local leader and veteran, a former fire chief, and a committed Christian who found peace and joy through our church. He loved and cared for us, his family," the statement read, calling him a "beloved father and husband."

CBS Pittsburgh reported that Comperatore was honored with an emotional vigil on Wednesday. 

"Where do you start when you're asked to speak about somebody who's so loved and one that showed his love for his family?" asked friend Dan Ritter during the vigil.

The public has been invited to a procession through Freeport Community Park in Freeport, Pennsylvania, on Thursday afternoon. There will also be public visitation hours, CBS Pittsburgh reported. His funeral Friday will be private. 

A federal law enforcement official says new analysis shows an account on the Steam gaming platform that investigators initially thought belonged to Trump shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks was not actually his account.

Earlier, two sources said a message posted there read: "July 13 will be my premiere," but the federal law enforcement official says further investigation determined it was a fake account.

Read more here.

Pennsylvania State Police notified the U.S. Secret Service of a suspicious person with a rangefinder on the ground at 5:51 p.m. local time on Saturday — 20 minutes before the gunman opened fire, three sources familiar with a briefing given to lawmakers on Wednesday told CBS News.

At 5:52 p.m., the Secret Service disseminated information on the suspicious person to the counter-sniper team at the rally and response agents on the ground, the sources said.

At 5:51 and 5:52 p.m., local law enforcement did not know the suspicious person had a gun, according to a local law enforcement officer and the Butler County sheriff.

Trump took the stage at 6:03 p.m. and the gunman opened fire at 6:11 p.m.

Read more on the timeline here.   

— CBS News' Ellis Kim, Chris Laible, Michael Kaplan, Kerry Breen  

Numerous investigations have been launched into the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. They include probes into the crime itself and how law enforcement allowed it to happen at all.

But it's becoming increasingly clear this was a complicated failure involving multiple missteps and at least nine different local, county and federal law enforcement divisions that were supposed to be working together.

Law enforcement has also warned of the potential for copycat attacks and more violence.

The Secret Service always partners with local law enforcement when a president, political candidate or other high-level official comes to town, and Saturday's rally was no different.

But the designated and accepted responsibilities of the various agencies involved, and how they carried them out, have come into question since the rally.

–CBS/AP

Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has said it was going to be up to local law enforcement to secure the building from which the man who shot former President Donald Trump opened fire.

But CBS Pittsburgh reports that 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."

Butler Township manager Tom Knights told the station, "It was indicated we did not have the manpower to take that task on, as well, based on our number of officers on duty."

Knights confirmed that the message was sent to the Secret Service two days before the Trump rally.

Butler Township also told the agency its team could only handle traffic control. CBS Pittsburgh 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.

–CBS Pittsburgh 

Republican Sens. Marsha Blackburn and John Barrasso posted video to social media appearing to show several congressional members confronting Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle in a hospitality suite at the Republican National Convention Wednesday regarding the alleged security lapses leading up to Saturday's assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.

In the video posted by Blackburn, which also shows Sen. James Lankford, Barrasso demands a "resignation or full explanation" from Cheatle.

Barrasso references a phone briefing of senators by Cheatle earlier in the day, following which several senators had expressed frustration that the call included no pertinent information and was cut off after only a few questions had been allowed.

"We didn't get any of the responses that were necessary from you," Barrasso tells Cheatle in the video.

After fielding a barrage of questions and criticism from the senators, Cheatle responds in the video, "I don't think that this is the place to have this discussion."

She then exits the suite as the senators rush out after her, following her down a hall and continuing to yell questions at her.

Earlier Wednesday, Cheatle agreed to testify before the House Oversight Committee. A committee spokesperson said the hearing would take place as scheduled on July 22

Law enforcement sources offered additional details Wednesday evening about the cellphone search history of Trump rally shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks.

Sources had shared earlier that Crooks searched for images of former President Donald Trump and President Biden ahead of the shooting. On Wednesday evening they said that in addition to the images, Crooks did searches about Trump's appearances and dates, and about the Democratic National Convention. 

Crooks also did searches of FBI Director Christopher Wray, Attorney General Merrick Garland and members of the British Royal Family. Crooks also searched about major depression disorders.

The sources also said Crooks had two cellphones and did the searches on his phones. They said there was still no indication of a motive, ideology or political views. 

Crooks was killed by a Secret Service sniper shortly after he fired on Trump, officials said. 

—Pat Milton, Andy Triay

New video posted online shows former President Donald Trump arriving at Butler Memorial Hospital in Pennsylvania on Saturday, just minutes after surviving an assassination attempt at a rally.

Video taken from inside the hospital shows Secret Service agents surrounding Trump's SUV after pulling up. "There he is," people in a waiting room say as agents rush the former president inside the emergency room. 

New details keep emerging about the Trump rally shooting. 

The gunman at the Pennsylvania rally, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, had three fully loaded magazines and what appeared to be a radio transmitter. Over an hour before the shooting, Crooks was caught on video wandering around the rally site. 

Watch Meg Oliver reports on the latest developments in the video below:

Old videos and images of former President Donald Trump were recirculated online in the days after his attempted assassination to push false claims about his condition. Social media users falsely claimed the images "prove" Trump wasn't injured, or that he golfed less than 24 hours after the attack. 

On Sunday, users shared photos and a video purporting to show the former president playing golf at his private club in Bedminster, New Jersey. In one photo, Mr. Trump is seen without bandages on his ear, putting on the green. In the video, he's waving to cheering onlookers as he climbs into a golf cart. 

But while Mr. Trump was at Bedminster on Sunday, the club was closed, according to an email to club members obtained by Politico. The person who appears to have first shared the video on Sunday admitted in comments that it wasn't from that day.

The video was recirculated on other platforms by users claiming it was new, including in an X post by Sen. Mike Lee, a Republican from Utah, who later commented that he found out the video was old. Lee did not take down his original post, which has over 9 million views. 

Read more here. 

—Julia Ingram, Cait Bladt

U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has agreed to testify to the House Oversight Committee as Republicans ramp up efforts to investigate the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. 

The committee's Republican chairman, Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, subpoenaed Cheatle on Wednesday for her testimony, requesting her appearance before lawmakers on July 22. 

In a letter to Comer on Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security offered Cheatle's testimony on July 25, July 26 or the following week. The July 22 date clashed with her "travel and operational commitments." But a committee spokesperson said the hearing would take place as scheduled on July 22, adding that "Americans demand and deserve answers" from Cheatle about the assassination attempt and the Secret Service's "egregious failures."

The letter to Comer, which was obtained by CBS News, said the department was "disappointed" the committee "rushed to issue a subpoena" because Secret Service officials have been briefing members of Congress and their staff in recent days. 

"Director Cheatle welcomes the opportunity to testify before the Committee," the letter said. 

Read more here.

—Nicole Sganga, Caitlin Yilek

Rally shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks searched online for images of both former President Donald Trump and President Biden before Saturday's assassination attempt on Trump, sources said on Wednesday. 

He used his cellphone to search for the images. Investigators briefed lawmakers Wednesday afternoon, telling them that Crooks also searched for symptoms of depressive disorder, according to a source familiar with the briefing. 

Crooks also visited the site of the Butler, Pennsylvania, rally at least one time before Saturday's shooting.

FBI Director Christopher Wray told Congress on Wednesday that more than 200 interviews have been done during the investigation so far, and over 14,000 images have been reviewed. Law enforcement still has not determined a motive for the shooting. 

The two men who were wounded during Saturday's shooting at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania had their medical conditions upgraded on Wednesday from critical to serious condition, hospital officials said. 

Both James Copenhaver, 74, and David Dutch, 57, are patients at Allegheny General Hospital. Another man, 50-year-old Corey Comperatore, was fatally shot at the rally.

Copenhaver, a resident of Moon Township, Pennsylvania, was shot twice: once in the leg and once in the abdomen, CBS Pittsburgh reported. Dutch, a Marine Corps veteran, was shot in the liver and chest.

The families of both victims released statements this week thanking first responders and medical teams for their aid. They also thanked well-wishers for the outpouring of support. 

Moon Township supervisor Al Quaye told CBS Pittsburgh on Monday that Copenhaver is "a super nice guy, and I couldn't believe it happened to him."

A friend of Dutch, Dee Rakar, told the station, "He's a wonderful person, loves his gun bashes, and he likes his gambling."

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called for new leadership at the Secret Service in the aftermath of Saturday's assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. 

In a social media post, McConnell said "the nation deserves answers and accountability" and a change in leadership at Secret Service would be "an important step in that direction."

House Speaker Mike Johnson earlier made clear that he plans to call for Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to resign.

Cheatle on Wednesday agreed to testify to the House Oversight Committee. She and her agency have been under immense scrutiny since Saturday's shooting.

President Biden appointed Cheatle as director in 2022. She'd spent 27 years with the agency before her appointment and served on Biden's security detail when he was vice president. 

Local police told the Secret Service before the rally that they did not have the manpower to place a patrol car outside the building where the gunman would later position himself, Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger told CBS Pittsburgh. 

The Butler Township officer in charge told Secret Service this during a preplanning meeting about a week before the rally. The news about this conversation was first reported by the Washington Post.

Local police instead planned to secure the building with police personnel and tactical teams, a law enforcement official said. 

The building had three snipers from local tactical teams positioned inside, overlooking the crowd. One of those snipers spotted the gunman and photographed him. The local sniper also saw the gunman looking through a rangefinder and immediately radioed his command post, according to a local law enforcement officer. 

–Nicole Sganga, Andy Sheehan

A CBS News analysis of video and satellite imagery shows a tree may have prevented one of the sniper teams tasked with protecting Trump from seeing the gunman.

The tree, located between the gunman and the sniper team closest to him, may have impaired the team's line of sight as the gunman climbed onto the roof from which he fired — and as he opened fire.

That sniper team — on a roof over Trump's right shoulder — did not fire the shot that killed the gunman, two federal law enforcement officials have told CBS News. Another sniper team — whose view was not obstructed by the tree, analysis shows — killed the shooter. That team was located on the other side of the former president and was initially directed in another way, so the snipers had to reorient themselves before taking down the gunman, CBS News' Charlie De Mar reported.

Read more here.

— With reporting from Erielle Delzer, Alex Clark, Rhona Tarrant

House Republicans are ramping up efforts to investigate the attempted assassination and the apparent security lapses that allowed a gunman to get within striking distance of the GOP presidential nominee.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have expressed alarm about how the gunman was able to open fire. Republicans' ire has been directed at federal law enforcement leaders, with some sporadic calls for agency heads to step down.

Speaker Mike Johnson announced on Wednesday that he will create a special task force within the House to investigate the attack and said in a social media post "we need answers for these shocking security failures."

Johnson elaborated on Fox News, saying he plans to set the task force up on Monday and explaining that it will work as a "precision strike," able to move quickly by avoiding some procedural hurdles that other investigatory avenues face in Congress. It would be a bipartisan task force, made up of both Republicans and Democrats, he said.

The Louisiana Republican said he spoke with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who he said "did not have satisfactory answers" about the attack. Johnson said he's also spoken with law enforcement leaders and that "the answers have not been forthcoming." And he made clear that he plans to call for Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to resign.

Meanwhile, the House Judiciary Committee announced it will hold a hearing next week on the FBI's investigation into the assassination attempt, with FBI Director Christopher Wray set to testify.

A flurry of hearings are scheduled for next week to grill agency heads about the security failure. Cheatle is set to appear before the House Oversight Committee on July 22. And chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security Mark Green invited Mayorkas, Wray and Cheatle to testify before the committee on July 23. 

Read more here.

Law enforcement recovered three fully loaded magazines from the rally Saturday, sources familiar with the investigation told CBS News. The magazines belonged to the gunman, who used an AR-style rifle during the shooting. 

It's not clear if the magazines were found on the gunman's body or in his vehicle. 

Investigators previously found two suspected improvised explosive devices in the gunman's car, according to an FBI/DHS bulletin. Another was found at his residence.

— CBS News' Nicole Sganga, Rob Legare 

The House Committee on the Judiciary, led by Republican Rep. Jim Jordan from Ohio, will hold a hearing next week to "examine the FBI's investigation" into the assassination attempt against Trump and what it called the "ongoing politicization of the Bureau."

FBI director Christopher Wray will be called as a witness, according to the announcement of the hearing.  

It is still unclear why the shooter opened fire on Trump at the campaign rally.

The FBI has cracked into his phone, scoured his computer, home and car, and interviewed more than 100 people as they search for answers.

The gunman appears to have been an intelligent loner with few friends, an apparently thin social media platform and no hints of strong political beliefs. He was described by former classmates from Bethel Park High School as smart but standoffish, often seen wearing headphones and preferring to sit alone at lunch, looking at his phone. Some said he was often mocked by other students for the clothes he wore, which included hunting outfits.

"He sat by himself, didn't talk to anyone, didn't even try to make conversation," said 17-year-old Liam Campbell. "He was an odd kid," but nothing about him seemed dangerous, he added. "Just a normal person who seemed like he didn't like talking to people."

Other classmates remembered the gunman in a more positive light. Jameson Myers, who graduated alongside the shooter in 2022, told CBS News that the gunman was a "nice kid who never talked poorly of anyone."

"I never have thought him capable of anything I've seen him do in the last few days," said Myers, who said that he had been friends with the gunman in elementary school. "When I did speak with him, he just seemed like a normal boy who was not particularly popular but never got picked on or anything."

After graduating from high school, the shooter went on to the Community College of Allegheny County, earning an associate's degree with honors in engineering science in May. He also worked at a nursing home as a dietary aide.

— CBS/AP 

On the RNC floor on Tuesday evening, vice presidential candidate JD Vance greeted and shook hands with excited delegates as he walked toward his seat. It was a marked contrast from Trump, who entered the hall a few minutes later. Instead of handshakes or hellos for those gathered, he offered fist pumps to the cameras and closely hugged the wall, separated from supporters by a column of Secret Service agents. 

The contrast underscores the new reality facing Trump after the attempt on his life. Trump's campaign must also adjust to a new reality after he came millimeters from death or serious injury — and as law enforcement warns of the potential for more political violence.

Trump campaign officials declined to comment on the stepped-up security and how it might impact his interactions going forward.

"We do not comment on President Trump's security detail. All questions should be directed to the United States Secret Service," said Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung.

Donald Trump's son Eric Trump said his father doesn't have stitches, but has a "nice flesh wound" after the shooting.

The former president's right ear was hit by gunfire, and when he appeared at the Republican National Convention on Monday and Tuesday, he wore a large bandage over the injury.

Speaking to "CBS Mornings" co-host Tony Dokoupil from the floor of the convention in Milwaukee Wednesday morning, Eric Trump said his father has referred to the injury as "the greatest earache he's ever had."

"You know, he was millimeters away from having his life expunged. ... I'm sure the ear doesn't feel well," Eric Trump said.  

Read more here and watch the interview in the video below:

Lawmakers in both chambers of Congress are set to receive briefings from federal law enforcement officials Wednesday afternoon, multiple sources familiar with the briefing told CBS News.

The House and Senate will receive briefings from the Justice Department, U.S. Secret Service and FBI officials over the phone, with lawmakers away from Washington this week.

The separate briefings come amid an outcry of condemnation for the attack from members of Congress, along with plans to investigate the incident.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said at the Republican National Convention on Tuesday night that the House would conduct an "immediate and thorough investigation."

"The American people deserve to know the truth and we will ensure accountability," Johnson said.  

Through his family, the gunman was a member of the Clairton Sportsmen's Club, a shooting range about 11 miles east of his hometown, Bethel Park. The club has an outdoor range for high-powered rifles with targets set at distances of up to about 560 feet.

"We know very little about him," club president Bill Sellitto told The Associated Press. "That was a terrible, terrible thing that happened Saturday — that's not what we're about by any means."

The gunman fired from the roof of a building about 410 feet from the main rally stage. The building was just outside the bounds of a security perimeter established on the property, CBS News previously reported.

–CBS/AP

The Department of Homeland Security's inspector general is opening an investigation into the planning of the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and a review of Secret Service Counter Sniper Team preparedness and operations.

The first investigation is listed on the inspector general's office's website as an "ongoing project" that aims to evaluate the U.S. Secret Service's process for securing the event. The latter review is to determine how prepared the Counter Sniper Team is to "respond to threats at events attended by designated protectees."

There may be additional investigations as the Department of Homeland Security's inspector general considers other aspects of Secret Service programs and Operations, officials said.

These investigations are separate from one President Biden announced on Sunday, when he said he is directing an independent review of the security and events at the rally to determine what went wrong.

—Nicole Sganga, Aliza Chasan

The gunman who opened fire on former President Donald Trump was on the roof of a building about 410 feet from the stage where he was addressing the crowd. Security experts questioned why the building hadn't been included in the security perimeter set up for the rally by the Secret Service.

Patrick Brosnan, a former New York Police Department detective who runs a national private intelligence and security firm that has protected heads of state, told The Associated Press that a building that close to the stage should have been secured and under surveillance from the start.

"It would just seem to me to be elemental and rudimentary as it relates to providing a steel band or circular band of protection for the former president, who is fully exposed," said Brosnan, who has trained with the Secret Service and spoken in the past to Trump and his family about security issues.

Stan Kephart, a former police chief who worked event security for two former presidents, called the situation "an absolute and abysmal failure" on the part of the Secret Service to protect Trump. The agency is ultimately responsible for the candidate's safety, he noted.

"You don't get to blame other people. They are under your control," said Kephart.

Moments after the gunman opened fire, he was shot and killed by a Secret Service sniper positioned on a rooftop behind the stage.

–CBS/AP

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who was White House press secretary for most of the Trump administration, invoked the divine during her address to the Republican National Convention on its second night Tuesday.

Speaking about Trump surviving Saturday's assassination attempt, Sanders said, "not even an assassin's bullet could stop him," adding, "God Almighty intervened because America is one nation under God and he is certainly not finished with President Trump." That drew loud applause.

Iran on Wednesday rejected what it called "malicious" accusations by U.S. media implicating it in Saturday's attempt to kill former President Donald Trump.

Tehran "strongly rejects any involvement in the recent armed attack against Trump," foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said, while Iran's mission to the United Nations called accusations of a previous plot to kill the former president "unsubstantiated and malicious."

U.S. intelligence recently detected an Iranian plot against Trump, and the information was shared with the Secret Service before Saturday's event in Pennsylvania, two U.S. officials confirmed to CBS News on Tuesday.

The National Security Council said it's been tracking Iranian threats against the former president for years, though no ties have been identified between Saturday's shooting and a foreign actor.

–CBS/AFP

The House Oversight and Accountability Committee's chairman plans to subpoena Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle for testimony on the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump, a spokeswoman for the panel said Tuesday.

Cheatle is set to appear before committee members for an oversight hearing on July 22, Chairman James Comer, a Kentucky Republican, announced Monday. While the Secret Service also agreed to brief lawmakers on Tuesday, the panel's spokeswoman said, the Department of Homeland Security "took over communications" with the committee and has not confirmed a time for the briefing.

Cheatle's job at the helm of the Secret Service has come under scrutiny following the shooting at Trump's rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. One spectator, firefighter Corey Comperatore, was killed in the attack and two others, Marine Corps veteran David Dutch and James Copenhaver, were wounded.

The head of the House Homeland Security Panel, Rep. Mark Green, also invited Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, FBI Director Chris Wray and Cheatle to testify before lawmakers on July 23.  

Read more here. 

CBS News analysis of video from the scene shows that two minutes lapsed between the first warnings about a man with a gun at the Trump rally and the first shot being fired. CBS News' Charlie De Mar and Nicole Sganga break down the details in the video below.

House Speaker Mike Johnson assured supporters on the second night of the Republican National Convention that the House would conduct an "immediate and thorough investigation" of the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.

"Everyone, hear me clearly and listen to me at home, and make no mistake: The House is conducting an immediate and thorough investigation of these tragic events," Johnson told the crowd gathered in Milwaukee. "That work has already begun. The American people deserve to know the truth, and we will ensure accountability." 

Referring to the Republican Party as a "law and order team," Johnson said the rule of law in the country was in "serious jeopardy."

"We've come to a moment in America where the basic things that we once took for granted are being openly challenged like never before," Johnson said. "We're now in the midst of a struggle between two completely different visions of who we are as Americans and what our country will be."

Corey Comperatore, the retired fire chief who was killed on Saturday at the Trump rally, will receive a public procession on Thursday.

The public will be able to attend the procession through Freeport Community Park in Freeport, Pennsylvania, which will be followed by a public visitation and, later, a private funeral.

At a security meeting on Tuesday, law enforcement officials said they expect a line out the door.

"At the end of the day I think we need to remember Corey," Butler County Sheriff Michael Slupe said about the 50-year-old former firefighter who died while shielding his family from gunfire.

Comperatore's jacket still hangs outside the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Hall, where he volunteered for decades and where former colleagues are now honoring and remembering him for his dedication to his family and community.

Read more here.

Former President Trump's second son, Eric Trump, called the failures that led up to the assassination attempt against his father "infuriating."

Eric Trump spoke with "CBS Evening News" anchor and managing editor Norah O'Donnell on Tuesday about his father's recovery, security going forward and the future of the campaign.

The former president was dealing with "the greatest earache in the history of earaches," his son said.

"You see the picture, right? The famous New York Times picture now, where you literally see the vapor trail of the bullet coming out of the backside of his ear," Eric Trump said. "It's hard to believe it could've been so much different. I can't even imagine what that would've meant for this country."

Eric Trump also said it was "infuriating" that snipers and rally attendees spotted the shooter as early as 26 minutes before the first shots were fired.

Read more here.

Friends of David Dutch, the Marine veteran who was one of two people critically wounded at Saturday's campaign rally, described him as "wonderful" and "supportive."

Dutch, 57, of New Kensington, Pennsylvania, was airlifted to Allegheny General Hospital after being shot at the rally.

"No one knows him by David. We all know him by Jake," Dee Rakar told CBS Pittsburgh's KDKA station. "He's a wonderful person, loves his gun bashes, and he likes his gambling."

Rakar, who like Dutch is a member of the veterans group the American Legion, described Dutch as a dedicated Marine veteran who loves his country and often visited the legion's post in Lower Burrell, Pennsylvania, with his wife.

Read more here.

Butler County employees are facing threats and harassment following Saturday's assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump, according to a town official.

"It's frustrating and it's sad because the city employees had nothing to do with what happened at the farm show grounds," Butler Councilman Donald Shearer told CBS Pittsburgh station KDKA.

Workers say they are facing hostile emails and threats blaming them for what happened in the small town of just about 13,000 people.

Read more here.

President Biden, speaking at the NAACP National Convention in Las Vegas on Tuesday, once again condemned the violence that took place on Saturday and called to ban the type of weapon involved in the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump.

After noting that an AR-15-style rifle was used in the shooting, Mr. Biden said it was time to outlaw the weapons. "I did it once, and I will do it again," he said, in reference to his support for the 10-year assault weapons ban passed by Congress in 1994.

"We're grateful he was not seriously injured," Mr. Biden said about Trump. "We continue to pray for him and his family."

Mr. Biden said it was a "tense moment" for the country and that it's time for an important national conversation. "Our politics has gotten too heated," he said, echoing his Oval Office address on Sunday. He said that "we all have a responsibility to lower the temperature and condemn violence in any form." 

"We gotta remember, in America, we're not enemies, we're friends. We're neighbors," the president said. "We have to say with one voice that violence is not the answer. That's what we should rally around as a nation. That's the unity I'm talking about."

Allegheny Health Network's medical director said he was at a birthday party on Saturday when he started receiving calls and texts to come to the hospital.

"We didn't know what the situation was going to be," Dr. Brent Rau, the network's director, told CBS Pittsburgh station KDKA. "We were told that there were shots fired and there could be multiple casualties."

Medics from AHN were already in Butler, Pennsylvania, to treat tactical teams for potential injuries, but they quickly shifted gear when bullets started flying at the rally.

Within minutes of the shooting, two helicopters arrived at the Butler Farm Show grounds where the rally was being held. The choppers took the two wounded victims to Allegheny General Hospital more than 30 miles away, where they are still recovering.

The bolstering of former President Donald Trump's Secret Service assets in June was connected to Iranian threats, an official familiar with the situation confirmed to CBS News on Tuesday.

CBS News has learned the intelligence goes beyond chatter and involves human source intelligence obtained by the U.S.

CBS News previously reported that, according to multiple law enforcement officials, the Secret Service bolstered Trump's security in June after several requests from his detail for more assets.

Additional resources – including Counter Assault Team personnel, counter sniper team personnel, drones and robotic dogs – were provided. Some of these resources came from the Candidate Nominee Operations Section of the Secret Service. 

Read more here.

—Nicole Sganga contributed reporting.

The family of 74-year-old James Copenhaver, one of the two people critically wounded in the rally shooting, thanked people on Tuesday for the outpouring of support. 

"Jim would like to especially thank the first responders, medics, and hospital staff who have provided him with initial and continuing care," the Copenhaver family said in a statement. "Additionally, Jim would like to express his thoughts and prayers for the other victims, their families, and President Trump. He prays for a safe and speedy recovery for them all."

James Copenhaver of Moon Township, Pennsylvania, and 57-year-old David Dutch, of New Kensington, Pennsylvania, were both hospitalized in critical but stable condition at Allegheny General Hospital after being shot at the rally. 

Copenhaver's family asked the news media, the public and friends to respect the family's privacy as Copenhaver and his family recover from what they called "this horrible, senseless, and unnecessary act of violence."

As of Tuesday afternoon, he remained in critical but stable condition, according to the Allegheny Health Network.

Butler County Sheriff Michael Slupe says he and other law enforcement officers were upset they couldn't stop the shooting.

Slupe told CBS Pittsburgh station KDKA's Andy Sheehan that he was happy to be at former President Donald Trump's rally on Saturday as both a law enforcement officer and a supporter.

"I was lucky enough to be in uniform as a sheriff and as a guest," Slupe said in an interview Monday. "I was sitting in the second row behind the bike rack, just feet from the catwalk where the president would come up."

When the shooting started, Slupe initially thought fireworks were going off. Police earlier that day had responded to reports of fireworks. "In my mind, I'm thinking, 'What idiot is out here shooting fireworks?'" Slupe recalled.

But shortly after the attack and the ensuing panic, Slupe was on his radio calling for medics and an ambulance. 

"I think every law enforcement officer that was on scene, and probably those that weren't, are upset … that we couldn't have stopped this prior to this happening," Slupe said. "I love President Trump. I'm a huge supporter."

Slupe said he thought there were enough law enforcement officers at the rally, and he defended the actions of those at the scene. "There's going to be plenty of investigations. There's going to be plenty of finger pointing," Slupe said. "But at the end of the day, I know my deputies did a great job. The police did a great job."

He added, "At the end of the day, we're all going to learn something from this."

U.S. intelligence recently detected an Iranian plot against former President Donald Trump, and the information was shared with the Secret Service before Saturday's event in Pennsylvania, two U.S. officials confirmed to CBS News on Tuesday.

The National Security Council said it has been tracking Iranian threats against the former president for years, though no ties have been identified between Saturday's shooting and a foreign actor.

In response to the intelligence, the Secret Service said it is constantly receiving new information about potential threats, but wouldn't comment on specific threats.

"The Secret Service and other agencies are constantly receiving new potential threat information and taking action to adjust resources, as needed," Anthony Guglielmi, U.S. Secret Service Chief of Communication, said on Tuesday.

After learning of the increased threat from Iran, the NSC directly contacted the Secret Service at a senior level to make sure the agency continued to track the latest reporting, an official said. The Secret Service shared the information with Trump's security detail, and the Trump campaign was made aware of an evolving threat. 

In response, the Secret Service had increased resources and assets for the protection of Trump before Saturday, the official said. 

"These threats arise from Iran's desire to seek revenge for the killing of Qassem Soleimani," NSC spokesperson Adrienne Watson said. 

Trump ordered the killing of Soleimani, a prominent Iranian military commander, in early 2020. The former president took a hardline approach to Iran during his administration and withdrew from the nuclear deal brokered with Iran under the Obama administration. 

"We consider this a national and homeland security matter of the highest priority," Watson said, adding, "At this time, law enforcement has reported that their investigation has not identified ties between the shooter and any accomplice or co-conspirator, foreign or domestic." 

A Trump campaign spokesperson declined to comment on the former president's security detail.

—Nicole Sganga and Fin Gómez contributed reporting.

Trump and his newly-announced vice-presidential running mate, JD Vance, will hold a rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on July 20, one week after an attempt on the former president's life.

In an announcement, the Trump campaign did not mention the shooting, but said it would be the pair's first appearance since officially accepting the Republican nomination for president and vice president.

Both are expected to speak at the rally, which is scheduled to be held at the Van Andel Arena at 5 p.m. ET. 

A sniper from a local tactical team deployed to assist the U.S. Secret Service at Trump's rally took a picture of the gunman and saw him looking through a rangefinder minutes before he tried to assassinate the former president, a local law enforcement officer with direct knowledge of the events told CBS News.

The sniper was one of three snipers, members of local tactical teams, who were stationed inside the building that the shooter used in the attack, the officer said. The operations plan had them stationed inside, looking out windows toward the rally, scanning the crowd. The details about the three snipers were first reported by the local news outlet BeaverCountian.com.

One sniper inside spotted the gunman outside and looking up at the roof, observing the building and disappearing, according to the officer who spoke to CBS News. The sniper observed the gunman as he returned to the building, sat down and looked at his phone. At that point, one of the local snipers took a picture of him.

Next, the local sniper observed the gunman looking through a rangefinder, an instrument routinely used by marksmen to determine the distance of a target, and he immediately radioed to the command post, according to the local law enforcement officer. The local sniper also attempted to send the photo of the gunman up the chain of command.

Read more here.  

–Nicole Sganga and Anna Schecter

There are "no specific or credible threats" to the U.S. Capitol or its members after the attempted assassination, according to a notice from the Senate Sergeant of Arms reviewed by CBS News. 

The notice cautioned that there will be a "higher than normal Capitol Police presence" in the upcoming weeks, including "increased K-9 sweeps, security checks and other proactive security measures." 

House Homeland Security Committee Chair Mark Green, a Republican from Tennessee, has invited multiple officials to testify in an oversight committee hearing examining the assassination attempt on Trump.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, FBI director Christopher Wray and Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle have all been invited to testify before the committee on July 23.

"It is imperative that we partner to understand what went wrong, and how Congress can work with the departments and agencies to ensure this never happens again," Green said in a statement. "Successful oversight requires Congress to work together with these officials as they testify publicly before the House Committee on Homeland Security. The American people, and the individuals and families who receive protective services, deserve nothing less."

Green previously sent a letter to Mayorkas demanding the security plan for the site of Trump's rally, communications related to protective resources on Trump's security detail, and briefing materials used to tell President Biden about the assassination attempt.  

Two law enforcement sources told CBS News the shooter purchased a ladder at Home Depot prior to the shooting, but it is unclear if he brought the ladder to the rally venue on Saturday. This was first reported by CNN.

Home Depot said in a statement, "we condemn the violence against former President Trump, and our thoughts are with him, the other victims of Saturday's horrific events, and their families."

—Nicole Sganga and Adam Yamaguchi

Authorities have searched the home of the man who tried to assassinate former President Donald Trump – putting a small town in Pennsylvania in the spotlight of the investigation. 

One anonymous neighbor told CBS News Pittsburgh that he had to disconnect his phone after receiving 100 calls from around the world related to the shooting, which killed a rally attendee and injured Trump and two others.

A person was seen walking a suitcase into the shooter's home on Monday night. The person did not respond to media questions, and could not be immediately identified, CBS News Pittsburgh reported.

Some neighbors recalled interactions with the gunman and his family. 

"I had a really pleasant conversation with them," said Alleghany County councilman Dan Grzybek, who lives on the same street as the shooter and visited the home while campaigning. "I got the perception they were nice people." 

Grzybek said he fears the shooter's actions will "result in further political violence." 

"I think people are worried that conspiracy theorists are going to come to the area and do something not particularly smart," he said.

Read more here.

Cellphone video taken Saturday shows rally attendees pointing toward the shooter and trying to alert authorities to his presence — a full two minutes before the 20-year-old fired at Trump.

Less than 15 seconds before the shots, people are seen running away from the area. Moments later, some in the crowd begin shouting that the man on the roof has a gun.

The gunman killed Corey Comperatore, a firefighter. He also wounded two others aside from Trump: 57-year-old Marine Corps veteran David Dutch and 74-year-old James Copenhaver.

Seconds later, a Secret Service counter sniper fatally shot Crooks.

Read more here.

The FBI said it had conducted nearly 100 interviews of law enforcement officials, attendees at the rally and other witnesses as of Monday afternoon, as it investigates the attack as a potential act of domestic terrorism.

It has also received hundreds of digital media tips, according to a press release, but has not identified a clear ideological motive.

The FBI believes the shooter — who was not previously known to the FBI — acted alone, with a gun that was purchased by his father.

Searches of the shooter's home and vehicle are complete, according to the FBI, and authorities are analyzing his electronic devices.

A former police chief who worked event security for two former presidents said the shooting followed an "an absolute and abysmal failure" on the part of the Secret Service to protect Trump. The agency is ultimately responsible for the candidate's safety, said Stan Kephart.

"You don't get to blame other people," said Kephart, who is now a consulting expert on law enforcement event security. "They are under your control."

At least a dozen police officers and sheriff's deputies were assisting the U.S. Secret Service and Pennsylvania State Police with rally security.

President Biden said in an interview with NBC News' Lester Holt that he should not have used the word "bullseye" when referring to how his campaign should treat Trump, but still wants to put the focus squarely on his opponent's record and rhetoric heading into November.

"I was talking about focus on, look, the truth of the matter was, what I guess I was talking about at the time was, there was very little focus on Trump's agenda," Mr. Biden said Monday.

"It was a mistake to use the word," the president said, but added, "I meant focus on him. Focus on what he's doing."

"I'm not the guy that said, I want to be a dictator on day one. I'm not the guy that refused to accept the outcome of the election. I'm not the guy who said they won't accept the outcome of this election automatically," Mr. Biden said. "You can't only love your country when you win. And so, the focus was on what he's saying and the idea."

Asked if he had done any "soul searching" about his rhetoric, Mr. Biden said, "How do you talk about the threat to democracy, which is real, when a president says things like he says? Do you just not say anything, because it may incite somebody?" 

"I've not engaged in that rhetoric," Mr. Biden insisted. "Now, my opponent is engaged in that rhetoric. He talks about, there'll be a bloodbath if he loses. Talking about how he's going to forgive all the ... I guess suspend the sentence of all those who were arrested and sentenced to go to jail because of what happened in the Capitol."

Read more here.

The Secret Service sniper who neutralized the gunman fired one round and was assisted by a spotter, according to two federal law enforcement officials with knowledge of the response to the shooting.

The sniper who took out the gunman was located on the roof behind and to Trump's to his left — the square furthest to the right in the below map.

The man who attempted to assassinate Trump purchased 50 rounds of ammunition from a gun store in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, before arriving at the rally site, according to a law enforcement bulletin from the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI obtained by CBS News.

The FBI is investigating whether the shooter "was motivated by a violent extremist ideology or had any association with additional plotters or co-conspirators."

Investigators found three suspected improvised explosive devices after the shooting, including two in the shooter's vehicle parked near the rally site, the bulletin reads.

Both agencies advised law enforcement about the potential for retaliatory acts of violence following Saturday's shooting given the online threats of violence after the attempt on Trump's life.

"Some individuals' reactions to politically and socially divisive topics have prompted violence ... and some individuals - including some (Domestic Violent Extremists) - potentially will view political and social tensions as an opportunity to use or promote violence to further their ideological goals," the bulletin reads.

A law enforcement source confirmed that authorities found rudimentary bomb-making material at the gunman's residence and in his vehicle. The FBI is analyzing the devices at Quantico.  

The attempted assassination on former President Donald Trump had "an impact," he told ABC News on Monday.

Trump was asked by ABC News' Jonathan Karl if the attempt on his life had changed him.

"I don't like to think about that, but, yes, I think has an impact," he said, adding that he hoped the bandage on his ear would be removed by the time he speaks on Thursday to the Republican National Convention.