THIS, MIKE. SO, MIKE, THIS PRELIMINARY REPORT IS A COLLECTION OF CONGRESSMAN CLAY HIGGINS OBSERVATIONS AND FINDINGS OVER THE COURSE OF 20 HOURS ON THE GROUND AT THE BUTLER FARM SHOW. THE LOUISIANA REPUBLICAN SAID HE SECURED THE COOPERATION OF LOCAL AUTHORITIES DURING HIS VISIT THERE EARLIER THIS MONTH. AND THOSE ARE THE ONLY LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL FOR WHOM HE OFFERS PRAISE. LET’S FIRST START WITH THE SECRET SERVICE. CONGRESSMAN HIGGINS SAYS THE AGENCY DID NOT RETRIEVE RADIOS SET ASIDE FOR THEM BY BUTLER COUNTY TACTICAL COMMAND. HIGGINS CLAIMS THAT’S DESPITE HIS UNDERSTANDING THAT THE DAY BEFORE THE RALLY, THE BUTLER COUNTY ESU COMMANDER PERSONALLY REMINDED THE SECRET SERVICE COUNTER-SNIPER TEAMS TO PICK THEM UP. THIS IS JUST A PIECE OF A SIX PAGE PRELIMINARY REPORT. HIGGINS SUBMITTED TO PENNSYLVANIA CONGRESSMAN MIKE KELLY, WHO CHAIRS THE JULY 13 TASK FORCE. HIGGINS ALSO DIRECTS HIS ATTENTION TO THE FBI, SUGGESTING THAT ACTIONS BY THE BUREAU AMOUNTED TO, QUOTE, QUOTE, OBSTRUCTION TO ANY FOLLOWING INVESTIGATIVE EFFORT. AN FBI SPOKESPERSON TELLING PITTSBURGH’S ACTION NEWS FOUR THEY’RE SURPRISED AND DISTURBED BY THE ALLEGATION OF OBSTRUCTION IN HIS REPORT, HIGGINS WRITES, QUOTE, THE FBI CLEANED UP BIOLOGICAL EVIDENCE FROM THE CRIME SCENE, WHICH IS UNHEARD OF. COPS DON’T DO THAT EVER. END QUOTE. HIGGINS ALSO SAYS HE WANTED TO STUDY THE GUNMAN’S BODY, BUT HE WAS SURPRISED TO LEARN THE FBI RELEASED IT TO BE CREMATED TEN DAYS AFTER THE SHOOTING, CALLING THAT A QUOTE, DISTURBING FACT. AN FBI SPOKESPERSON TELLS US THIS IS THE FIRST THE AGENCY IS HEARING THAT CONGRESS WANTED TO HOLD THE BODY FOR ITS OWN INVESTIGATION, GOING ON TO SAY THAT THE RELEASE OF THE CRIME SCENE CLEANUP OF BIOLOGICAL EVIDENCE AND RELEASE OF CROOK’S BODY WERE ALL DONE ACCORDING TO STANDARD FBI PROCEDURE. THE CONGRESSMAN’S FRUSTRATION WITH THE BUREAU COMING THROUGH QUITE CLEAR WRITING, QUOTE, THE PATTERN OF INVESTIGATIVE SCORCHED EARTH BY THE FBI IS QUITE TROUBLING. DESPITE THE PUSHBACK BY THE FBI, THE REPORT IS WELCOMED BY CHAIRMAN KELLY, WHO CALLED IT INSIGHTFUL. A SPOKESPERSON FOR KELLY SAYS THE PRELIMINARY FINDINGS CONTAINED IN THE REPORT WILL BE USED TO HELP BUILD OUR THOROUGH, DETAILED INVESTIGATION IN THE WEEKS AND MONTHS TO COME. NOW, AS FOR THOSE CLAIMS THAT THE SECRET SERVICE DID NOT RETRIEVE RADIOS LEFT FOR THEM BEFORE THE RALLY? THE SECRET SERVICE TELLS PITTSBURGH’S ACTION NEWS FOUR IN A STATEMENT. INTERAGENCY COMMUNICATIONS ON JULY 13TH WILL BE EXAMINED DURING THE
Advertisem*nt
FBI 'surprised' and 'disturbed' by congressman's allegation of obstruction in Butler probe
Mike Valente
Reporter
The FBI pushed back at claims made in a preliminary report authored by a Louisiana congressman who visited the Butler Farm Show on behalf of a congressional task force established to investigate the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.Republican U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins made his report public Thursday, four days after he initially submitted it to U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pennsylvania, who is chairman of the July 13 Task Force, a bipartisan committee organized to investigate the security failures surrounding the shooting at a political rally in Butler.Higgins said he committed about 20 hours of investigative work during his visit earlier this month, which included cooperation from local authorities.While he praised the work of local law enforcement, Higgins was critical of the U.S. Secret Service and of the FBI.He said his initial investigation determined that USSS counter-sniper teams did not retrieve radios that had been set aside for them by Butler County tactical command. Higgins added that the day before the rally, the Butler County ESU commander "personally reminded" the counter-sniper teams to pick up their assigned radios.In response to the claim made in the report, Anthony Guglielmi, chief of communications for the Secret Service, sent Pittsburgh's Action News 4 the following statement:"Inter-agency communications on July 13 will be examined during the U.S. Secret Service's ongoing mission assurance review. The U.S. Secret Service is committed to investigating the decisions and actions of personnel related to the event in Butler, Pennsylvania and the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. The U.S Secret Service's mission assurance review is progressing, and we are examining the processes, procedures and factors that led to this operational failure. Any identified and substantiated violations of policy committed by our personnel will be investigated by the Office of Professional Responsibility for disciplinary action. The U.S. Secret Service is committed to holding our personnel accountable to the highest professional standards."Higgins also raised questions about the FBI's handling of the investigation after the shooting."The FBI cleaned up biological evidence from the crime scene, which is unheard of," Higgins wrote. "Cops don’t do that, ever."Higgins also took issue with the FBI's authorization for the gunman's body to be released 10 days after the shooting. He said he had wanted to examine the body himself, but was surprised to learn it had been cremated.The congressman suggested that these actions amounted to "obstruction to any following investigative effort."A spokesperson with the FBI said the agency was "surprised" and "disturbed" to learn of the allegation of obstruction.The spokesperson said that the release of the crime scene, cleanup of biological evidence, and the release of the gunman's body were all done according to FBI procedure. The spokesperson said the body was released to the family after a "detailed, coordinated effort with the coroner's office." That spokesperson added that this report is the first time the FBI is hearing Congress wanted to hold the body for its own investigation.On Friday, the Pittsburgh FBI office released the following statement with an updated response:"Any suggestion the FBI is interfering with congressional efforts to look into the attempted assassination which took place in Butler, Pennsylvania, is inaccurate and unfounded. The FBI has been working closely with our law enforcement partners to conduct a thorough investigation into the shooting, and we have followed normal procedures in the handling of the crime scene and evidence. The FBI continues its painstaking work on the investigation to develop as complete a picture as possible of what led to the shooting, and we remain committed to maximum transparency as we continue to brief Congress and publish information for the public regarding the ongoing investigation."Specifically:The crime scene was released to the property owners in phases as we completed our work at the AGR building, its surroundings, and at the Butler Farm Show grounds. Nothing was rushed and everything was documented as part of the investigation.The FBI arranged for the cleaning of the location where the perpetrator died which is in keeping with normal procedures.The shooter's body was released to his family after coordination with the coroner's office and our state and local law enforcement partners. This is also in keeping with normal procedures."FBI Pittsburgh continues to be actively engaged with the Butler community, with sites at the Butler Farm Show grounds where evidence was recovered, and with local, state, and federal law enforcement as we continue to refine the exact details of this case, and find and identify leads, in order to provide as much information as possible to the American people."
BUTLER, Pa. —
The FBI pushed back at claims made in a preliminary report authored by a Louisiana congressman who visited the Butler Farm Show on behalf of a congressional task force established to investigate the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.
Republican U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins made his report public Thursday, four days after he initially submitted it to U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pennsylvania, who is chairman of the July 13 Task Force, a bipartisan committee organized to investigate the security failures surrounding the shooting at a political rally in Butler.
Advertisem*nt
Higgins said he committed about 20 hours of investigative work during his visit earlier this month, which included cooperation from local authorities.
While he praised the work of local law enforcement, Higgins was critical of the U.S. Secret Service and of the FBI.
He said his initial investigation determined that USSS counter-sniper teams did not retrieve radios that had been set aside for them by Butler County tactical command. Higgins added that the day before the rally, the Butler County ESU commander "personally reminded" the counter-sniper teams to pick up their assigned radios.
In response to the claim made in the report, Anthony Guglielmi, chief of communications for the Secret Service, sent Pittsburgh's Action News 4 the following statement:
"Inter-agency communications on July 13 will be examined during the U.S. Secret Service's ongoing mission assurance review. The U.S. Secret Service is committed to investigating the decisions and actions of personnel related to the event in Butler, Pennsylvania and the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. The U.S Secret Service's mission assurance review is progressing, and we are examining the processes, procedures and factors that led to this operational failure. Any identified and substantiated violations of policy committed by our personnel will be investigated by the Office of Professional Responsibility for disciplinary action. The U.S. Secret Service is committed to holding our personnel accountable to the highest professional standards."
Higgins also raised questions about the FBI's handling of the investigation after the shooting.
"The FBI cleaned up biological evidence from the crime scene, which is unheard of," Higgins wrote. "Cops don’t do that, ever."
Higgins also took issue with the FBI's authorization for the gunman's body to be released 10 days after the shooting. He said he had wanted to examine the body himself, but was surprised to learn it had been cremated.
The congressman suggested that these actions amounted to "obstruction to any following investigative effort."
A spokesperson with the FBI said the agency was "surprised" and "disturbed" to learn of the allegation of obstruction.
The spokesperson said that the release of the crime scene, cleanup of biological evidence, and the release of the gunman's body were all done according to FBI procedure. The spokesperson said the body was released to the family after a "detailed, coordinated effort with the coroner's office." That spokesperson added that this report is the first time the FBI is hearing Congress wanted to hold the body for its own investigation.
On Friday, the Pittsburgh FBI office released the following statement with an updated response:
"Any suggestion the FBI is interfering with congressional efforts to look into the attempted assassination which took place in Butler, Pennsylvania, is inaccurate and unfounded. The FBI has been working closely with our law enforcement partners to conduct a thorough investigation into the shooting, and we have followed normal procedures in the handling of the crime scene and evidence. The FBI continues its painstaking work on the investigation to develop as complete a picture as possible of what led to the shooting, and we remain committed to maximum transparency as we continue to brief Congress and publish information for the public regarding the ongoing investigation.
"Specifically:
- The crime scene was released to the property owners in phases as we completed our work at the AGR building, its surroundings, and at the Butler Farm Show grounds. Nothing was rushed and everything was documented as part of the investigation.
- The FBI arranged for the cleaning of the location where the perpetrator died which is in keeping with normal procedures.
- The shooter's body was released to his family after coordination with the coroner's office and our state and local law enforcement partners. This is also in keeping with normal procedures.
"FBI Pittsburgh continues to be actively engaged with the Butler community, with sites at the Butler Farm Show grounds where evidence was recovered, and with local, state, and federal law enforcement as we continue to refine the exact details of this case, and find and identify leads, in order to provide as much information as possible to the American people."
Pennsylvania congressman chosen to lead House task force investigating Trump assassination attempt
'Who's got eyes on him?': Body camera video shows moment officer spotted gunman at Trump rally
Acting Secret Service director says he's 'ashamed' after the Trump assassination attempt
Body cam video shows Secret Service response on roof after Trump rally shooter was killed
Beaver ESU members describe lack of contact between local SWAT, Secret Service at Trump rally
