Donald Trump’s Secret Service protection under investigation following assassination attempt

Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old who attempted to assassinate former President Trump last Saturday in Pennsylvania, likely didn’t use a recently purchased ladder to climb onto a nearby roof before firing at Trump.

Law enforcement sources allegedly told ABC News that even though there was a Home Depot receipt for a recently purchased 5-foot ladder found on Crooks, he did not use it to access the roof where he fired shots at Trump and instead climbed an air conditioning unit.

Trump was shot in the ear Saturday during his rally preceding this week’s Republican National Convention. Secret Service agents quickly killed Crooks in retaliation fire.

Crooks accessed the roof of a nearby building and fired from about 150 yards away from Trump. The shot that hit Trump nicked him in the ear, but was just a few inches away from hitting the former president in the front or side of his head.

Fox News Digital’s Rebecca Rosenberg and Greg Wehner contributed to this report.

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who once served as press secretary under former President Trump and is known for her brash ways of dealing with media, looked compassionate while endorsing Trump at the Republican National Convention on Tuesday in Milwaukee.

“I want to say, I have always been proud to stand with President Trump,” the governor said. “But never have I been more proud than to stand with him right here, tonight.” 

The crowd at Fiserv Forum arena gave her a raucous ovation before she acknowledged the assassination attempt on Trump last weekend in Pennsylvania. Trump even smiled with glee during her opening remark.

“Not even an assassin’s bullet could stop him," she continued. “God Almighty intervened because America is one nation, under God, and He is certainly not finished with President Trump.”

She received another standing ovation before saying, “and our country is better for it.”

Huckabee Sanders called working as press secretary under Trump “the best job.” She went on to add other talking points in her brief remarks, like "the left doesn't care about empowering women. Biden and Harris can't even tell you what a woman is, they only care about empowering themselves."

A GoFundMe page to help wounded victims or the family of those killed during the attempted assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump in Butler, Penn., last Saturday has already surpassed $5 million, more than quintupling the desired $1 million goal.

"President Donald Trump has authorized this account as a place for donations to the supporters and families wounded or killed in today’s brutal and horrific assassination attempt. All donations will be directed to these proud Americans as they grieve and recover. May God bless and unite our nation," it reads on the fundraising page.

Trump was shot and wounded in his ear during an outdoor rally on Saturday. Secret Service killed the gunman, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks. Trump walked away with his injury, but firefighter Corey Comperatore, 50, was killed during the incident.

The family of a mother of five who was allegedly murdered by an illegal immigrant slammed the Biden administration on Tuesday night for having "opened our borders" to the man accused of killing her.

Michael Morin, the brother of Rachel Morin, spoke at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Morin was killed in August after going out for a jog on a trail near her home in Maryland. Police found her body in a culvert, covered in bruises and with severe head trauma.

"Rachel, a joyful, accomplished athlete and mother of five was raped and murdered by a suspected illegal immigrant," Michael Morin told the crowd at the Republican National Convention. "This was described as among the most brutal and violent offenses that has ever occurred in Harford County, Maryland history."

Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, 23, faces a half-dozen charges, including first-degree murder, rape, and kidnapping, in connection with Rachel Morin's death. Officials said Martinez Hernandez, who has suspected gang ties, fled his home country in February 2023 after a warrant was issued for the murder of a woman there.

He made three unsuccessful attempts to enter the United States before making it across the border on Feb. 13, 2023 near El Paso, Texas, authorities said.

Rachel’s brother slammed those who advocate for open borders.

"Open borders are often portrayed as compassionate and virtuous. But there is nothing compassionate about allowing violent criminals into our country and robbing children of their mother," he said.

He then criticized the Biden administration for its policies at the border.

"Joe Biden and his designated border czar Kamala Harris opened our borders to him and others like him, empowering them to victimize the innocent," he said.

Fox News' Adam Shaw contributed to this report.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., spoke at the Republican National Convention on Tuesday in which he addressed Saturday's shooting at former President Trump's campaign rally in Pennsylvania, where a man was killed.

Corey Comperatore, 50, a firefighter at the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company in Pennsylvania, was killed at the rally shielding his wife and daughter from bullets when gunman Thomas Mathew Crooks, 20, opened fire attempting to assassinate Trump, who sustained a wound to his ear.

"This thing we do called politics, it matters, it's not unimportant, but it is our people who must always matter the most in everything we do," Rubio said. "By giving voice to everyday Americans, President Trump has not just transformed our party, he has inspired a movement."

"[Comperatore] was a former fire chief and a loving husband," Rubio continued. "He was described as the best dad a girl could ever ask for. He was a man of God who loved Jesus fiercely ... Corey was one of the millions of everyday Americans who make our country great."

Shocking cellphone video shows chaos at the Butler Farm Saturday after Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire on a Pennsylvania Trump rally, injuring the former president, killing one spectator and critically wounding two more.

The video shows ducking spectators flagging authorities for help after the gunfire stops.

"We've got someone down," a man can be heard shouting as he waves his arms. "Hey!"

The camera pans toward the stage, as Trump returns to his feet, flanked by Secret Service agents, and raises a fist.

Todd, the Army veteran who took the video and asked to be identified only as Todd the Driller, said he initially offered to bring his son to the rally but was concerned the crowd might be too boisterous.

He said he was relieved when the 9-year-old wanted to back out. But then both the boy and his 12-year-old daughter asked for Trump campaign hats, so he wound up attending alone.

Todd arrived early and called his kids on FaceTime from a row of vendors. They chose their hats. He bought them. Then he made his way toward the stage.

The rally started late, he said, but by the time Trump arrived, he had a good vantage point near the north fence.

He had been taking pictures and videos to send his son, but when the gunfire erupted, his phone was in his pocket and he was listening to Trump's remarks.

"I had no idea I was in the lane of fire between the shooter and President Trump, but when I heard the crack-crack-crack, I knew what that was," he said. "It was directly behind me, and bullets whizzed like maybe 20 feet to my left."

Fox News' Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.

A 3D animation shows the grounds and surrounding buildings where a would-be assassin shot former President Trump during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday.

Despite sniper teams stationed on the rooftop behind Trump, the would-be assassin -- later identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks -- managed to evade authorities and climb onto the roof of a building on the outer perimeter of the rally grounds, roughly 150 yards from where Trump was speaking.

The U.S. Secret Service has faced scrutiny in the days following the assassination attempt for not taking out the shooter sooner.

USSS Director told ABC News Tuesday that personnel were not positioned on top of the building where the Trump rally shooter opened fire because of a "sloped roof," despite images showing snipers set up on a sloped roof behind the former president’s podium. 

A former senior Homeland Security official and FBI agent is calling for a bipartisan commission to be formed to investigate the assassination attempt on former President Trump, arguing the public has lost trust in the federal agencies.

Mark Morgan most recently served as acting head of Customs and Border Protection under the Trump administration and also had a 20-year career with the FBI, including as a former SWAT operator and tactical instructor, and with the FBI’s critical incident response group.

He spoke to Fox News Digital Tuesday about the ongoing reviews of Saturday's assassination attempt.

"Here's the reality that we have to face for those of us who were past and even those that are currently involved in these agencies. … America's trust in the Department of Justice, the FBI, Congress, it has dropped precipitously the past few years. That's just the reality," Morgan said.

Read more about the interview with Morgan.

Fox News’ Adam Shaw contributed to this report.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said the lower chamber is conducting an "immediate" and "thorough" invesitgation of the attemtped assassination of former President Trump over the weekend at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

"And that work has already begun," Johnson said in his RNC speech Tuesday night. "The American people deserve to know the truth and we will ensure accountability. I promise you that, I promise you that."

"This has always been an important principle to us. We in the Republican Party, are the law and order team. We always have been and we always will be the advocates for the rule of law," he added.

On Monday, Fox News' Chad Pergram reported that the House Oversight Committee and the House Homeland Security Committee were expected to receive virtual briefings on Tuesday about the assassination attempt.

Also on Tuesday, House Homeland Security Chair Mark Green, R-Tenn., invited Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and FBI Director Christopher Wray to testify on July 23 "to examine the facts and circumstances" surrounding the shooting, according to a news release.

In the aftermath of the event that nearly killed the former president and claimed the life of a one civilian, questions continue to be raised about how the gunman evaded security.

Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., is calling on U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to resign from her post, following the failed detail that was in place when a man attempted to assassinate former President Trump.

Cheatle acknowledged during an interview with ABC News on Monday that "the Secret Service is responsible for the protection of the former president," adding, "the buck stops with me."

"The responsibility of the Secret Service is to make sure that that venue was safe," Harris told Fox News Digital on Tuesday. "Obviously, this venue was not safe. Obviously, they didn't have adequate communication with the local law enforcement. And the buck does stop with her. She should take full responsibility, and that's why I've asked that she tender her resignation."

Harris is a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, which is responsible for funding the operations of the Secret Service.

Read more about why Harris is calling Cheatle to resign. 

The National Fraternal Order of Police on Tuesday accused the U.S. Secret Service of making “contradictory statements” concerning its role in coordinating security for former President Trump’s Pennsylvania rally on Saturday where a 20-year-old would-be assassin made an attempt on his life.

Patrick Yoes, National President of the Fraternal Order of Police, highlighted remarks USSS Director Kimberly Cheatle made during an interview with ABC News.

Cheatle told ABC News correspondent Pierre Thomas during a live interview that the Secret Service was responsible for the “inner perimeter” of the site where Trump held a rally. She said the Secret Service sought assistance from local law enforcement for the outer perimeter where the building on which the would-be assassin fired upon Trump from a roof was located.

“There was local police in that building – there was local police in the area that were responsible for the outer perimeter of the building,” Cheatle said.

The day after her ABC News interview, the USSS wrote on X that “Any news suggesting the Secret Service is blaming local law enforcement for Saturday’s incident is simply note true.”

“I am having difficulty reconciling the answer the Director gave in her ABC interview with the official statement made on social media,” Yoes said in a statement. “Our goal is to provide whatever assistance the Secret Service needs to perform their mission and to do so with mutual respect, trust, and accuracy.” 

Cellphone video taken on Saturday shows panicked Trump rally attendees pointing at shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks and yelling to alert police as he shimmied across a roof and into position minutes before he fired.

Video from the scene appears to show attendees trying to alert authorities to the shooter's presence 86 seconds before Crooks fired.

In other footage taken of the incident, people were seen running from the area about 15 seconds before shots were fired, while others were heard yelling that the man on the roof had a gun.

"Look, they're all pointing," the man shooting the video can be heard saying. "There he is right there. Right there, you see him? He's laying down, you see him? What's happening."

"He's on the roof," another woman can be heard yelling. "Right here."

Read more about the moments leading up to the attempted assassination.

Fox News’ Christina Coulter contributed to this report.

Home Depot co-founder Ken Langone told “Your World with Neil Cavuto” Tuesday that the attempt on Donald Trump's life on Saturday marked the beginning of an opportunity for the former president “to carve a very significant place in history.”

Langone acknowledged that he had had reservations about Trump but hoped that the former president would spread a message of unity after surviving the assassination attempt.

“I’m hoping and I’m expecting that he’s going to preach unity and come together and all the greatness of America when we come together for a cause,” Langone said. “When America puts itself together for something, nothing stops us.”

Langone compared Trump’s defiance on Saturday to World War II General Anthony McAuliffe.

“If I was virtually damn near dead – that close – I’d have been pleading, ‘get me out of here, get me out of here, get me out of here!’ It was exactly the opposite he wanted to go back to the podium,” Langone said.

What Trump did on Saturday, Langone said, “is the beginning of an opportunity for him to carve a very significant place in history.” 

A Lake Worth Beach, Florida bar removed a controversial sign that made a joke out of the attempted assassination of former President Trump, days after taking heat from the public, according to reports.

A local NBC station in West Palm Beach reported that the sign outside of Harry’s Banana Farm read, “How do you miss a head that’s that inflated?” poking fun at Saturday’s assassination attempt on Trump.

"You know, that sign is meant to be humorous, and I thought it was just another humorous sign but apparently it struck a nerve," Harry's Banana Farm general manager Lou De Stout told the station.

He also said whatever he posts on the sign is free speech.

De Stout told the station he tries to put a topical and humorous message on marquee using 10 words or less, oftentimes using the hot topic of the time.

Knowing everyone would be talking about the attempted assassination of Trump, he said, he decided to reference the shooting on the public-facing sign.

In less than 24 hours, he said his bar received multiple threats for violence and arson, with some calling on the owner to shut down the establishment.

De Stout also reportedly said he received countless negative Yelp reviews.

"After a while, I thought ... I can't have my staff being threatened for the things that I do, it's not fair to them," De Stout told the station. "Some of them are young girls. They have young kids, and it's a great staff here and I didn't want to put them in harm's way."

His sign now reportedly reads, “Yeah, for Trump, so happy for him, you crazy bastards happy.”

The Biden administration declined to provide security for former President Trump’s national security adviser Robert O’Brien for nearly a year despite behind-the-scenes pressure, according an exclusive Wall Street Journal report published Tuesday.

House Intelligence Committee chairman Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, wrote two letters to President Biden over the past year requesting that the administration reinstate O’Brien’s Secret Service protective detail which ended in August of last year, The Journal reported.

“It is a dangerous precedent to set, to not extend a former National Security Advisor’s protective detail while there are active threats against his life, especially in a growing threat environment,” Turner wrote in a Jan. 30 letter.

In another letter from June 21, 2023, Turner wrote that “Ambassador O’Brien both needs and deserves a protective detail for his service to this country.”

The need for security for officials has been heightened in recent days following the assassination attempt on former President Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.

The family of James Copenhaver, one of two victims injured during an assassination attempt on former President Trump over the weekend, has issued a statement to the press.

“The Copenhaver family would like to thank everyone for the outpouring of support for James ‘Jim’ as he recovers from the injuries that he tragically sustained during President Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024,” the statement read. “Jim would like to especially thank the first responders, medics, and hospital staff who have provided him with initial and continuing care.”

The messaged continued: “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. At this time, the Copenhaver family would kindly request that friends, the public, and the media respect the family’s privacy and allow for Jim to recover from the life-altering injuries that he sustained on July 13, 2024.”

The family said it would not be making any additional statements, directing further inquiries to the Law Offices of Max C. Feldman and with the legal representative’s approval to Dan Laurent with Allegheny Health Network.

The family said James Copenhaver remains in critical but stable condition as of 3 p.m. Tuesday.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-Il., says there will be an “unclassified, all-senators call” at 3 p.m. Wednesday to discuss the assassination attempt on former President Trump over the weekend.

Briefers from the Justice Department, U.S. Secret Service, and the FBI will be on the call, according to Schumer’s office.

Fox News is also told that efforts are underway to hold a briefing for House lawmakers as well on Wednesday.

These briefings will be virtual and not available to the public. They come as few lawmakers are on Capitol Hill.

Details are starting to emerge about the family of Thomas Crooks, the man who attempted to assassinate former President Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, including his sister, who works as both a school janitor and a server at a restaurant, according to reports.

The New York Post reported that some of the Crooks’ neighbors, who live on the same street, provided insight into the family of the would-be assassin.

One neighbor described Crooks’ sister, Katie Crooks, as a “hardworking” woman who worked two jobs and moved into an apartment in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania with the help of Thomas Crooks nearly three years ago.

“The person who helped her, I couldn’t tell if it was a male or a female,” the Post learned from the neighbor. “A couple of days later I asked if it was one of her siblings and she said it was her brother. The one who shot Trump… He was real scrawny.”

As for the father, Matthew Brian Crooks, the neighbor told the Post he drove the moving truck and appeared to be too heavy to assist with the move. Instead, the neighbor said, Thomas helped his sister.

But the neighbor could not say much about Thomas Crooks.

Still, the neighbor called Katie Crooks a “real go-getter,” the Post reported, who worked at a high school as a janitor, and as a server at a restaurant.

“She’s real friendly,” the neighbor told the Post, of the registered Republican. “She’s a nice girl. I couldn’t say a bad word about her.”