Pennsylvania State Police commissioner testifies in hearing on Trump assassination attempt

WASHINGTON — Just a day after a brutal hearing on the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, the head of the Secret Service resigned.

Chief Investigator Rick Earle was at the hearing and spoke exclusively with state police as the hearings continued on Capitol Hill.

>> Secret Service director, grilled by lawmakers on the Trump assassination attempt, says ‘we failed’

The Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Col. Chris Paris spoke exclusively with Channel 11 after he testified before the House Homeland Security Committee about his agency’s involvement with security for the trump rally.

Paris said the Secret Service took the lead and he provided 32 officers to help with the motorcade, inside the secure perimeter and two roving units outside.

>> Trump assassination attempt: Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigns

He testified the butler ESU, a local tactical unit, was responsible for securing the building the gunman used to shoot from.

Paris said that 25 minutes before the rally, one of his troopers who was in the command center received a picture of Thomas Crooks from a local law enforcement officer who said Crooks was pacing back and forth and looking through a window.

Paris: The appropriate steps were taken immediately after that to push that information to where it needed to be inside of the Secret Service command post.

Earle: Your trooper immediately turned and told Secret Service and they gave him a number to disseminate that?

Paris: Yes.

During the hearing Tuesday, Paris said two members of the butler tactical unit were stationed in an adjacent building with a view of the rooftop the gunman accessed left their post to search for the person in the photo, but couldn’t find him.

Lawmakers suggested if they hadn’t left their post they would have seen crooks climbing onto the roof.

“What did we know and when did we know it? After today, we knew well in advance before that shooting ever started there was someone on that roof that should not have been there,” said Rep. Mike Kelly.

Kelly, who represents Butler County, was at the rally when shots rang out and says it’s clear that the building should have been secured.

“I think at this point we don’t need to be pointing fingers at people but getting facts and continuing from there,” Kelly said.

Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW

©2024 Cox Media Group