These ‘7 Deadly Sins’ Almost Cost Trump His Life. When Will We Find Out Why?

Nearly two months after the shocking near-assassination of former President Donald Trump, Americans are still learning alarming details about the incident. Just last week, Fox News reported, whistleblowers told Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., “that Secret Service personnel are ‘woefully unprepared’ and have received inadequate training to properly protect candidates — including former President Trump.”

The senator shared the information in an appearance on “Jesse Watters Primetime.” Fox reported that the senator explained that he was told that when Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents were reassigned to work on security detail, they were given one two-hour webinar on Microsoft Teams. The videos were pre-recorded, and the whistleblowers allegedly said the videos were riddled with technical glitches.

While any act of political violence is shocking, the video of the attempted assassination of Trump, which has been re-broadcast countless times and viewed around the world, is perhaps the most shocking video to hit the public since the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan in 1981.

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It’s hard to imagine, but former President Trump’s life was spared not by the vast number of law enforcement officers protecting him, but by pure chance. A single, near-simultaneous shot from a local officer likely disabled the gunman’s rifle, and Trump’s shift in stance toward the Jumbotron screen allowed the deadly bullets to whizz past his head, causing only a minor laceration to his right ear. Unfortunately, others in the crowd were not so lucky.

The assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump on July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania, is likely the most shocking event to hit the public since the 1981 assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

It is said that any person willing to sacrifice their own life to take the life of another is a serious threat that must be protected from. Yet to many it seems almost inconceivable that an otherwise unassuming but obviously troubled, misguided and attention-seeking 20-year-old loner, barely out of his teens, lacking specialized training, equipment or support, could get to an elevated firing position within 150 yards of the presumptive Republican Party nominee and former President of the United States.

Here are the three most important things we still don’t know about what happened in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13:

1. We still do not know how this troubled young man managed to overcome the combined intelligence, expertise, planning and coordination forces of local, state and federal law enforcement.

2. We don’t know how he managed to climb – undetected by officers from nine agencies – to the roof of a building 157 yards away, where he had a direct view of the main stage, with a military-style rifle, dozens of rounds of ammunition, a laser rangefinder, and a remote detonator to set off the improvised explosive device in his car.

3. We do not know why attacker Thomas Matthew Crooks used encrypted messaging accounts on various platforms in Belgium, New Zealand, and Germany.

So many questions, so few answers

As a former NYPD detective who now runs his own national security firm, I have sought to answer these questions not only to better protect my clients but also to possibly inform future best practices for government decision-makers. Mitigating a similar breakdown in protection for someone running for the highest office in the land is critical.

It’s hard to imagine, but former President Trump’s life was saved not by the protection of a large number of law enforcement officers, but by chance, by sheer luck.

Based on public testimony, sworn statements, and time-stamped text messages, I have learned that the Secret Service and local police had a number of fundamental and significant lapses in coordination, communication, and planning. These are errors that must be corrected before it is too late. I have identified, assessed, and related these errors. I have compiled a list of what I call the “seven deadly sins” on July 13:

The Seven Deadly Sins

• No drones
• No snipers on the roof of building no. 6
• No direct communication
• Lack of a unified command post
• No radio
• No severance pay
• No written plan.

What’s next?

Since July 13, there have been multiple investigations into both the crime itself and how law enforcement allowed it to happen. It is becoming increasingly clear that this was a complex failure, involving multiple missteps and at least nine local and federal law enforcement agencies that were supposed to work together. There are still many questions, and the American people deserve answers.

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In the weeks since the shooting, there has been some good news. The Secret Service has expanded former President Trump’s reach and sent some of President Joe Biden’s security detail to help plan campaign rallies and other events in advance. It has also tightened access to Mar-a-Lago and other locations, providing manpower and technology.

The Secret Service also announced it will use ballistic glass to protect former President Trump, allowing him to resume outdoor campaigning, according to two sources familiar with the plans.

These countermeasures will likely reduce the likelihood of a copycat or similar incident, but questions remain. What took so long? Why did it take so long after a decorated firefighter was murdered, two civilians were seriously wounded and a former president was shot in the ear before these heightened security measures were taken?

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There are still many questions, and the American people deserve answers. The various congressional and other government investigations must continue swiftly and uninterruptedly in the relentless pursuit of truth.

Time is the enemy of investigators: eyewitnesses disappear or their memories become unclear; eyewitnesses disappear or their memories become spotty. We cannot, must not allow this to happen—the American people deserve the truth.