The Sconi

After an assassination attempt on President Donald Trump in Butler, Pa. earlier this month, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) contacted federal law enforcement authorities to request investigative materials – and when that request went unheeded – the senator issued a 13-page report on his preliminary findings and said “the lack of transparency from federal entities...is unacceptable.”

The day after the assassination attempt, the report said Johnson wrote to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray, demanding a preservation of records, information relating to the security of the Butler rally, background information on the alleged gunman and all texts and communications between law enforcement agents, including Secret Service personnel, relating to the rally from July 11, 2024 to July 14, 2024.

According to the report, the Department of Justice (DOJ), DHS, and FBI “have failed to provide any of the requested information and have not even confirmed that they will preserve the relevant records.”

“The lack of transparency from federal entities regarding the July 13, 2024 assassination attempt – which left former President Trump wounded, one rally goer dead, and two other spectators critically injured – is unacceptable. Congress and the public deserve a full explanation and complete answers to all questions regarding the failure of security at the Butler rally. Without transparency, the truth behind the assassination attempt will never be fully revealed and understood,” the report’s executive summary said.

In addition to providing a timeline of events as they are currently known, Johnson’s preliminary findings report centered on five takeaways from the event:

1) Secret Service did not attend a security briefing provided to local special weapons and tactics (SWAT) and sniper teams the morning of July 13, 2024;

2) Local law enforcement said communications were siloed and they were not in frequent radio contact directly with Secret Service;

3) Local law enforcement notified command about [gunman, Thomas Matthew] Crooks prior to the shooting and received confirmation that Secret Service was aware of the notification;

4) Following the shooting Secret Service was seen on the roof of the AGR building with local law enforcement; photos of the shooter were sent to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) for facial recognition; and

5) Secret Service was initially not going to send snipers to the rally, according to local law enforcement.

The report closed with 41 outstanding questions to law enforcement officials covering a variety of subjects, such as why President Trump was allowed to go on stage if the Secret Service was aware of Crooks’ presence, why did the Secret Service not initially intend to send sniper units to the rally and why were Secret Service and local SWAT and sniper units not in direct communication at the event.

“The findings and timeline released in this document are very preliminary, and barely scratch the surface of what a full investigation must reveal. We are releasing this document to provide the public with complete transparency and to ensure that all entities examining the assassination attempt are equipped with this information. We are also hoping it prompts others – both in law enforcement and the general public – to come forward. The information presented in this document raises many questions that Congress and law enforcement entities must answer. Senator Johnson’s office will continue to pursue the truth and in doing so, encourages anyone with relevant information on the July 13, 2024 assassination attempt or the alleged shooter to contact his office and email his whistleblower account: Whistleblower_PSIJohnson@hsgac.senate.gov,” the report stated.

“In addition to connecting with his office, Senator Johnson also encourages individuals with relevant information to cooperate with federal, state and local law enforcement. Anyone who attended the rally – including law enforcement – should carefully memorialize, document, back-up and save any and all potentially relevant information including, but not limited to, security records, video and audio from the rally, proof of attendance at the rally and eye-witness testimony. It is crucial in the early days of this investigation that all potential evidence is preserved and secured. Congress and law enforcement must investigate the attempted assassination of former President Trump thoroughly, truthfully and transparently. The public deserves no less.”

Read Johnson’s preliminary findings in their entirety here.