The local SWAT team at former President Donald Trump’s July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, has revealed that the team did not have a security briefing or communication with the Secret Service prior to the assassination attempt against the 2024 Republican presidential nominee.
During a recent interview with ABC News, the Beaver County SWAT team spoke out publicly for the first time since the assassination attempt against the former president. SWAT Team Officer Jason Woods explained that his SWAT team never received a briefing from the Secret Service despite being told that they would receive a “face-to-face briefing” when the Secret Service snipers arrived at the Butler event.
“We were supposed to get a face-to-face briefing with the Secret Service snipers whenever they arrived, and that never happened,” Woods told ABC News. “So I think that that was probably a pivotal point, where I started thinking things were wrong because that never happened, and we had no communication with the Secret Service.”
Asked whether the local SWAT team had had no communication at all with the Secret Service on July 13, Woods said, “Not until after the shooting.” He added that it was “too late” when communication finally was established between the Secret Service and the SWAT team after the tragic shooting that injured the former president, killed a retired fire chief, and severely wounded two Trump rally attendees.
According to ABC News, Woods had expected there to be a greater level of communication and coordination between the Secret Service and the local SWAT team.
Highlighting the tragedy that occurred at the Pennsylvania rally, Mike Priolo, the assistant leader for the Beaver County SWAT team, said, “This one is something that we’ll always carry with us.”
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The local SWAT team’s testimony regarding the assassination attempt against Trump sparked additional criticism of the Secret Service. One social media user tweeted, “So secret service cannot do simple protocol briefings, cool.” Meanwhile, another social media user warned of potential retaliation against the SWAT team, writing, “Better keep tabs on these guys or they’re gonna end up getting disappeared.”
ABC News reported that while Anthony Guglielmi, a Secret Service spokesman, did not respond directly to the SWAT team’s new claims, Guglielmi said the Secret Service was “committed to better understanding what happened before, during, and after the assassination attempt of former President Trump to ensure that never happens again. That includes complete cooperation with Congress, the FBI, and other relevant investigations.”
