Congressman and Ex-Navy Seal Sniper Eli Crane Scopes Out Trump Shooting Rooftop — and Ends Up Astonished Security Didn’t Spot Gunman
Arizona Congressman Eli Crane has questioned how the Secret Service allowed a would-be assassin to take a shot at Donald Trump.
July 23 2024, Published 9:24 a.m. ET
Standing on the now-infamous white rooftop where Thomas Matthew Crooks lay sprawled on his stomach with an AR-15-style rifle cocked at Donald Trump, ex-Navy SEAL sniper Eli Crane is amazed the 20-year-old gunman wasn’t spotted by the team of crack security agents surveying the scene directly behind him.
The Republican Arizona Congressman, 44, has 13 years of experience behind him as a trained shooter for SEAL Team 3 and has taken out targets from 800 yards away.
RadarOnline.com can reveal he has now carried out an angle-by-angle audit of Crooks’ movements on July 13 when he came within inches of assassinating Donald Trump, before blasting Corey Comperatore, 50, to death and injuring David Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74.
Crooks – who has been painted as a complex lone gunman who was a math geek and may or may not have been bullied – clambered on the roof at around 5:52 PM in a t-shirt emblazoned with the name of a popular firearms-focused YouTube channel Demolition Ranch, in full view of Secret Service members.
He was even spotted by several onlookers, but security did nothing for 20 minutes.
Crane climbed up to the roof on Monday, joining the bunches of ‘ghoul tourists’ who have been swarming the spot since Trump’s ear was blown off by one of Crooks’ rounds.
Crane noted the water tower behind the roof, explaining that sniper teams placed there would have prevented the shooting.
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In a video posted from rooftop, Crane said: “I'm up here on the building where the supposed sniper took his shot. It's not that steep at all. We just had a 70-year-old man back here climb up on the roof easily.”
He added: “See that water tower behind me? Had Secret Service or anybody had sniper teams up there, this guy wouldn't have made it five feet up this roof. He would have been taken out.
“Behind me, you see the windows that Secret Service was supposedly in the second floor of this building behind. Makes you wonder why they weren't able to quickly dispatch the individual. ”
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Crane also pointed out the windows of a nearby building where Secret Service agents were supposedly stations, questioning why they didn't see Crooks.
“And then behind me, back over here where those red roofs are, that's where the stage was set up, that's where the president was giving his speech from. Lot of questions here in Butler but we look forward to doing oversight and getting to the bottom of it and making sure it never happens again.”
He even went into the building that Secret Service had access to, noted that the windows were “overlooking the entire roof” and the agents had “complete coverage”.
On X, Crane wrote: “As a former Navy SEAL sniper, it was clear to me that many security measures were dropped making Pres. Trump extremely vulnerable. Many questions still remain.”
The Secret Service has faced intense scrutiny from Trump supporters and GOP lawmakers questioning how they missed the would-be assassin, who was reportedly was seen lurking around the area with a rangefinder and flagged by witnesses.
Kimberly Cheatle, the Director of the Secret Service, admitted to the House Oversight and Accountability Committee that the shooting was the "most significant operational failure" by the security agency in decades.
Cheatle resigned on Tuesday.
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