Pittsburg, PA
Secret Service Pittsburgh employees placed on administrative leave: report
Video shows Trump shooting victim’s POV moments before gunfire
A new video from James Copenhaver, one of the victims critically wounded in a July 13 assassination attempt against former President Trump, shows a figure moving across a rooftop just minutes before gunfire rang out at Trump’s rally in Butler, PA.
Several members of the U.S. Secret Service Pittsburgh Field Office have reportedly been placed on administrative leave following the July 13 assassination attempt against former President Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.
A different group of USSS agents specifically assigned to Trump’s detail remain operational, sources familiar with the matter told RealClear Politics.
Anthony Guglielmi, USSS chief of communications, told Fox News Digital in a statement that the agency’s personnel are held “to the highest professional standards, and any identified and substantiated violations of policy will be investigated by the Office of Professional Responsibility for potential disciplinary action.”
USSS did not directly confirm any employees placed on leave, but Guglielmi added that given the “personal” nature of the matter, the agency is “not in a position to comment further.”
ATTEMPTED TRUMP ASSASSIN SEEN WALKING AROUND PENNSYLVANIA RALLY HOURS BEFORE OPENING FIRE
Acting Director of the U.S. Secret Service, Ronald L. Rowe, Jr. appears before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the attempted assassination of Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., July 30, 2024. (REUTERS/Kevin Mohatt)
“The U.S. Secret Service is committed to investigating the decisions and actions of personnel related to the event in Butler, Pennsylvania and the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump,” Guglielmi said. “The U.S. Secret Service’s mission assurance review is progressing, and we are examining the processes, procedures and factors that led to this operational failure.”
Sources told RealClear Politics that the decision to place Pittsburgh Field Office employees on leave versus the other agents assigned to Trump’s detail has created some internal speculation that the local office may bear the brunt of responsibility for failures on July 13.
TRUMP SHOOTING: TIMELINE OF ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW GUNMAN EVADED SECURITY
Former President Trump’s ear was grazed by a bullet during a July 13 assassination attempt at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Evan Vucci)
Various lawmakers have called on the Secret Service to make personnel changes and fire employees after the assassination attempt that killed Corey Comperatore and left two others, David Dutch and James Copenhaver, severely injured, while the former president astoundingly walked away with only a grazed ear.
Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned less than two weeks after the shooting and after giving her initial testimony about the event before members of Congress.
TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT SPARKS INVESTIGATION OF SECRET SERVICE DEI POLICIES: ‘COMPROMISED ITS MISSION’
U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle testifies before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee about the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a campaign event in Pennsylvania, at the Capitol in Washington on Monday, July 22, 2024. ( AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
Police-worn body camera footage released on Aug. 9 shows the moments after gunman Thomas Crooks, 20, opened fire at the rally in which local Butler law enforcement can be heard discussing how Secret Service was apparently supposed to secure the AGR building Crooks shot from.
WATCH:
“I f—ing told them they need to post the f—ing guys over here … the Secret Service,” the officer says in the video. “I told them that f—ing Tuesday. I told them to f—ing post guys over here.”
A video taken by Copenhaver from his point of view in the stand also shows a figure clearly moving across the roof of the AGR building just three minutes before gunfire rang out.
Thomas Crooks seen at the Trump rally on July 13 in Butler, PA. (Sen. Ron Johnson)
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Additionally, Republican Louisiana Sen. Higgins’ Office recently revealed that the USSS did not retrieve radios that had been set aside for them by Butler County tactical command and arranged during their pre-mission planning process.
The congressional Trump Assassination Attempt Task Force will be in Butler on Monday to meet with local officials and gather more first-hand knowledge about the events of July 13.
Pittsburg, PA
About 5 pounds of bees removed from Acrisure Stadium scaffolding ahead of Morgan Wallen concerts
Acrisure Stadium is buzzing with excitement ahead of the back-to-back Morgan Wallen concerts. Except it’s not the fans generating all the excitement — it’s about 5 pounds of honeybees.
The Fine Family Apiary in Monongahela said it was contacted on Wednesday about a swarm of bees clustered on the stage scaffolding. The apiary put the swarm in a “nuc box” and took them home before moving the bees into full-size equipment.
Owner Al Fine estimates the swarm weighed about 4 to 5 pounds and consisted of 12,000 to 15,000 bees. All said, it took less than two hours to get the job done.
Why do bees swarm?
Swarming is how honeybees propagate, Fine explained. According to Penn State Extension, during swarming, the queen and about half the workers leave their home to establish a new nest. The bees will form a temporary cluster, hanging out while scouts search the surrounding area for a more permanent home in hollow spaces like tree cavities or, occasionally, the walls of a home.
Swarms can stick around for several hours or days until they’re ready to move, Penn State Extension says. Meanwhile, the colony left behind is temporarily without a leader until a new queen is established.
With the swarm at Acrisure Stadium removed, Morgan Wallen’s show is ready to go on. The country music megastar will bring his I’m The Problem Tour to Pittsburgh on June 5 and June 6, along with multiple acts like Brooks & Dunn and Ella Langley.
On Sept. 17, multi-platinum country music star Luke Bryan will bring his Farm Tour to 1846 Farms near Latrobe.
Westmoreland County is no stranger to large outdoor concerts. Some may remember the Rolling Rock Town Fair in the early 2000s, while others may recall Luke Bryan’s stop at a farm in South Huntingdon Township just two years ago. Now the country music superstar is returning to the area.
The Unity Township farm’s general manager, Aleisha Stas, gave KDKA a tour of the family farm, which dates back to before the Civil War. She says Bryan’s team first reached out after finding the farm on social media, but she says at first, she and her family thought it was too good to be true.
“This was around April Fools, so we thought it was an April Fools prank,” Stas said. “My whole family, we were like, there’s no way this is about to happen. But this has been incredible.”
Stas says Bryan’s team is handling everything logistically from parking and bathrooms to deciding exactly where the concert will be staged.
“If we have it on this side of the property, we can hold 12,000 people,” Stas said. “And if we have it on (the other side) of the property, it can be up to 20,000. But we have not determined that yet.”
Many of those decisions will be made as September gets closer. In the meantime, however, the farm is holding off on planting in certain fields until the final concert location is selected.
And while hosting thousands of people may sound a little intimidating, Stas says her family is excited to welcome fans to the farm for what they hope will be a memorable night.
“Obviously, we’ve never had this many people here before, so it will be a new thing for all of us, but we are not worried,” said Stas. “Luke Bryan’s team are experts with this, and I think it will go great.”
Tickets for this concert are currently on sale, and they will run you about $77 per person, plus tax for general admission.
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