In the meantime, we want to get you up to
date on some chilling new video that appears to show
the gunman in the moments leading up to the attempted
assassination of Donald Trump.
This video seems to show the shooter walking outside the
security perimeter before the former president took the stage.
It could be part of the critical evidence that is
allowing authorities to put together a tick tock of what
happened.
And that timeline is raising even more questions about how
this could have happened in the first place.
In a briefing with FBI and Secret Service officials and
Senate lawmakers, we are learning new details, including 62 minutes
elapsed between the time the shooter was photographed as a
suspicious person and when those shots were fired.
Potentially even more shocking, Secret Service spotted the shooter 10
minutes before Donald Trump took the stage.
I want to bring in former assistant director for counterintelligence
at the FBI, Frank Figluzzi, also an MSNBC national security
analyst.
What do you make of this new reporting, Frank?
Well, Chris, the story is getting worse, not better, and
may continue to get worse.
There was too much time elapsed between the time that
law enforcement knew they had a suspicious person and then
knew there was somebody on the roof and finally took
action.
And of course, that was a day late and a
dollar short.
We're also looking increasingly at the possibility, Chris and I
emphasize possibility that this weapon used by the shooter was
pre staged somewhere.
The photos, the descriptions we're hearing of him being suspicious
are not centered on possessing a weapon, but rather possessing
a range Finder that could imply that he hid the
weapon and that would be consistent with the reporting that
we know he visited the rally site days before the
event.
So now we get into questions of was a protective
sweep done of this building that was identified as a
threat?
Did anybody sweep it?
Anybody look for weapons, bombs?
We don't know and we need to know.
And increasingly we're going to see calls for the Secret
Service director to either resign or be fired.
And of course, no gun was seen.
Nobody saw him walking around with a gun, as you
well point out.
But if you're charged with the security of the former
president of the United States and candidate for president about
to officially be the nominee, isn't a range Finder carrying
around a range Finder enough to suggest to you we
have to get at this person immediately?
So, so yes, probably the good news is law enforcement
was searching for him.
They they lost him.
Reportedly a sniper lost him in in his sights as
he was scanning the crowd knowing we're looking for this
suspicious person.
But also I do have to point out two things
quickly.
One very common at these events to spot a suspicious
person.
You want that to happen.
You want people and police to say on their radios,
this guy's bothering me.
That happens all the time.
With regard to the range Finder, let's remember it's used
by golfers.
It's used by surveyors.
It does not necessarily in and of itself mean you
have a shooter.
We're also learning that the shooter visited the rally site
in the days leading up to the attack.
Now they're saying probably to scope it out.
At what point do they have security or people who
will be on the lookout for someone who might be
suspicious in an area like that?
Would they have been there days before?
That is, Oh, no, certain.
No, not not days before.
They don't tip for a rally.
They don't typically post up until the day of the
rally.
They conduct their advance and then they make plans to
sweep.
They'll have a bomb dog or or or not.
But the problem here is, again, it's all going to
come down to that decision to put this high risk
building outside the Secret Service perimeter.
That is the fatal flaw here.
Frank Figluthi, a lot of questions being raised by different
pieces of information every day.
Thank you for helping us to understand their significance.