Butler Township police officer Drew Blasko warned officials of security blind spots days before a gunman opened fire at a rally for former President Donald Trump. The shooting left one man dead and three others injured, including the former president.
The incident is being called the largest security failure in 40 years. It has led to the resignation of the Secret Service director, a congressional investigation, and questions from top lawmakers on how this could have happened.
In the month-long investigation, Spotlight PA, ProPublica, and the Butler Eagle found long-standing flaws in Secret Service protections that were not unique to the rally but evidence of an already weak system.
The newsrooms spent weeks finding sources in several states, requesting records, and combing through data and hours of bodycam footage.
To unpack how the reporters conducted their investigation, Spotlight PA held a behind-the-scenes panel hosted by Melissa Melewsky, media law counsel for the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association.
Our panelists included:
Danielle Ohl, investigative reporter, Spotlight PA
Tracy Leturgey, assignments editor, Butler Eagle
» Spotlight PA’s events operate on a “pay-what-you-can” honor system. If you value this public-service event, pay it forward and contribute any amount to Spotlight PA now so we can keep our programming free for everyone: spotlightpa.org/donate.
