SECRET service agents were denied access to the rooftop where Donald Trump’s would-be assassin was positioned — over health and safety fears.
The sloped roof which gave Thomas Matthew Crooks a direct line of sight to the ex-President was deemed too risky for them to check.
Instead, they stationed local police inside the building, about 150 yards from the rally stage where Mr Trump was speaking.
Secret Service director Kimberley Cheatle conceded: “There’s a safety factor that would be considered there. We wouldn’t want to put somebody up on a sloped roof.
“And so the decision was made to secure the building from the inside.
“Unfortunately, with the rapid succession of how things unfolded, by the time that individual was eventually located, they were able to fire off at the former President.”
Crooks, 20, was spotted on the roof moments before opening fire at the rally but Ms Cheatle said agents were unable to stop him in time.
Mr Trump was struck in the ear, while one spectator was killed and two others were badly injured, before agents shot Crooks dead.
President Joe Biden has ordered a review to find out how Crooks got so close — as security were aware of his presence up to three hours earlier.
He was noticed trying to get a range-finder hunting device past metal detectors in a screening area in the build-up to the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.
His phone was found next to his body alongside a grey detonator which police believe Crooks would have used to set off explosives in his car.
