Officials in Butler County, Pennsylvania, are withholding 911 recordings from the rally where former President Donald Trump was injured in an apparent assassination attempt. Despite growing concerns about the incident and law enforcement’s actions, the county has refused to release the recordings.
Over two weeks after the July 13 shooting, crucial details about the timeline and law enforcement’s response remain unclear. The public is unaware of when rally attendees notified authorities about the gunman on a nearby roof and how federal, state, and local officers coordinated during the shooting. Access to the emergency services calls could provide insight into the events.
Following the shooting, The Intercept requested copies of the recorded 911 calls from Butler County under Pennsylvania’s Right-to-Know Law. However, the county denied the request, citing a statute that typically exempts 911 recordings from disclosure.
Despite this, state law allows Butler County to release the recordings if it is deemed to be in the public interest. The Intercept argued that the attempted assassination of a former president and current presidential candidate is a matter of significant public interest that should outweigh concerns about nondisclosure.
Butler County did not respond to requests to release the recordings under this provision. Consequently, The Intercept has filed an appeal to the state Office of Open Records to compel the county to disclose the 911 recordings.
According to Melissa Bevan Melewsky, media law counsel for the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association, other media outlets seeking the 911 recordings have faced similar obstacles. She emphasized the importance of public interest in situations like this.
Attorney Joy Ramsingh, who has experience with Office of Open Records appeals, expressed the view that the public has a legitimate and compelling interest in accessing these recordings. She criticized Butler County’s refusal to address the public’s interest and suggested that potential embarrassment to the agency should not be a factor in withholding the recordings.
