In her first public statement since the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle said Monday (15) that the agency “will participate fully” in an independent review ordered by President Joe Biden and also said the agency will work with Congress on “any oversight action.”
Cheatle, who was nominated by Biden in 2022, expressed confidence in the agency’s security plan for this week’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee and said changes had been made to Trump’s security since Saturday (13).
“The Secret Service has an enormous responsibility to protect the current and former leaders of our democracy,” Cheatle said. “It is a responsibility I take very seriously, and I am committed to fulfilling that mission.”
Questions have been raised about the agency’s preparations after Saturday’s shooting, which wounded the former president, killed one attendee and left two people critically injured. The gunman, identified by authorities as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, was also killed by Secret Service agents at the scene.
Among the concerns and questions is how a gunman was able to gain access to a rooftop about 150 yards from the former president’s position at the podium at an outdoor rally.
Notably, the shooter’s location was outside the security perimeter, raising questions about the size of the perimeter and efforts to sweep and secure the American Glass Research building, and how the shooter was able to gain access to the roof.
A spokesperson for the United States Secret Service told CNN that the agency did not sweep the building where Crooks shot Trump, but instead relied on local authorities to conduct security at that location.
The spokesman added that there should be local police officers stationed in the area, but it is unclear where that post would be located. A source not directly involved but with knowledge of Secret Service operations described possible roaming posts, for example, as part of some operational plans.
The Secret Service regularly works with local law enforcement agencies to help secure events, as is the case in Milwaukee. Additionally, the Secret Service deployed two local countersniper teams during the Trump rally, in addition to two Secret Service countersniper teams.
The spokesperson was unaware at the time of the investigation CNN which local agency should be responsible for the building.
A source familiar with the investigation said one of two local counter-sniper teams was supposed to cover the building where the shooter was perched, noting that it was a designated position in the operational plan.
Meanwhile, additional details about the shooting continued to emerge Monday morning, with a senior official saying the gunman purchased 50 rounds of ammunition at a local gun store just hours before carrying out his attack.
Biden said Sunday (14) that he had instructed Cheatle to review all security measures at the Democratic National Convention, as well as an independent review of the shooting at Saturday’s rally “to assess exactly what happened. He promised to publicly release the results of that inquiry.”
Law enforcement sources say part of the fallout will include a review of whether the Secret Service had sufficient assets to protect Trump days before he officially became the Republican presidential nominee and whether procedures were followed to conduct security sweeps of the building that offered a vantage point for the suspected shooter.
Republican and Democratic lawmakers are already demanding answers from the agency about its security posture and hearings into the incident.
House Speaker Mike Johnson has promised a “thorough investigation” into the shooting, presenting testimony from the USSS, DHS and the FBI, and two Republicans on the Senate Homeland Security Committee have also called for an investigation.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas appears on CNN on Monday morning, acknowledged that Saturday’s incident represented a security “failure.”
“We will look through an independent review at how this occurred, why it occurred and make recommendations and conclusions to ensure it does not happen again,” he said.
Source: CNN Brasil
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