The Secret Service director is set to testify Monday before a congressional committee as calls mount for her to resign over security failures at a rally where a 20-year-old gunman attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump.
Quick Read
- Secret Service chief will be questioned over security failures before Trump assassination attempt.
- The Secret Service director, Kimberly Cheatle, is set to testify Monday before a congressional committee due to security failures at a rally where a gunman attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump.
- The House Oversight Committee hearing will be Cheatle’s first appearance since the July 13 Pennsylvania rally shooting that left one spectator dead, Trump wounded in the ear, and two other attendees injured.
- Lawmakers are questioning how the gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, could get so close to Trump, who was supposed to be under strict security.
- The Secret Service has admitted to denying some requests by Trump’s campaign for increased security at events prior to the assassination attempt.
- Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and several lawmakers have called the incident a “failure” and have urged Cheatle to resign or for President Joe Biden to fire her.
- Despite calls for her resignation, Cheatle does not intend to step down and retains support from Biden and Mayorkas.
- Local law enforcement had noticed Crooks pacing around the rally, using a rangefinder to peer toward rooftops, and later saw him climbing a nearby building to set up his AR-style rifle.
- The attack on Trump is the most serious assassination attempt on a president or presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981.
- Authorities are investigating Crooks’ motives but have not found any ideological reasons; he had photos of Trump, Biden, and other officials on his phone and had searched for information on major depressive disorder.
The Associated Press has the story:
Secret Service chief is questioned over security failures before Trump assassination attempt
Newslooks- WASHINGTON (AP) —
The Secret Service director is set to testify Monday before a congressional committee as calls mount for her to resign over security failures at a rally where a 20-year-old gunman attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump.
The House Oversight Committee hearing will be Kimberly Cheatle’s first appearance before lawmakers since the July 13 Pennsylvania rally shooting that left one spectator dead. Trump was wounded in the ear and two other attendees were injured after Thomas Matthew Crooks climbed atop the roof of a nearby building and opened fire.
Lawmakers have been expressing anger over how the gunman could get so close to the Republican presidential nominee when he was supposed to be carefully guarded. The Secret Service has acknowledged it denied some requests by Trump’s campaign for increased security at his events in the years before the assassination attempt.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has called what happened a “failure” while several lawmakers have called on Cheatle to resign or for President Joe Biden to fire her. The Secret Service has said Cheatle does not intend to step down. So far, she retains the support of Biden, a Democrat, and Mayorkas.
Before the shooting, local law enforcement had noticed Crooks pacing around the edges of the rally, peering into the lens of a rangefinder toward the rooftops behind the stage where the president later stood, officials have told The Associated Press. An image of Crooks was circulated by officers stationed outside the security perimeter.
Witnesses later saw him climbing up the side of a squat manufacturing building that was within 135 meters (157 yards) from the stage. He then set up his AR-style rifle and lay on the rooftop, a detonator in his pocket to set off crude explosive devices that were stashed in his car parked nearby.
The attack on Trump was the most serious attempt to assassinate a president or presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981. It was the latest in a series of security lapses by the agency that has drawn investigations and public scrutiny over the years.
Authorities have been hunting for clues into what motivated Crooks, but so far have not found any ideological bent that could help explain his actions. Investigators who searched his phone found photos of Trump, Biden and other senior government officials, and also found that he had looked up the dates for the Democratic National Conventional as well as Trump’s appearances. He also searched for information about major depressive order.
