Secret Service Director: ‘Eager to Cooperate’ With Independent Review

U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle speaks during a press conference at the Secret Service's Chicago Field Office in Chicago, on June 4 2024. Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images

U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle said Sunday that she is “eager to cooperate with the independent security review” of the agency’s failure in preventing the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump on July 13.

In a statement, Ms. Cheatle expressed her full support for an independent review conducted by a “Blue Ribbon Panel” that will add to investigations by Congress, the FBI, and the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General over the Secret Service’s actions after former President Trump came within an inch of being assassinated by a 20-year-old male shooter in Pennsylvania.

“I look forward to the panel examining what happened and providing recommendations to help ensure it will never happen again,” the director said.

“The U.S. Secret Service is continuing to take steps to review our actions internally and remain committed to working quickly and transparently with other investigations,” she said.

“The U.S. Secret Service has a no-fail mission, and I will take every necessary step to ensure the safety and security of our protectees—and that the U.S. Secret Service emerges from this stronger.”

A week after the shooting, many questions remain unanswered about how the shooter was able to position himself in direct line of sight of the rally stage and fire shots at the former president, who was under the agency’s protection.

The director is due to appear before the House Oversight Committee on Monday, July 22, to testify on the agency’s failed security plan for the Trump campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Ms. Cheatle declined calls from Republicans in Congress to step down, promising full transparency on the matter during both internal and external investigations. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas expressed the Biden administration’s full confidence in Ms. Cheatle after criticism arose over the handling of the event security.

Ms. Cheatle has also accepted full responsibility for all the security failings on the day, saying that the Secret Service under her watch was totally responsible for the “design and implementation and the execution” of the security plan at the rally.

Local law enforcement had a part in assisting with carrying out the agency-approved plan, she said, adding that the Secret Service “couldn’t do our job without them.”

In a previous interview, she said that according to the security plan, local law enforcement officials, with support from the Secret Service, were tasked with securing the American Glass Research (AGR) building from where the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, had climbed on the roof to fire at the former president. Mr. Crooks killed one spectator, seriously injured two others, and struck former President Trump’s right ear.

Preliminary Investigation

It’s still unclear how Mr. Crooks was able to remain on the roof just 400 feet away from his target.

The office of Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) released a preliminary report on July 21 on its investigations into the failed assassination so far and outlined a list of questions that remain unanswered by officials.

The senator’s office also reported that it was told radio communications had been siloed between local law enforcement, consisting of teams from Butler County, Beaver County, and Washington County, and the Secret Service, and that Butler County Emergency Services (Butler ESU) command was responsible for relaying information between local officers and the Secret Service.

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) speaks during an interview with The Epoch Times at his office in the Hart Senate office building in Washington, on March 21, 2024. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

The report outlined that the Secret Service acknowledged a command report at 5:59 p.m., just before the former president began speaking at 6:02 p.m., that a local counter sniper officer stationed in the AGR building saw a suspicious man outside at 5:10 p.m. The man was then observed by the counter sniper officer “looking at news feeds on his phone and holding a range finder” at 5:32 p.m., according to information reported to Mr. Johnson’s office.

It was at this point, at 5:41 p.m., that the officer called into command to report the suspicious behavior, after which he sent a text report to command at 5:45 p.m. At 5:59 p.m., the Secret Service acknowledged the report and asked local officers for more information about the would-be shooter’s location. Former President Trump was fired upon at 6:11 p.m.

A local officer also reported confronting Mr. Crooks on the roof minutes before the suspect opened fire. Rallygoers in the area had reported seeing a shooter on the roof, prompting law enforcement to investigate. That officer attempted to pull himself up onto the roof but was unable to engage Mr. Crooks, who had pointed a rifle at the officer.

Former President Trump said he had not been made aware of any suspect sightings before he started speaking.

He told Fox News host Jesse Watters on Saturday that officials “could’ve said, ‘Let’s wait for 15, 20 minutes, 5 minutes.’ Nobody said ... I think that was a mistake. How did somebody get on that roof? And why wasn’t he reported? Because people saw he was on that roof.”

Risking Their Lives

The former president has not made direct comments about Ms. Cheatle but on multiple occasions has thanked Secret Service agents for their service. He praised the counter sniper and the agents around him for immediately acting to protect his life.

In the past week, other members of the Trump family, including former First Lady Melania Trump and the former president’s son, Eric Trump, similarly praised Secret Service agents for their quick response and for risking their lives during the incident.

Eric Trump attends the 2024 Republican National Convention (RNC) in Milwaukee, Wis., on July 15, 2024. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

Mr. Eric Trump also defended the agency during an MSNBC interview at the Republican National Convention on July 16.

“The female [agent] that is in the picture, she’s been with me for a very long time,” Mr. Eric Trump told the outlet amid backlash over the agency’s DEI [diversity, equity, and inclusion] targets. “I’d do anything for her. She’s one of the greatest human beings you’ll ever meet. I’d do anything for her.”

The younger Trump thanked the agents for their courage and for “being heroes that day,” adding that they “could have easily gotten killed” during the shooting.

Jack Phillips contributed to this report.