Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle said in the July 15 statement that additional security enhancements were provided to former President Trump’s security detail in June and that the agency has implemented changes since the assassination attempt to “ensure his continued protection for the convention and the remainder of the campaign.”
Ms. Cheatle extended her condolences to the family and friends of Corey Comperatore, the 50-year-old father and firefighter who was killed while protecting his family at the Trump rally. She also extended condolences to the others injured in the shooting, which she called a “senseless act of violence.”
“I am confident in the security plan our Secret Service RNC coordinator and our partners have put in place, which we have reviewed and strengthened in the wake of Saturday’s shooting,” Ms. Cheatle said.
“The security plans for National Special Security Events are designed to be flexible. As the conventions progress, and in accordance with the direction of the President, the Secret Service will continuously adapt our operations as necessary in order to ensure the highest level of safety and security for convention attendees, volunteers, and the City of Milwaukee.”
It is the first statement from the director since the shooting at the Trump campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
Ms. Cheatle defended the agency’s response to the assassination attempt, stating that personnel moved “quickly” during the incident and that the counter-sniper team “neutralized the shooter,” while agents implemented “protective measures to ensure the safety of former president Donald Trump.”
“Since the shooting, I have been in constant contact with Secret Service personnel in Pennsylvania who worked to maintain the integrity of the crime scene until the FBI assumed its role as the lead investigating agency into the assassination attempt,” she said in the statement. “I have also been coordinating with the protective detail for former President Trump and have briefed President Biden on the details of the incident.”
Ms. Cheatle said the Secret Service was working with all involved law enforcement agencies to “understand what happened, how it happened,” and how they can “prevent an incident like this from ever taking place again,” noting that the agency understands the importance of an independent review directed by President Joe Biden.
“We will also work with the appropriate congressional committees on any oversight action,” she said.
The RNC began in Milwaukee on July 15, and the director noted that the assassination attempt had led to questions about the safety of the event.
Ms. Cheatle echoed what Secret Service RNC coordinator Audrey Gibson-Cicchino said in a news conference on the evening of July 14, noting that the RNC was designated a National Special Security Event (NSSE), the highest designation for a security event of this size and magnitude in the United States.
Ms. Gibson-Cicchino said on July 14 that the agency isn’t anticipating any changes to its operational security plans for this event, adding that the RNC, the Secret Service, and other law enforcement partners had been working on the security plan for more than a year.
Ms. Cheatle said that NSSE plans are designed to “be dynamic in order to respond to a kinetic security environment and the most up-to-date intelligence.”
“The Secret Service is tasked with the tremendous responsibility of protecting the current and former leaders of our democracy,” Ms. Cheatle said. “It is a responsibility that I take incredibly seriously, and I am committed to fulfilling that mission.”
In the wake of the assassination attempt, former President Trump thanked the Secret Service and other law enforcement personnel for their quick response to the shooting. The FBI identified a 20-year-old man from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as the suspect.
President Biden, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), and other federal officials have called for answers regarding the security failure. Congressional hearings have been announced in the wake of the shooting to determine how the shooter, who fired from a nearby rooftop, was able to get so close to the former president.
