Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle told a House Oversight panel Monday that her agency is still investigating questions about why a Trump rally was allowed to continue even though members of the crowd saw Thomas Matthew Crooks on the roof of a building.
“We are still combing through communications and when communications were passed,” Ms. Cheatle said, adding that the Secret Service would have stopped the rally if they knew there was an actual threat to former President Donald Trump on July 13.
She added, “I don’t know all of the communications” on that day, adding officials are “going back and looking at communications to know when the information about a suspicious person was passed to Secret Service personnel.”
Ms. Cheatle also said the agency is “going back and looking at communications to know when the information about a suspicious person was passed to Secret Service personnel.”
During her testimony Monday, Ms. Cheatle answered few questions directly, saying that her agency is still investigating why an agent was not stationed on a roof where the suspect, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, opened fire on former President Trump earlier this month.
Ms. Cheatle said that her agency is “still looking into the advance process and the decision made” as to why a person wasn’t put on the roof.
“The building was outside of the perimeter on the day of the visit. But again, that is one of the things that during the investigation, we want to take a look at and determine whether or not other decisions should have been made,” Ms. Cheatle told the Oversight Committee.
She added, “I’m not going to get into the specifics of the numbers of personnel that we had there, but we feel that there was a sufficient number of agents assigned” to the Trump rally. “We’re only nine days out from this incident and there is still an ongoing investigation.”
Witnesses and law enforcement officials say the suspect walked around on the grounds for at least half an hour before climbing onto the roof of a building adjacent to the Butler Farm Show grounds, where the 45th president was speaking. As numerous spectators screamed for police to respond, the gunman let loose a quick succession of shots.
A Secret Service counter sniper fired back within about 15 seconds, killing Mr. Crooks with a shot to the head, officials previously said.
Cheatle Confirms Rangefinder, Serial Number Details
Ms. Cheatle told Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) that the suspect used a rangefinder at the rally, noting that such devices are not prohibited from public events such as rallies.Mr. Raskin, the Oversight Committee’s ranking member, also asked her about how the suspect was identified, noting that he did not have a driver’s license or another form of identification. She confirmed that a serial number on the AR-style rifle was used to identify the shooter.
When asked about a statement issued by Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi over the weekend that confirmed the agency denied some security requests made by the Trump campaign, she said that no requests for the rally in Butler were denied by the agency.
“I can tell you in general terms that the Secret Service is judicious with its requests,” Ms. Cheatle said.
In the hearing, Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) and Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) both suggested that she resign in the wake of the assassination attempt that targeted former President Trump, which injured his right ear and left one person dead and two others injured.
“It is my firm belief, Director Cheatle, that you should resign. However, in complete defiance, Director Cheatle has maintained she will not tender her resignation,” Mr. Comer stated. “Therefore, she will answer questions today from members of this committee seeking to provide clarity to the American people about how these events were allowed to transpire.”
Later in the hearing, Ms. Cheatle said that she believes she is “the best person” to lead the Secret Service, rebuffing the calls to step down. Earlier, she admitted that her agency suffered a “significant operational failure” during the Butler shooting.
“We must learn what happened, and I will move heaven and earth to ensure that an incident like July 13 does not happen again,” the director also said. “Our agents, officers, and support personnel understand that every day we are expected to sacrifice our lives to execute a no fail mission.”
