The director of the Secret Service said the agency is responsible for the security plan at the Pennsylvania rally where a shooter fired upon former President Donald Trump.
Her comments were made amid questions surrounding the agency’s performance in securing the rally site on Saturday as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire from a rooftop about 400 feet away from the former president, striking him in the ear as well as killing one and injuring two others. Secret Service snipers shot and killed Mr. Crooks soon after he fired on the rally.
In a previous interview with ABC News on Tuesday morning, the agency head said that local law enforcement officials were responsible for the building that Mr. Crooks had climbed upon before firing the gunshots.
Ms. Cheatle clarified her remarks to CNN later that both the Secret Service and local law enforcement “just divided up areas of responsibility,” adding that “they provided support to those areas of responsibility.”
Regarding local police officials, the Secret Service, she said, “couldn’t do our job without them.”
“What happened is a terrible incident and should never happen,” she said. “And we are obviously going to make sure moving forward we take whatever lessons that come out of this and adjust accordingly.”
In the wake of the shooting, Ms. Cheatle has faced calls to step down. So far, she has resisted them and has pledged to stay on as the agency’s director.
Former President Trump on multiple occasions since the assassination attempt has thanked Secret Service agents for their efforts, while his son, Eric Trump, defended the agency during an MSNBC interview on Tuesday from the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Milwaukee.
“The female [agent] that is in the picture, she’s been with me for a very long time,” Eric Trump told the outlet. “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 added that he thanks the agents “for their courageousness and being heroes that day” and “could have easily gotten killed” during the shooting.
Regarding the response to the shooting incident, the agency director said the Secret Service agents “performed their job flawlessly,” including the counter sniper who killed Mr. Crooks and those who rushed to protect and secure former President Trump.
“They’re obviously difficult conversations. Everyone works for the Secret Service never wants to have a day like that,” Ms. Cheatle said. “I’m very proud of the actions that they took.”
Former President Trump has attended the RNC on both Monday and Tuesday.
Three days after President Joe Biden said from the Oval Office that an independent review into the shooting would be conducted, the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) inspector general said Wednesday it has opened a probe into how the Secret Service handled security at the event.
The objective of the DHS investigation, it said in a brief notice posted on its website, is to “evaluate” the Secret Service’s “process for securing former President Trump’s July 13, 2024 campaign event.” Few other details were provided.
The Secret Service has roughly 7,800 staff members and is responsible for protecting presidents, vice presidents, their families, former presidents, their spouses, and their children who are under the age of 16. Several other high-level Cabinet officials also receive Secret Service protection.
