Trump assassination attempt: Secret Service chief faces calls to resign amid massive criticism
The Secret Service chief Kimberly Cheatle has been asked to resign after Trump’s protection failure on Saturday.
The Secret Service agents who were there for Donald Trump’s protection at the Pennsylvania rally are being called out for their failure during the shooting on Saturday. The Secret Service Director Kimberley Cheatle is taking the heat as calls mounted for her resignation. The critics blamed the chief for being too engrossed in side policies to focus on her actual duty at hand. The Secret Service agents blamed the local police for not securing the surrounding rooftops, one of which was used by the shooter to target Trump during the rally.
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Secret Service Director asked to resign
According to the New York Post, two Former FBI officials claimed that the protection detail for Trump was a total disaster since Friday. Former FBI Assistant Director Chris Swecker said, “It was a total security breakdown from start to finish. From the total security plan for the rally to the reaction once the shots rang out.” He further added, “Imagine if the shooter hadn’t been this kid but a well-trained cell? Our enemies are looking at us thinking we can take Trump or anyone out now without a problem.”
The expert analysed the incident and the following protection measures in detail and said he was not against the director or agents being women given he has three daughters and three granddaughters who could be great secret agents in the future. He said, “But the women I saw up there with the president — they looked like they were running in circles. One didn’t know how to holster, the other one didn’t seem to know what to do, and another one seemed not to be able to find her holster. DEI is one thing. Competence and effectiveness is another, and I saw DEI out there."
“If you counted down — and I did — it was over 2 minutes to get him off the podium,” Swecker said. “The Secret Service’s job is to, No. 1, prevent this from happening, and No. 2, get him out of the danger zone in seconds. Two minutes is a lifetime. If there had been a secondary shooter, they would have finished him off.”
He further recalled the incident of the Reagan shooting and compared, “They wouldn’t have let him get his shoes or rise up for a fist pump. And the one reason you can see Trump rise up like that is that the Secret Service agent in front of him was so short. Traditionally the Secret Service had big guys out there who were tall and could block the president and also take a hit.”
Cheatle was appointed as the head of the agency by US President Joe Biden when he started his period as the country’s president.
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Secret agents blame the local police
Secret Service agents criticise the Pennsylvania police for not securing the neighbourhood rooftops. According to Secret Service representative Anthony Gugliemi, the agency was only responsible for the rally grounds, while local police were tasked with securing the surrounding areas. Residents near the rally said that they were not contacted by law enforcement, raising concerns about security lapses, as reported by the New York Post.
One of the residents, Valerie Fennell said, “Nobody contacted me. Nobody. Nobody called me, nobody stopped here. I kinda was thinking that as close as my house is, that I honestly thought this might be part of a command station at some point.” Talking about other houses in the neighbourhood she mentioned, “I was talking to my neighbors yesterday, and none of them had gotten a call. Or anything.”
Crooks, 20, was seen acting suspiciously near rally metal detectors and was spotted with a rifle outside the security checkpoint. Despite alerts to local police, they failed to locate him before he fired at Trump, injuring Trump and killing bystander Corey Comperatore. An investigation into the Secret Service's security lapses during the assassination attempt on Trump has been initiated, with a hearing set for Cheatle on July 22.
