As new details emerge on the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville) is calling for the resignation of Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle after a slew of reported security failure on behalf of Trump’s detail.
The attempt took place on Saturday during a Trump rally in Butler, Pa. According to officials, Trump was shot in the ear after 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks climbed a nearby building and fired multiple shots before being killed by Secret Service counter-snipers.
Commentators and lawmakers alike swiftly began criticizing the security at the event, questioning how Crooks was able to gain such easy access to the nearby rooftop from where he fired the shots, why law enforcement failed to respond, and Secret Service’s seemingly scatted and disorganized response in getting Trump to safety.
New details recently provided to federal lawmakers suggest that the Secret Service officials had identified Crooks as a person of interest one hour before firing the near-fatal shot.
Crooks shot Trump at 6:12 p.m. local time. At 5:30 p.m., Crooks was spotted by the Secret Service using a rangefinder. At 5:52 p.m., Crooks was seen on the rooftop from which he fired multiple shots. Minutes before the actual shooting, video shared by eyewitnesses shows bystanders yelling and pleading with law enforcement, claiming that Crooks was on the roof and had a gun.
Cheatle is slated to join DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and FBI director Christopher Wray in a congressional oversight hearing on Tuesday. However, calls for her resignation amid the perceived security disaster are deafening.
Sharing a news story about the new revelations about the Secret Service’s response to Crooks’ behavior, Aderholt called for Cheatle’s immediate resignation and blamed her for trying to pass the buck.
"The director of the Secret Service should resign," Aderholt wrote on Twitter. "The excuses and blame game she has tried to put on local Pennsylvania law enforcement is unacceptable."
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
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