Former President Donald J. Trump survived an assassination attempt but there are questions about what could have been the most consequential Secret Service failure in history.
On Saturday, the soon-to-be Republican party nominee was speaking at a rally in Pennsylvania when shots rang out, grazing Trump’s ear and striking and killing a rally attendee as a shooter opened fire from an elevated position on the roof of a manufacturing plant 130 yards from the stage.
It was an inexplicable failure for an agency that now finds itself in the crosshairs of an incident that came a hairsbreadth from being the first successful assassination of a presidential candidate since Democrat Robert F. Kennedy was killed in 1968.
TRUMP WAS JUST SHOT ON LIVE TV
Please stop what you’re doing and pray pic.twitter.com/jlYtCeRe3O
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) July 13, 2024
“Secret service failed. Shooter was high ground, took way too long to get him out and he was exposed if there was a second shooter. That was an inch away from his assassination.” a former senior federal law enforcement source told Fox News.
“Source also points out that when Trump was placed in the car, they used the door facing the crowd – exposing him longer: ‘this was not a good, trained plan,'” according to Fox News Senior White House Correspondent Jacqui Heinrich.
130m fm the roof to the stage
Fortunately Trump is an animated speaker
& his head was moving
But
It was a massive failure by the Secret Service to have left that spot uncovered pic.twitter.com/XYxeqi39h8— Jim Hanson (@JimHansonDC) July 14, 2024
The massive failure to provide security for Trump is being laid at the doorstep of Secret Service Director Kim Cheatle, a former security chief for PepsiCo who somehow was tapped for the important job of heading up the agency responsible for the protection of the president of the United States.
Among those calling for Cheatle’s resignation after the nearly catastrophic security failure was billionaire SpaceX/Tesla CEO and X owner Elon Mush who shared a video of an eyewitness who told a BBC reporter that he had seen the gunman and repeatedly tried to warn Secret Service but was ignored.
The head of the Secret Service and the leader of this security detail should resign https://t.co/ihlEC5NP1w
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 14, 2024
“The head of the Secret Service and the leader of this security detail should resign,” Musk wrote on Saturday after the failed assassination attempt.
Conservative commentator Dan Bongino who is a former Secret Service agent also called for Cheatle to resign.
Bongino also noted that Cheatle has denied the Trump team’s request for added Secret Service protection, a necessity due to the swirling atmosphere of hatred that has been fomented by President Joe Biden, his fellow Democrats, and the media.
I want to repeat, and can absolutely confirm, the USSS Director Kim Cheatle has repeatedly turned down requests for a larger security footprint around President Trump. Despite knowing the threat level is catastrophic.
Resign tonight. https://t.co/v3UQyTt1dK— Dan Bongino (@dbongino) July 14, 2024
“Actively communicating with a number of former colleagues from the Secret Service about the assassination attempt. This is an obviously catastrophic failure and NO excuses should be made, or even attempted,” Bongino added in another post. “The failures are profound and questions must be answered about ground surveillance, air surveillance, post-stander support, and counter-sniper advance work and response. We have ONE job, and we came within inches of a deadly failure today. An uneventful failure is NOT a success.”
Actively communicating with a number of former colleagues from the Secret Service about the assassination attempt.
This is an obviously catastrophic failure and NO excuses should be made, or even attempted.
The failures are profound and questions must be answered about ground…— Dan Bongino (@dbongino) July 14, 2024
CPAC chairman Matt Schlapp went one step further, calling for a public investigation.
CPAC is calling on an immediate public investigation of President Trump’s security. If RFK can be denied protection then Trump is likely being denied all he needs. There is no way a nearby roof was left uncovered. Looks like a professional hit. The White House needs to address…
— Matt Schlapp (@mschlapp) July 13, 2024
At the very least, Cheatle will be asked some serious questions from Republicans in Congress.
I have already contacted the Secret Service for a briefing and am also calling on Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to appear for a hearing. The Oversight Committee will send a formal invitation soon.
My prayers are with President Trump and the victims of the…
— Rep. James Comer (@RepJamesComer) July 14, 2024
Others are wondering if it’s merely incompetence or something much more nefarious.
A roof with a direct sightline to the stage was not secured by secret service. Our choices here are extreme unbelievable negligence or something much worse. https://t.co/4WcIuLcr3H
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) July 13, 2024
As far as I’m concerned we should presume the FBI & Secret Service, if not the Biden Admin, were complicit in last night’s assassination attempt. That multiple Trump rallygoers reportedly told Secret Service agents about a suspicious man who ended up trying to assassinate Trump —… pic.twitter.com/WSRFMauahR
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) July 14, 2024
You’re telling me the Secret Service let a guy climb up on a roof with a rifle only 150 yards from Trump? Inside job. pic.twitter.com/h7awJPt3GL
— Hodgetwins (@hodgetwins) July 14, 2024
Fortunately for Trump, he didn’t fall victim to Secret Service dropping the ball, at least not this time.
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