Secret Service under cloud of questions after foiled Trump assassination attempt

The Secret Service is under the microscope for a series of security failures that resulted in former President Donald Trump being shot in the ear during a failed assassination attempt.

Tasked with protecting federal officials, particularly providing security for politicians and candidates for office, the agency was caught on the back foot Saturday in Butler, Pennsylvania, when a shooter scaled a building hundreds of feet away from a stage where Trump was standing. Everything from the agency’s protocols in setting up a perimeter to how agents responded to the shooter is now under strict scrutiny.

In the latest blow to the agency, the Associated Press reported one agent spotted and confronted Thomas Matthew Crooks, who the FBI identified as the shooter, before he began firing. The unidentified agent walked up on Crooks, who was camped out on the roof of the American Glass Research building, and backed away down a ladder when the shooter aimed his rifle at the agent. Crooks then turned around and opened fire on the former president.

President Joe Biden announced on Sunday he is demanding an independent investigation and comprehensive review of the Secret Service after speaking with Trump following the attempt on his life.

“I’ve directed an independent review of the security at yesterday’s rally to assess exactly what happened,” Biden said. “We’ll share the results of that independent review with the American people.”

Secret Service rejects reports about denying more protection for Trump

There were early reports that the agency had denied a request from Trump’s campaign team to increase the number of agents attached to him as his designation as the nomination to become the Republican presidential candidate approached.

Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi denied those reports on Sunday morning, before the criticism of the agency ramped up.

“Theres an untrue assertion that a member of the former President’s team requested additional security resources & that those were rebuffed,” Guglielmi wrote on X. “This is absolutely false. In fact, we added protective resources & technology & capabilities as part of the increased campaign travel tempo.”

The FBI also rejected the rumors.

“There was no additional request for security that was ever denied by the FBI,” Kevin Rojek, the FBI special agent in charge of the Pittsburgh office said during a news conference.

Congress demands answers about security protocols and breaches

Congressional Republicans weighed in in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, with many demanding answers about how the shooter got in such close range to the stage.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) vowed Congress would open an investigation into the security breach and questioned what kind of technology was used to establish the perimeter at Trump’s event. In particular, Johnson asked Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas if drones were used to scope out the roofs of the surrounding buildings — a question he said Mayorkas didn’t have an answer to.

“We need to know how an individual could be at that elevation that was seen by, apparently, bystanders on the ground,” Johnson said. “How could not that not be noticed by Secret Service? Lots more questions than answers this morning.”

House Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-KY) also sent a letter to Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle on Saturday requesting she make an appearance before Congress to answer questions lawmakers have about the breakdown.

Comer was careful not to place blame on any agents, who he said showed “tremendous bravery” and “possibly averted more loss of life.”

Questions about future problems

Cheatle, the Secret Service director, wasn’t in Pennsylvania on Saturday. She was in Milwaukee, helping coordinate security for the Republican National Convention that is slated to begin Monday.

As questions swirled about how effective Saturday’s security was, Cheatle was also being pressed to make sure future failures don’t result in a worse outcome.

“I’ve directed the head of the Secret Service to review all security measures for — all security measures — for the Republican National Convention, which is scheduled to start tomorrow,” Biden said in his brief remarks Sunday afternoon.

Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey B. Norman expressed confidence in the security measures his office has in place before the crucial event.

“We have workings with our community members in regards to ensuring the safety of this event,” Norman said at a press briefing about RNC security on Sunday. “While we cannot talk about the operational plans, I can say from the CEO of the market Police Department, this local police department here, I’m very comfortable in regards to the plans that we have made together, not in silos.”

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Security plans for the RNC have been in the works for 18 months and Secret Service RNC coordinator Audrey Gibson-Cicchino said there are no plans to expand the security perimeter or make any other changes following the attempted assassination.

“This is a national special security event, that designation is the highest level of security designation that the federal government can determine,” Gibson-Cicchino said. “So we are confident in these security plans that are in place for this event, and we’re ready to go. It’s been an 18-month process. It’s the, we’ve worked together over the 18 months to develop operational security plans for any and all aspects of security related to this event.”

“We’re not anticipating any changes to our operational security plans for this event.”