Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle faced a barrage of questioning Monday morning as lawmakers seek answers on how the biggest Secret Service breach in four decades took place under her watch.
READ MORE:Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle offered a bizarre excuse for why there had not been an agent on the rooftop where a gunman fired shots at former President Donald Trump .She made the stunning admission during a heated hearing before the House Oversight Committee, just nine days since Trump was shot onstage at a rally in Bulter, Pennsylvania.
'When we are providing 'overwatch' whether that be through counter snipers or other technology, prefer to have sterile rooftops,' Cheatle said. 'A huge question that every American has is why wasn't a Secret Service agent on the roof and there have been reports that agents were supposed to be on the roof but it was hot that day and they didn't want to be on the roof. Can you answer anyone's questions director?' Oversight Committee Chair James Comer asked the director.
Cheatle said there had not been an agent on the rooftop where a gunman fired shots at former President Donald Trump because the agency 'prefers sterile rooftops' 'Why was he allowed to take the stage with a suspicious person having been identified?' she was asked. Cheatle also said the agency was 'still verifying the timeline' of when law enforcement had identified the shooter as a suspicious person. News reports have revealed agents first identified Crooks as suspicious nearly an hour before he fired shots.
Be the first to commentBe one of the first to commentCommentsIs The President's life in danger with Cheatle at the helm?Comment nowUnder questioning from Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-Mass., Cheatle admitted the shooter had used a range finder and this was 'not a prohibited item' at events under Secret Service protection.
'The Secret Service's solemn mission is to protect our nation's leaders. On July 13th, we failed,' the director told lawmakers. Police personnel standing over the body of the shooter on a rooftop near the Trump rally in PA July 13th.He was taken out by police snipers already set up, near the stage Top Oversight Democrat Jamie Raskin compared the Trump assassination attempt to other acts of political violence, including January 6 and the baseball shooting of Majority Leader Steve Scalise.
'Do you really believe that the majority of this country has confidence in you right now?' Khanna asked. 'The people that are in charge of protecting the president on that day would never bring the former president out if there was a threat that had been identified.' 'Why is the Secret Service protective perimeter shorter than one of the most popular semi automatic weapons in the United States?' Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said, referring to the AR-15.
Cheatle has said she will not resign, despite a sea of Republican - and a handful of Democratic - calls to do so. And last week, lawmakers were given a private briefing by Secret Service where they learned the shooter had been spotted about an hour before he fired his first shot. She was referencing claims by witnesses that they alerted law enforcement about the threat, but agents weren't able to eliminate the threat in time. Officials have pointed to the initial responding officer, who lifted himself up on the roof only to lower himself back when the gunman turned his weapon at him.'The buck stops with me,' she said.
'If you want to really see something that's sad, take a look at what happened,' Trump continued - before he abruptly grabbed the side of his head as several 'pops' filled the event space.The 78-year-old dropped to the floor in an instant as five more shots rang overhead in quick succession, before four Secret Service agents raced to the stage and dove on top of the former president.
Secret Service scrambled to take control of the pandemonium where three attendees were hit, one fatally, within a matter of seconds.An emergency room doctor with blood spattered on his shirt later said he sprang into action to perform emergency CPR on one victim. Despite the chaos flying around the scene, the rally appeared to hold its breath to see if Trump was hit.
While getting up off the floor, an agent picked up a white cloth and held it to Trump's bleeding ear, telling him to 'hold that on your head, it's bloody.''Shooter's down. Are we good to move?' one says next. 'We're clear, we're clear, we're clear - let's move.'
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