[ad_1]
It was the Secret Service’s biggest operational failure in decades, even though the security service was seconds away from thwarting the attack. That’s how U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle described the assassination of former President Donald Trump, who testified for more than four and a half hours before the U.S. Congress on Monday. She took full responsibility for the incident, and after being heavily criticized, she finally resigned today.
photo: SITA/AP, Rod Rankey
U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Chettle testifies before a U.S. congressional committee.
“We need to get to the bottom of what happened, and I will do everything in my power to ensure that events like what happened on July 13 never happen again,” she told the House Oversight Committee, which includes both Republican and Democratic members of the House of Representatives.
She also acknowledged that the attack on Trump was the worst moment for the Secret Service since the failed assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan in March 1981.
“I’m almost always thinking about what we should have done differently,” said Chettle. Although the Republican presidential candidate nearly died in the attack in Butler Township, Pennsylvania, she praised the courage of his bodyguards when he escaped with only a wound to his ear after shooting 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks.
It took them just three seconds to pin him to the ground with their bodies. She also highlighted the timely intervention of the sniper, who quickly subdued the assassin.
The committee members did not let Chittel off. They criticized her very harshly for all her misdeeds, and her evasive answers to the questions asked were not enough for them. For example, they were surprised that she still hadn’t taken the time to visit the crime scene.
“It’s been nine days and you haven’t been there yet?!” Republican Congressman Pat Fallon scolded her, according to CNN. You should have been there that night.
Now, the former Secret Service director expects the assassination investigation will take her about two months on the job. (The FBI and Department of Homeland Security are also conducting separate investigations.)
According to her, the current results confirm that this was the work of a lone gunman, and she has preliminarily ruled out conspiracy. As for the agents responsible for Trump’s security, no one has been disciplined yet.
As Chettle testified, the Secret Service was indeed alerted to potential dangers several times before Trump appeared at campaign rallies.
“I don’t have an exact number to share with you today, but from what I know, there have been about two to five times where there has been some type of interaction with suspicious individuals,” she estimated, adding that agents were unaware of the possible threat when the presidential candidate was brought on stage.
Their most serious mistake was to misjudge the risk of a possible attack. As Utah Republican Senator Mike Lee reported on social networks, local police had recorded the suspect 19 minutes before the shooting.
read more He died a hero. As he was protecting his family with his body, the assassin shot him.
According to CNN, police tried to find the man but were unsuccessful until he appeared on the roof.
The Secret Service had received information about the activity of “suspicious individuals” when Trump arrived. He began his speech at 6:05 p.m., and video footage shot by the audience showed that four minutes later, several people saw a man with a rifle on a rooftop about 130 meters from the stage.
They called the police, but they didn’t seem to know what to do. One of them eventually climbed to the roof with the help of a colleague, where he saw Crooks pointing a gun at him.
“The police officer was in a position where he could not defend himself or hit the attacker because he was holding on to the edge of the roof. He let go and fell to the ground,” CNN quoted local mayor Tom Knights as saying.
Police immediately reported the suspect’s location and said he had a rifle, but it was too late as Crooks opened fire shortly after.
Cheatle explained that the security guard did not take action because, based on the available information, he was still just a “suspicious person.” When the committee members asked when the “suspicious person” became a “threat,” she responded that it was seconds before the shooting began.
She criticized why agents did not monitor the rooftop where the bomber attacked, saying the building was outside the “perimeter” so security officials did not focus on it, but added that everything was still under investigation.
In testimony before Congress, Cheatle refused to resign, saying she had worked for the Secret Service for 27 years and it was a job she loved.
“I think I am the best person to lead the Secret Service at this time,” she stressed. However, the pressure was too great, and she changed her mind today and announced her resignation.
“I take full responsibility for the safety failures,” Chittel said in an email to employees. “It is with a heavy heart that I have made the difficult decision to resign as a director in light of recent events,” she added.
[ad_2]
Source link
