Embattled Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle made a stunning admission to ABC News on Monday as she attempted to explain why an agent was not placed on or near a rooftop adjacent to former President Donald Trump’s rally on Saturday, where a gunman nearly claimed his life.
In an interview with ABC News, Cheatle acknowledged responsibility for the incident but also shifted some blame to local law enforcement for not securing the rooftop, which is approximately 400 feet from the stage where President Trump held his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The Republican leader narrowly avoided death by turning his head at the last second, causing a high-caliber rifle round to graze his ear. Cheatle defended her decision not to place an agent on the sloped rooftop.
“That building in particular has a sloped roof at its highest point. And so, you know, there’s a safety factor that would be considered there that we wouldn’t want to put somebody up on a sloped roof,” she told ABC News in an interview Tuesday, according to the Daily Mail. “And so, you know, the decision was made to secure the building, from inside.”
From his vantage point, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, described as a “loner” by former high school classmates, was able to target Trump with his AR-15 rifle, firing eight shots before a Secret Service sniper neutralized him. Cheatle confirmed that Crooks had previously been identified as a “person of suspicion” but did not specify why the Secret Service did not follow up on him as an imminent threat that day.
“The shooter was actually identified as a potential person of suspicion,” Cheatle said. “Unfortunately, with the rapid succession of how things unfolded, by the time that individual was eventually located, they were on the rooftop and were able to fire off at the former president.”
The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that rallygoers alerted local law enforcement officers to Crooks’ position on the roof a full 86 seconds before the first shot was fired. Cheatle indicated that she believed it was the responsibility of the responding officers to address the threat. Previous reports noted that an officer climbed a ladder to the roof but quickly descended after Crooks pointed his rifle at them.
“In this particular instance, we did share support for that particular site and that the USSS was responsible for the inner perimeter,” Cheatle said. “And then we sought assistance from our local counterparts for the outer perimeter. There was local police in that building, there was local police in the area that were responsible for the outer perimeter of the building.”
The rooftop of the building used by Trump’s would-be assassin had previously been designated as a security risk prior to his Saturday rally in Butler, Pa., but for some reason, it was not adequately secured.
The Secret Service, already aware that the rooftop posed a security threat, is now facing criticism. Sources with knowledge of the agency’s operations told NBC News that the building, owned by a glass research company, had been identified as a potential risk.
The building is located next to the Butler Farm Show, the outdoor venue where Trump was speaking. Following the incident, lawmakers have called for a comprehensive review of security protocols. The chief of the Secret Service confirmed that the agency would participate in an independent security review to prevent future breaches.
Despite precautions, the rooftop from which the gunman fired—situated just outside the main security perimeter but only 148 yards from where Trump was speaking—had insufficient law enforcement presence. Subsequent reporting said that local police had taken up a position inside the building, but inexplicably, the rooftop was left unguarded.
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