Secret Service Director: Trump Shooter Was Flagged as ‘Suspicious’ But Not a ‘Threat’

TOPLINE The assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump marks the Secret Service’s “most significant operational failure” in decades, agency director Kimberly Cheatle testified on Monday, as she and the agency face increased scrutiny over security lapses during the incident.

KEY FACTS

• Cheatle, speaking before the House Oversight Committee, accepted “responsibility for this tragedy” in her opening remarks. She pledged that the Secret Service would investigate the incident thoroughly and implement corrective actions to prevent future occurrences.

• The Secret Service is probing why no agent was positioned on the roof of the building from which the gunman operated. Cheatle mentioned that the agency is still examining the advance process and the decisions made leading up to the event.

• Cheatle confirmed that no Secret Service resources were denied for Trump’s campaign event, stating, “the assets that were requested for that day were given,” despite reports that requests for additional security had been denied for other Trump events in the past two years.

• The gunman was flagged as “suspicious” but not deemed a “threat.” Cheatle asserted that if the Secret Service had been notified of a credible threat, agents would not have allowed Trump on stage. The agency is reviewing communication records to determine when the information was relayed to agents.

• Responding to calls for her resignation, Cheatle suggested that she believes she is the best person to lead the Secret Service through this crisis.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

Cheatle assured that the Secret Service would “provide answers” after completing a comprehensive report on the shooting within 60 days. The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs has also initiated an investigation into the assassination attempt, expected to conclude by August, according to committee chair Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich.

KEY BACKGROUND

Cheatle and the Secret Service have faced severe criticism following the shooting that injured Trump last week. One individual, 50-year-old Corey Comperatore, was killed, and two others were critically injured. Reports indicate that the Secret Service did not conduct a sweep of the building from which the suspected shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, operated, instead relying on local police for security, who cited a lack of manpower and “extremely poor planning” for the lapse. Several congressional leaders, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., and House Oversight Committee chair James Comer, R-Ky., have called for Cheatle’s resignation or dismissal in response to the incident.