There was a lot that went wrong that led to the attempted assassination of Donald Trump.
Kimberly Cheatle, the Director of the Secret Service, seems more inclined to point fingers and make excuses than to take responsibility. Her latest comments about the security that day have only added fuel to the fire.
Talking Points…
- Security issues on the day of the assassination attempt
- Cheatle making excuses
- Analysis
Where do we start… the first and most obvious is the fact that a rooftop with a clear line of sight to the stage where Trump was speaking was not covered. Realistically, there should have been a sniper team on that roof, or, at the very least, officers stationed on the rooftop as well as a perimeter team to prevent anyone from scaling the building, bear crawling to the apex with a long gun, and taking an unobstructed shot at a former president.
The second issue is why were the calls of witnesses alerting police to the shooter's presence ignored. From the timeline reports, there were roughly eight minutes that passed from officers being alerted to the time the shot was fired. On that note, why was the shooter not taken out the second the officer climbed up on the roof and saw the shooter (the officer dropped back down when the gunman raised his weapon at the officer)?
The final two issues are also fairly significant. First, I did not see an overhead chopper in any of the videos. Now, I am not sure if that is a general protocol or not, but I can tell you that I have seen this in the past when presidents appear, as they serve as an eye in the sky to identify any potential threats. Finally, why did it take so long for the snipers to take out the shooter? These snipers have a green light to shoot any perceived threat, and I think we can all agree that a man on a roof with a line of sight shot and a long gun is a clear threat. To add a little more clarity on protection details, check out the video below, where two former FBI agents, Dr. Ray Carr and James R. Fitzgerald, discuss security protocols with retired Secret Service Agent Dan Sullivan.
Within the first 24 hours of the failed assassination attempt, Cheatle was already pointing fingers at other agencies. According to Cheatle, the building in question was beyond the perimeter. Therefore, it was handed off to the local police. What she failed to say, however, is that even if that was the case, the Secret Service dictate coverage and planning, as every aspect of protecting a president still falls under the purview of the Secret Service.
During another interview, Cheatle hit a new low, claiming the roof's slope was a safety factor. Now, if you have seen the snipers that were in place, the slope of that roof was just as much, if not more, than the rooftop in question. Not to mention the fact that they had enough time to affix braces to make the perch safer, but none of this was done. On this subject, Cheatle stated:
"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. And so, you know, the decision was made to secure the building, from inside."
The reaction to her statement was not kind, with former Army Ranger and author Sean Parnell posting on X:
"Our snipers used to set in on mountain tops in Afghanistan. On the down slopes if need be…
"The stupidity of this statement explains so much of why s--- hit the fan that day. Absolute incompetence."
Failing is one thing, but making lame excuses that can easily be debunked is utterly shameful. This comes from a woman who, after being appointed by Biden, stated that her main focus was to diversify the office. Some amazing agents did unbelievable jobs that day. But some agents were confused and, dare I say, scared when this was all going down. This is not a learn-on-the-job post… not with the life of a president at stake. The next words we hear from Cheatle should be, "I respectfully submit my resignation." If not, there are only two words that are an acceptable response: "You're fired."
