Ladies and gentlemen, big news is rocking the nation’s capital this week. Kimberly Cheatle is out as the director of the Secret Service, but the controversy surrounding the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump on July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania, is far from over.
Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old, came within millimeters of fatally shooting Trump. The shocking security failures that led to this near tragedy have brought the Secret Service under intense scrutiny.
The drama peaked when Cheatle faced a bipartisan grilling from lawmakers that lasted over four hours. Democrats and Republicans alike were united in their criticism. Despite her claims of being the best person to lead the agency, Cheatle ultimately resigned.
Enter Senator Chuck Grassley from Iowa. He’s released new bodycam footage that sheds light on what happened that fateful day. The video shows Beaver County Emergency Services Unit members telling a Secret Service agent that they had identified Crooks and distributed his photos to support teams before he took his shot at Trump. It’s a chilling reminder of how close the situation came to being even more tragic.
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The Secret Service official in the suit says he was told there were bystanders who were taking pictures of the shooter and pictures of law enforcement who should’ve been stopping the shooter in the minutes before the deadly assassination attack was launched. Sure would be nice to… https://t.co/dbrCNXkWLd
— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) July 24, 2024
In a letter to the Secret Service, Grassley asked some hard-hitting questions. Who was responsible for securing the AGR building where Crooks positioned himself? Why was there no aerial surveillance, even though a Secret Service drone operator was listed for the rally? Meanwhile, Crooks managed to fly his own drone over the area before launching his attack. These are serious lapses that demand answers.
NEW My office has obtained docs from law enforcement on July 13 assassination attempt of Pres Trump I’m writing Secret Service Acting Dir Rowe & DHS Scty Mayorkas AGAIN 2get badly needed answers/clarity pic.twitter.com/LyQMzYGCkD
— Chuck Grassley (@ChuckGrassley) July 23, 2024
The plot thickens with footage from Rep. Eli Crane of Arizona, who climbed the structure and confirmed that the roof wasn’t actually sloped. This contradicts Cheatle’s earlier claim that safety concerns about a sloped roof were why snipers weren’t posted there.
How are they able to stand and talk on a sloped roof in such severe heat, I was told that was very dangerous
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) July 23, 2024
And just when you thought it couldn’t get any more intense, a new video of the attack has surfaced. An eyewitness, claiming to be ex-military, highlighted glaring security issues at the rally. He and others were positioned along the fenceline in full view of the stage, and none of them were checked by police.
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JUST IN: New video from the deadly attack at Trump rally in Pennsylvania pic.twitter.com/4EOVuuoqUk
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) July 24, 2024
This entire situation raises serious questions about the Secret Service’s preparedness and response. Cheatle’s resignation is just the beginning of what promises to be a thorough investigation. Senator Grassley and others are pushing hard for transparency and accountability, demanding to know how these security breaches occurred and what can be done to prevent future incidents.
Stay tuned, folks. This story is developing rapidly, and the search for answers is just getting started. The implications for national security and the future of the Secret Service are profound. Keep an eye out for more updates as this investigation unfolds.
