Secret Service Director Breaks Silence With Shocking Admission

Despite acknowledging her responsibility for the shortcomings of the United States Secret Service in the near-fatal assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump, Director Kimberly Cheatle is refusing to resign amid widespread demands for her to do so.

In a lengthy interview with ABC News following the events at the Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Cheatle addressed the incident where a 20-year-old man fired eight rounds at President Trump and his supporters before being fatally shot by a Secret Service sniper. Reports confirmed that local law enforcement had been alerted to the presence of Thomas Crooks on a rooftop approximately 400 feet away over a minute before the shooting began.

“I’m being told that the shooter was actually identified as a potential person of suspicion. Units started responding to seek that individual out,” Cheatle told ABC News, according to Fox News. “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.”

Cheatle, appointed by President Joe Biden in 2022, accepted accountability for the Secret Service’s failure to secure the rally’s perimeter, allowing Crooks an unobstructed view of the former president.

“The buck stops with me,” Cheatle said, adding, “This is an event that should have never happened.” She expressed that her initial reaction to the shooting was one of “shock.”

Many Secret Service members on President Trump’s team likely shared this reaction. Online conservatives have criticized the preparedness of some female Secret Service personnel, particularly one who struggled to secure her service weapon as Trump was being moved into a waiting SUV.

Cheatle explained that the decision was made not to place an agent on the roof where Crooks positioned himself due to its sloped surface. “Therefore, the determination was made to fortify the building internally,” she stated.

Cheatle seemed to shift some responsibility to local law enforcement for failing to adequately secure the perimeter. “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.”

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Republican legislators have vowed to investigate the security failures further, ensuring that Cheatle will need to testify before a specialized committee to explain her decision-making on that day. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) pledged to conduct a “full investigation,” as reported by The Hill.

“The American people deserve to know the truth. We will have Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle and other appropriate officials from DHS and the FBI appear for a hearing before our committees ASAP,” Johnson wrote on X.

A representative from the Secret Service denied a recent allegation that agents were removed from President Trump’s security detail a few days ago to enhance protective measures for First Lady Dr. Jill Biden.

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