At least two Republican senators demanded the resignation of Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle after Wednesday’s briefing on the attempted assassination of President Trump revealed that the Secret Service knew about the threat ten minutes before the assassin fired at Trump’s head, but Trump was allowed to take the stage at a rally in Butler, P.A. Trump miraculously just hit his ears. However, one supporter was killed and two injured in the attack on Trump by 20-year-old Thomas Crooks. (UPDATE at the end: ABC reports Secret Service snipers saw Crooks on the roof twenty minutes before the shooting.)
Cheatle admitted to senators that there were “mistakes and gaps” in the Secret Service’s protection of the Trump rally, reports Juliegrace Brufke of Axios, “The Secret Service is responsible for a mission that did not fail. This assassination attempt failed. I admit that there were mistakes and gaps.”
Director of the Secret Service Kimberly Cheatle told members “The Secret Service is responsible for the mission did not fail. This assassination attempt failed. I admit that there were mistakes and gaps,” according to the source on the phone.
– Juliegrace Brufke (@juliegraceb) July 17, 2024
Fox News reporter Aisha Hasnie posted on X Twitter, “Source familiar with Secret Service briefing w/Senator says timeline shared with him shows SS knew about threat about 10 minutes before TRUMP walked on stage and still let him on stage.”
A source familiar with the Secret Service briefing w/ Senators said the timeline shared with them showed the SS knew about the threat about 10 minutes before TRUMP walked on stage and still let him on stage.
— Aishah Hasnie (@aishahhasnie) July 17, 2024
Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) said Hasnie Crooks was IDed as a suspect over an hour before the shooting, “He was identified as a suspicious character, because of the rangefinder as well as the backpack. And this was more than an hour before the shooting actually happened.
Sen. BARRASSO just told me that the shooter was ID’d more than HOURS before the shooting as suspicious.
“He was identified as a suspicious character, because he saw the rangefinder as well as the backpack. And this was more than an hour before the shooting happened.” https://t.co/DO43JDuwnd
— Aishah Hasnie (@aishahhasnie) July 17, 2024
More from Hasnie in his report on Fox News: The Secret Service had called the “center” about the IDed threat ten minutes before Trump took the stage but he was allowed to go on stage, and that Secret Service agents in Butler were on the phone with state and local police when the shooting occurred.
BREAKING: Shooter Treated as Threat 10 Minutes Before Allowing Trump on Stage – Every Senate Briefing
The Secret Service considered him a “suspicious character” more than 1 hour earlier. They considered him a threat 10 minutes before Trump took the stage. However, they… pic.twitter.com/Hzsyj8bSQ2
— As4Me&MyHouse (@4Me_N_MyHouse) July 17, 2024
More than Fox News Radio reporter Ryan Schmelz, “Every source familiar with the virtual Senate briefing on the Trump shooting: -The FBI has interviewed more than 200 people. – More than 14,000 images on Thomas Crooks’ phone have been reviewed – including arrest photos from the mass shooting, pictures of guns and political figures.
According to a source familiar with the Senate’s virtual briefing on Trump’s firing:
-The FBI has interviewed over 200 people.
-Over 14,000 pictures on Thomas Crooks’ phone have been viewed – which include arrest photos from mass shootings, pictures of guns and political figures.— Ryan Schmelz (@RyanSchmelzFOX) July 17, 2024
NBC News reported on the brief, saying Crooks had visited the rally site a few days earlier (excerpt):
The 20-year-old who shot Trump on Saturday visited the site of the former president’s rally before the event to brush up on the area, two sources familiar with the Senate briefing today told NBC News.
Crooks was photographed as a suspect 62 minutes before he opened fire, and the sniper saw him 20 minutes before he was shot, sources said.
NBC also reported Eric Trump saying Cheatle should resign.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called for new leadership for the Secret Service, “Last week’s near-assassination of former President Trump was a serious attack on American democracy. The nation deserves answers and accountability. New leadership at the Secret Service will be an important step in that direction.”
The imminent assassination of former President Trump last week was a serious attack on American democracy. The nation deserves answers and responsibility. New leadership at the Secret Service will be an important step in that direction.
– Leader McConnell (@LeaderMcConnell) July 17, 2024
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) called for Cheatle’s resignation, “I just came out of a briefing with the Secret Service and the FBI. I was shocked to learn that the Secret Service knew about the threat before President Trump walked on the stage. I don’t trust Director Cheatle’s leadership and believe that he will it is in the best interest of our nation that he resign from office.
I just got off the briefing with the Secret Service and the FBI. I was shocked to learn that the Secret Service knew about the threat before President Trump even walked on stage.
I don’t trust Director Cheatle’s leadership and believe that this is in our best interest…
— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) July 17, 2024
UPDATE via ABC News (excerpt):
Law enforcement officials investigating Donald Trump’s assassination attempt told lawmakers Wednesday that 20 minutes passed between the time a US Secret Service sniper first spotted the gunman on the roof and the time he shot at the former president, according to several law enforcement officials and lawmakers. briefed on the matter.
Officials said snipers spotted the suspect, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, on the roof of a building outside the security zone at a public meeting in Butler, Pennsylvania, at 5:52 pm ET. The shooting happened at 6:12 p.m. ET, 20 minutes later, sources said.
According to sources, the timeline presented in the briefing is:
5:10 pm Crooks is first identified as a person of interest
5:30 pm Crooks spotted with rangefinder
5:52 pm Crooks were spotted on the roof by the Secret Service
6:02 pm Trump takes the stage
6:12 pm Crooks fired the first shotFrom the time Crooks fired the first shot to the gunman was killed only 26 seconds, according to law enforcement officials. Eleven seconds after the first shot, a Secret Service counter sniper hit his target – and 15 seconds after that, Crooks was shot dead.
