Secret Service Under Scrutiny Following Trump Assassination Attempt

The Secret Service is under scrutiny following an assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania rally.

During last Saturday’s event, a series of bullets were fired by 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was killed by Secret Service snipers. Following the shooting, which killed one person and injured two others, questions have been raised regarding the security measures taken at the event.

People have raised concerns about how a sniper was able to obtain rooftop access just 150 meters away from where Trump delivered his speech during the rally. Additionally, there was concern about why the building the shooter was positioned on was outside of the security perimeter, raising concerns about the size of the security perimeter and whether the security sweeps were successful. Experts have also asked if the Secret Service was following security procedures.

Local law enforcement allegedly saw the shooter acting suspiciously and told Secret Service.

The event is being primarily investigated by the FBI, but the Department of Homeland Security and Secret Service is also expected to investigate the shooting.

On CNN, former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe discussed the shooting and security measures.

“Foundationally, one of the most basic elements of site security, especially a site that’s outside and largely uncontrolled, is eliminate sight lines to this space where the protectee will be either speaking or just occupying,” McCabe said. “When you look at that map, it so clearly points to those buildings that are within it, clearly within shooting range.”

President Joe Biden announced that he told U.S. Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle “to review all security measures – all security measures” for Trump events.

Biden also said, “I’ve directed an independent review of the national security at yesterday’s rally to assess exactly what happened. And I’ll share the results of that independent review with the American people.”

Article by Hannah Molayal