The US Secret Service on Monday vowed to cooperate with an independent review after it allowed a shooter to open fire on Donald Trump, amid growing pressure over a major security failure.
The 78-year-old former president was wounded but survived an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, a brazen attack that roiled a deeply polarized nation ahead of the November vote.
“The Secret Service is working closely with all relevant federal, state and local agencies to understand what happened, how it happened, and how we can prevent an incident like this from happening again,” agency Director Kimberly Cheatle said in a statement.
“We understand the importance of the independent review announced by President Biden yesterday and will participate fully in it. We will also work with the appropriate congressional committees on any oversight actions,” Cheatle said.
Trump was speaking at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, when several explosions occurred. He grabbed his ear, blood was clearly visible on his ear and cheek, then fell to the floor, at which point Secret Service agents rushed to the podium, surrounded him and took him to a nearby vehicle.
The shooter and a bystander were killed and two bystanders were injured.
Biden ordered a full review of security at the rally, as well as at the Republican National Convention this week in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where Trump will be crowned as the party’s presidential nominee.
Pressure is mounting on the Secret Service over how a gunman was allowed to point an assault rifle on a rooftop nearly 500 feet (150 meters) from one of the world’s most protected political figures.
And these questions became even more intense when phone footage emerged in which people saw the gunman on the rooftop and tried to warn security personnel before he opened fire.
With Trump set to attend the conference on Monday, Cheatle said the agency is working to beef up security at the event.
“The Secret Service develops operational security plans for National Special Security Events (NSSE) to respond to the dynamic security environment and the latest intelligence from our partners,” their statement said.
The Secret Service said Sunday it was “fully prepared” for the summit.
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