The US Secret Service came under intense scrutiny on Sunday after a gunman managed to evade its agents and shoot former President Donald Trump at a political rally. Republican leaders vowed a swift investigation and President Joe Biden called for an independent review.
The gunman, a 20-year-old Pennsylvania man, shot Trump from a rooftop about 150 yards (140 meters) from the stage in Butler, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh, wounding him and killing a rally attendee, authorities said.
Trump, 78, who like other former presidents enjoys lifetime protection by the Secret Service, was cornered by agents and then escorted away. Agents killed the shooter, identified by the FBI as Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, and recovered an AR-15-style semiautomatic gun near his body, authorities said.
Trump said the bullet grazed his right ear but that otherwise he was doing well and would travel to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where he will receive his party’s presidential nomination.
Mike Johnson, Speaker of the Republican-controlled US House of Representatives, said the House panel would summon officials from the Secret Service, the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI to the hearing.
“The American people have a right to know the truth,” Johnson said.
The House Oversight Committee has called Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to testify on July 22.
The Secret Service, which protects current and former presidents, is part of the Department of Homeland Security. The department’s Office of Inspector General is responsible for overseeing the operations of the Secret Service.
A spokesman for the inspector general’s office did not respond to a question about whether it would launch its own investigation. The FBI said in a statement after the shooting that it would be the lead federal law enforcement agency investigating the shooting.
In a statement, Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said the agency has “added protective resources (and) technology (and) capabilities as part of increasing the expedition’s travel tempo.”
Guglielmi denied allegations that the agency had refused Trump’s team’s request for more security resources.
In his televised speech, Biden, 81, said that as a former president, Trump, who is the Republican Party’s candidate in the November 5 presidential election, already enjoys a high level of security.
“I have consistently directed the Secret Service to provide them with every resource, capability and protective measure necessary to ensure their continued safety,” Democrat Biden said.
He said he has “directed an independent review of national security at yesterday’s rally to determine what really happened,” the results of which will be shared with the public.
On Sunday, Democratic Congressman Ritchie Torres said he and Republican Congressman Mike Lawler plan to introduce a bill that would increase security for all presidential candidates.
‘Complete Rifle Kit’
Paul Eckloff, a former Secret Service agent who retired in 2020, said agents may have surveyed all rooftops ahead of time.
“These people either concealed themselves until they became a threat, or they were not a threat until they brandished their weapons,” Ekloff said.
Moments after Trump was injured, the former president was surrounded by Secret Service personnel who formed a human shield, while heavily armed agents also arrived on stage, wearing body armor and carrying rifles and appearing to scan the area for threats.
Trump was placed in a black SUV by agents and taken to a local hospital, according to the campaign.
Trump supporters accused the Secret Service of failing to protect the former president. Billionaire Elon Musk called on the agency’s leadership to resign.
Conservative activist Jack Posobiec asked on social media, “How was a sniper allowed to crawl onto the rooftop closest to a presidential candidate with a full rifle kit?”
“The incident will be thoroughly reviewed and extensively reinvestigated,” said Joseph LaSorsa, a former Secret Service agent who served on the president’s security team.
Securing Trump’s rallies
During most of Trump’s campaign stops, local police assist the Secret Service in securing the venue. Agents from other Department of Homeland Security agencies, such as the Transportation Security Administration, also sometimes help.
Many of Trump’s rallies draw thousands of attendees, take place in the open air, and last for hours.
Before the event, agents check the venue for bombs or other threats, and Trump always arrives in a reinforced motorcade.
Law enforcement officers typically set up barriers as a perimeter, and all attendees must pass through metal detectors to enter the venue. Armed security agents search all attendees’ bags and even purses. Many rally attendees are also subjected to hand searches.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)