The director of the Secret Service issued a half-hearted statement Monday reiterating the agency’s plans for investigating the assassination attempt on President Donald Trump and providing security for future political conventions, but made no admission of any agency missteps that led to the shooting.
of statement The letter was written by Kimberly Cheatle, the criticized director of the Secret Service, who has faced growing calls for her resignation following a “total security breakdown” at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in which the former president was wounded by a sniper within clear visibility of less than 150 yards.
Cheatle began by offering his “deepest condolences” to the family of former volunteer fire chief Corey Comperatore, who was killed trying to shield his daughter from a gunman’s bullets, and to those injured in this “senseless act of violence.”
She praised police personnel who were on the scene at the time of the incident for their “swift” action, particularly the counter-sniper team who “neutralized the shooter” and investigators who “implemented protective measures to ensure the safety of the former commander.”
“The Secret Service is working with all involved federal, state and local agencies to understand what happened, how it happened, and how we can prevent an incident like this from happening again,” the document reads in part.
As for the Republican National Convention, which opens today in Milwaukee, and the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next month, Cheatle promised to “adjust our operations as necessary to ensure the highest level of safety and security” for the high-profile events.
As for how the department will handle Trump’s security going forward, Cheatle highlighted “the additional security enhancements we provided to former President Trump’s security in June,” but said they have also implemented “changes” since Saturday’s deadly shootings “to continue to protect the president throughout the remainder of the convention and campaign.”
Cheatle and her office have come under intense scrutiny in the wake of Trump’s near-death experience onstage at a campaign rally.
Critics argue that the 28-year Secret Service veteran has placed too much emphasis on mindful “diversity, equity and inclusion” (DEI) efforts, including her stated intention to have 30% of the Secret Service be women by 2030, at the expense of security.
On the day of the shooting, Trump’s security detail included three women, but they were clearly overwhelmed when bullets began flying, former FBI Deputy Director Chris Swecker told The Washington Post.
“But the women who were with the president seemed to be in a dither. One didn’t know how to holster her gun, another didn’t know what to do, and another couldn’t find her holster,” he said.
“DEI is one thing. Competence and effectiveness are two other things. That’s where I found DEI.”
