Texas Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett appeared to suggest racial bias may have been the reason the Secret Service was slow to identify Thomas Crooks as a threat on the day he shot Trump.
Kimberly Cheatle, director of the Secret Service, testified before the House Oversight Committee on Monday, less than 10 days after would-be assassin Thomas Crooks nearly killed former President Trump, and was grilled by Republicans and Democrats alike.
Little is known about Crooks’s motivations, but when it was Crockett’s turn to speak, his identity as a white man was brought into focus.
“I want to talk about training and the fact that there seems to be a little bit of ambiguity and a different analysis being done as to whether this is a suspicious person and this is a situation where it was perceived as a threat,” Crockett argued. “One of my questions is whether officers are receiving bias training.”
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Rep. Jasmine Crockett argued that among law enforcement “there is generally no perception that young white men carrying long guns pose a threat.”
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Crockett also cited his background as a civil rights attorney, saying, “In my interactions with law enforcement, I’ve learned time and time again that if a young white man has a long gun, they generally don’t view him as a threat. But when it comes to police, at least in this country, they often view someone with just a little bit more melanin in their skin as a threat.”
She added that officer-involved shootings often spark discussion about law enforcement training standards, and this case is relevant.
“One of the things that’s been a consistent argument on my part in many cases, when we’re faced with a tragedy where police have made a mistake, is bias training and whether officers are receiving it,” Crockett said. “So I’d like to know if the training that you said is part of the budget includes bias training.”
“Yes, I do,” Cheatle replied.
Thomas Matthew Crooks crawls across a rooftop moments before attempting to assassinate former President Donald Trump. (DJ Laughery (background))
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According to the Secret Service’s website, Cheatle is responsible for executing the agency’s overall mission of “leading a diverse workforce in protection and investigative services.” Critics have accused Cheatle of prioritizing a “woke” ideology rooted in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) rather than focusing solely on recruiting the best talent for the agency.
Despite growing calls from both parties, Resign from attackFollowing the incident, which left one protester dead and two seriously injured, Mr Cheatle said he would not resign.
