Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday reacted to the resignation of Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, saying, “She didn’t give me adequate protection.”
Cheatle resigned the day after a tough congressional hearing in which he was unable or unwilling to answer many key questions from lawmakers about the bureau’s failure to thwart the assassination attempt on President Trump. Cheatle acknowledged at the House Oversight Committee hearing that the near-successful assassination attempt on President Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13 was the “most significant operational failure” in the bureau’s “decades” of history. Cheatle resigned amid intense pressure from both Republicans and Democrats.
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Oversight and Accountability Committee
On July 13, during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Trump was shot in the right ear by 20-year-old suspect Thomas Matthew Crooks, who is now deceased. Trump avoided death by inches by turning his head slightly. One person was killed and two others were injured in the assassination attempt. The man who died trying to shield his daughter from the gunfire was later identified as former Pennsylvania Fire Chief Corey Comperatore. James “Jim” Copenhaver, 74, and David Duch, 57, were killed in the attack. Identified Two other victims sustained serious injuries as well, and authorities report that both are currently in stable condition.
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“She didn’t give me proper protection, so I had to take a bullet for democracy,” Trump said. Said Fox News Digital after Cheatle’s resignation.
“We’ve had numerous requests from the Secret Service at the venue to increase the number of people, but they’ve always refused or been unresponsive,” Trump said. “We’re seeing the biggest crowds in history, so we should treat them accordingly.”
Exclusive Interview: I spoke to Donald Trump Regarding resignation #secret Service Directed by Cheatle.
He told me, “She didn’t give me proper protection, so in the end I had to take the bullet for democracy.”— Brooke Singman (@BrookeSingman) July 23, 2024
“We’ve seen great improvement over the past week,” Trump added.
Trump also posted on Truth Social on Tuesday, accusing the Biden-Harris administration of failing to provide adequate protections.
“The Biden/Harris Administration did not adequately protect me and I was forced to take a bullet for Democracy. It was a great honor for me to do so!” he wrote.
Fox News reviewed the letter Cheatle sent to the U.S. Secret Service on Tuesday morning, in which she reportedly wrote: “To the United States Secret Service: The Secret Service’s solemn mission is to protect our nation’s leadership and financial infrastructure.”
“On July 13th we failed in that mission,” Cheatle said, adding that “surveillance” since the assassination attempt “has been intense and will continue as the pace of operations increases.”
“As director, I take full responsibility for any security failures,” she wrote.
“In light of recent events, it is with a heavy heart that I have made the difficult decision to step down from my position on the board,” she continued.
