Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle said in an interview aired Tuesday morning that a “safety factor” had been factored into the sloping roof used by the gunman who tried to assassinate former President Trump at a rally last weekend.
“That building, in particular, has a sloped roof on the highest part,” Cheatle said in an interview with the network’s Pierre Thomas that aired Tuesday morning on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” “So for safety reasons, you don’t want to have people on a sloped roof. So the decision was made to protect the building from the inside.”
Former President Trump was the victim of an assassination attempt on Saturday during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Cheatle and the Secret Service have come under heavy criticism for their response in the aftermath of the incident, but Cheatle said in a segment of his interview with Thomas that aired Monday night that he has no plans to quit his job.
“I plan on staying,” Cheatle said.
Following the shooting, the US Secret Service has received support from Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who said he has “100 percent” confidence in the service.
“I appreciate the secretary’s comments and we will continue to be transparent and communicate with the public,” she said in an interview with ABC.
