The ranking Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee has rejected claims by Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle that the “sloping roof” of would-be assassin Thomas Crooks’ sniper site prevented proper security.
Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.) was part of a bipartisan committee delegation that toured the Butler Farm Show grounds on Monday, where members actually climbed the same glass factory building that Thomas Crooks climbed before attacking former President Trump last week.
Jimenez said he has long had complaints about the Department of Homeland Security, including over a porous border and the way the Secret Service, now a subsidiary of the Department of Homeland Security, handled Trump rallies.
This entire administration is a total failure.
“This entire administration has been a total failure,” he said.
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U.S. House of Representatives members address reporters at the Butler Agricultural Show, Monday, July 22, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)
“So what really bothers me, and the reason I went up on the roof — I’m 70 years old — is the director said, ‘Well, the roof is so steep that a Secret Service agent can’t get up there’ — and that was the final straw for me.”
Jimenez also called for Cheatle’s resignation.
He reiterated that although he is in good health for his age, he is still only 70 years old.
I could run around on that roof all day.
“You can run around on that roof all day,” he said.
“[Cheatle] She should resign as she clearly does not know what she is talking about.”
Flags fly at half-staff at the main entrance of the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Monday, July 22, 2024. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)
Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-Md.) holds up a map for the Butler Agricultural Show, which will be held Monday, July 22, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) released a timeline of the incident on July 13. He said a preliminary investigation revealed that the Secret Service had not attended a security briefing given to local SWAT and sniper teams in the morning. The investigation revealed that local police were not in regular contact with Secret Service officers. Johnson also said that the Secret Service had not initially planned to have snipers at the rally, but changed its plans for unknown reasons.
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“Given the many failures I’ve seen just walking through the scene and the significant mistakes I’ve heard made by the Secret Service, I believe this is only part of the story,” Jimenez responded.
“Then we have to do a walk-through,” he said, “and finally see who’s responsible for what and what everyone is doing.”
“I think this is another side of it, given the failures I’ve seen just walking through the site and the serious transgressions that have been committed by the Secret Service.”
U.S. Congressmen tour the Butler Farm Show on Monday, July 22, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)
Jimenez said he has also learned of the absence of local authorities at the Secret Service’s command center, which he said creates a prime environment for confusion and poor communication if a threat does emerge.
“This isn’t rocket science, it’s simple security measures that anyone can implement,” he said.
Gimenez also echoed the concerns of Rep. Elijah Crain, R-Arizona, who pointed to a very tall water tower just east of the agricultural fairgrounds.
A former U.S. Navy SEAL and sniper, he quickly realized that, among other security lapses, the tower was a key base for Secret Service counter-sniper forces.
“This isn’t rocket science.”
“You can see everything from there,” Jimenez said. “You’re high up above the trees so there’s no line of sight issues at all,” he said, although other council members pointed out that the trees obscure part of the angled view over Crooks’ roof.
Meanwhile, Klain told reporters that the point was just further evidence that “we’re being gaslighted and lied to.”
A bipartisan delegation of lawmakers is visiting the site of an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally last week that left one person dead and two injured. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)
Speaking from the Democratic side, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the ranking Democrat, said some of the facts on the ground “speak for themselves,” setting the stage for committee work scheduled for later this week.
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“Some of us are just lawmakers. We’re not experts. But there’s a hearing tomorrow and it’s important to know what happened that day,” he said.
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New York Rep. Nick LaRota told Fox News Digital that the Secret Service made a “terrible mistake” on July 13 and was “sabotaged” by the 20-year-old con artists.
“The Secret Service made a terrible mistake on July 13,” he said. “They were stopped by a 20-year-old with no military or law enforcement training.”
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“But you have an agency with a $3 billion budget and 3,000 employees,” he said. “This is very embarrassing for the agency.”
“It all started to sink in” when LaRota saw the scene of Crooks’ shooting, he said.
“Obviously, I’ve seen countless footage on television and social media, and have also seen some digital summaries, but being on-site gave me a good perspective of where the assassin was and where the stage was.”
U.S. House of Representatives members arrive at the Butler Agricultural Show in Butler, Pennsylvania, Monday, July 22, 2024. The bipartisan delegation is visiting the site of an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally last week that left one attendee dead and two injured. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)
At a committee hearing in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, LaRota said he hopes Secret Service Director Kimblee Cheatle will have the courage to “face the truth.”
Congressmen said they had questions about tactics, strategic decision-making and the Secret Service that day.
“I have three main questions,” he said. “One, what was or wasn’t involved that day in terms of tactics, communications? Why weren’t drones used? What was the authority and communication between state and local, departments and agencies, and the federal government?”
“The second question is strategic: Why was the decision made just days beforehand to meet with state and local authorities within the perimeter that the Secret Service is known to normally protect itself? What strategic decision was made and why? When Mr. Trump, along with agents from his campaign, asked the Secret Service for more resources, why did the head of the Secret Service reject that request?”
U.S. Congressmen tour the Butler Farm Show on Monday, July 22, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)
LaRota said he also has questions about the Secret Service’s operations and the culture that Director Cheatle has fostered.
“I wonder if DEI priorities are negatively impacting our hiring, promotion and placement processes within the department and making them less effective,” he said. “We’re supposed to be a meritocracy, and we want to put the best and brightest in these important jobs.”
“Is the DEI harming the Secret Service and putting potential 2024 presidential candidates at risk?” he said. “Those are questions that need to be answered here.”
The roof of the Butler Fairgrounds in Pennsylvania, where a bipartisan delegation visited on July 22. (Fox News Digital)
The lawmakers’ statement came after Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin released a 13-page official preliminary finding of his office’s investigation into the assassination attempt.
A preliminary investigation found that the Secret Service was not present at a security briefing for local SWAT and sniper teams on the morning of July 13; local police stated that their communications were siloed and that they did not frequently have direct radio contact with the Secret Service; local police had notified command about Crooks prior to the shooting and had received confirmation that the Secret Service was aware of the notification; and Secret Service agents were seen with local police on the roof of the American Glass Research (AGR) building after the shooting.
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As part of the investigation, photos of the shooter were sent to the ATF for facial recognition. Local Law Enforcement The Secret Service initially said it had no plans to send snipers to the rally.
The Secret Service did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Fox News’ Landon Mion contributed to this report.
