Former U.S. President Donald Trump was injured in a shooting incident during a campaign rally over the weekend, as confirmed by Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle in a statement issued on Monday, July 15th. Cheatle stated that the Secret Service will fully cooperate with the independent review ordered by President Joe Biden.
“We are working with all relevant federal, state, and local agencies to understand what happened, how it happened, and how we can prevent similar incidents from occurring again,” Cheatle said in the statement.
She further expressed understanding of the importance of President Biden’s announced independent review and assured full participation in the process. Cheatle also mentioned cooperation with relevant congressional committees on oversight actions.
The incident took place on July 13th at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, a crucial state in the November 5th election. Gunshots were fired while Trump was speaking, resulting in injuries to Trump and other attendees. The perpetrator, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was swiftly neutralized by Secret Service agents.
Cheatle extended heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Corey Comperatore, who lost his life in the incident, and to those injured in the senseless act of violence.
Following the shooting, Trump took to Truth Social to thank law enforcement, express condolences for the deceased attendee, and confirm being hit in the ear.
The Secret Service personnel on-site acted promptly during the incident, with the counter-sniper team neutralizing the shooter and agents implementing protective measures to secure the former President’s safety.
Questions were raised about the Secret Service’s security preparedness given that the shooter fired shots from a rooftop near the outdoor stage where Trump was speaking, approximately 150 meters away.
Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers have demanded answers from the Secret Service regarding the security posture and have called for a hearing on the incident.
A Secret Service spokesperson informed CNN that the Secret Service did not conduct a security sweep of the building from where Crooks shot at Trump, stating that local law enforcement is responsible for security in such cases.
Cheatle emphasized continual communication with Pennsylvania’s Secret Service personnel since the shooting incident, with the FBI taking over as the primary investigating agency for the assassination attempt.
The FBI indicated that Crooks seemed to have acted alone, with no known ideological motivation behind the attempted assassination.
Having been appointed by Biden in 2022, Cheatle serves as the Director of the Secret Service. She noted ongoing coordination with Trump’s security personnel and briefing Biden on the incident details.
Biden instructed Cheatle to review all security measures at the Republican National Committee (RNC) meeting held on Monday and to conduct an independent review of the shooting incident at the rally last Saturday to assess what transpired. He pledged to publicly release the investigation findings.
Cheatle acknowledged the concerns raised following the shooting event in Pennsylvania and the upcoming Republican National Committee meeting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, expressing confidence in the security plans.
She highlighted the joint efforts of the Secret Service with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, as well as public safety partners, in designing dynamic action security plans for National Special Security Events (NSSE) to address evolving security environments and latest intelligence inputs. Cheatle also mentioned adjustments made to Trump’s security personnel since last Saturday.
“The Secret Service bears a significant responsibility in protecting our democracy and its current and former leaders,” she emphasized. “I take this responsibility seriously and am committed to fulfilling this mission.”