Written by Lucas Whitfield.
In an interview with ABC News on Tuesday, Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle made a surprising admission. She revealed that she instructed her agents to avoid the rooftop from which Thomas Matthew Crooks fired at former President Donald Trump and his supporters. This revelation has left many baffled.
Cheatle cited safety concerns as the reason for her decision. “That building has a sloped roof at its highest point. There’s a safety factor that we wouldn’t want to risk,” she explained. Instead, she opted to secure the building from the inside, a choice that has sparked widespread criticism.
Critics quickly pointed out that the Secret Service snipers who ultimately took down Crooks were positioned on a similarly sloped roof. Libertarian pundit Clint Russell questioned Cheatle’s logic, “Here is the counter-sniper location she did authorize. Does that look flat to you, Kim?”
Unanswered Questions and Public Outcry
The controversy deepened with the revelation that law enforcement had spotted Crooks about 30 minutes before his attack. CBS reported more perplexing details, including that Crooks was seen using a rangefinder, raising further questions about the security measures in place.
Amidst the uproar, Cheatle faces a congressional hearing on Monday to address these security lapses. Representative James Comer expressed gratitude for the quick actions of the Secret Service agents but emphasized the need for answers. “Americans demand explanations from Director Cheatle about these security lapses and how we can prevent this from happening again,” Comer stated in a press release.
The hearing is anticipated to be a critical moment for Cheatle, who must clarify her decisions and address the evident security failures. The public and lawmakers alike are eager for a thorough explanation of the events and the measures that will be taken to prevent a recurrence.
Our Take
The Secret Service’s primary duty is to ensure the safety of our leaders. Director Cheatle’s decision to keep agents off the rooftop, citing a safety concern, seems paradoxical when other agents successfully neutralized the threat from a similar position. This inconsistency raises serious concerns about the effectiveness of the Secret Service’s strategies and decision-making processes.
The American people deserve transparency and accountability, especially in matters of national security. Director Cheatle’s explanations thus far have been unsatisfactory and leave many wondering if the proper protocols were followed. The upcoming congressional hearing is a crucial step toward understanding what went wrong and ensuring such lapses do not happen again. It’s imperative that our security agencies operate with the utmost precision and reliability.
Secret Service Director Kim Cheatle said no Agents were on the roof where the shooter was because it was a sloped roof and it was a safety factor. Call out the liar. The roof the shooter was on was more flat than the roof the Secret Services members were on. @FoxNews @kilmeade pic.twitter.com/s8DvOJSUT1
— Tom John (@Going63) July 16, 2024