(The Center Square) – U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle released a statement Monday amid mounting criticism of the security her agency provided Donald Trump after an assassination attempt Saturday on the former president.
Cheatle said her agency “reviewed and strengthened” the security plan for the Republican National Convention in the wake of Saturday’s shooting. The Republican convention started Monday in Milwaukee and goes through Thursday.
Cheatle said the Secret Service will “participate fully” in an independent review of the security detail of Saturday’s campaign rally shooting. A 20-year-old fired shots at former President Donald Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania before he was killed by U.S. Secret Service agents. Trump said he was struck in the ear. One spectator died and two others were in critical condition. President Joe Biden announced that review on Sunday.
CNN reported that the Secret Service did not sweep the building used by the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, in the assassination attempt and instead “leaned on local law enforcement to conduct security at that location.” CNN reported a local counter-sniper team was supposed to cover the building where the gunman was perched.
The Secret Service has been heavily criticized over how it handled protection of Trump at the Saturday rally.
Congressman Mark Green, R-TN, sent a letter Sunday to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas stating, “The seriousness of this security failure and chilling moment in our nation’s history cannot be understated.”
Elon Musk called for the resignation of Cheatle on the social media platform X and mocked her credentials after the shooting.
“Extreme incompetence or it was deliberate,” Musk posted on X, responding to another comment on X about how the shooter was allowed to get on a rooftop. “Either way, the SS leadership must resign.”
Musk was critical of Cheatle and commented on her previous work as senior director of Global Security at PepsiCo, the parent company of Cheetos.
“So, before being put in charge of protecting the PRESIDENT, she was guarding bags of Cheetos …” Musk posted.
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