A top GOP member on the House Homeland Security Committee dismissed claims from Kimberly Cheatle, U.S. Secret Service Director, that the “sloped roof” of attempted assassin Thomas Crooks’ sniper position prohibited it from being appropriately secured.
GOP Representative Carlos Gimenez of Florida was part of a bipartisan delegation of committee members who, on Monday, toured the Butler Farm Show Grounds, where members scaled the same glass factory building Thomas Crooks did before he aimed his weapon at former President Trump.
Gimenez said he remains frustrated with the Department of Homeland Security regarding the porous border and now its subordinate agency, the Secret Service’s handling of Trump’s rally.
“This entire administration is a complete disaster,” said Gimenez.
“And so what really bothers me, and the reason I got up on the roof — I’m 70 — was for the director to say, ‘well, the steepness of the roof won’t allow Secret Service agents to be up there’ — That was the final straw for me.”
Gimenez continued and called for Cheatle’s resignation.
He emphasized that, although he’s in relatively good shape for his age, he’s still 70.
“I could run around on the roof all day long,” said Gimenez. “[Cheatle] should resign because she obviously doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”
GOP Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin released a timeline previously of the events on July 13.
The legislator said early findings revealed the Secret Service didn’t attend a security briefing given to local sniper and SWAT teams in the morning. According to the findings, local law enforcement revealed they weren’t consistently communicating with Secret Service officers. Senator Johnson also said the Secret Service didn’t initially plan to have snipers present at the rally before changing plans for unknown reasons.
“After all the failures that I’ve seen just walking the scene and the cardinal sins that I’m hearing that the Secret Service committed, I would assume this is just another part of this,” responded Gimenez.
“And you must have a walkthrough,” continued Gimenez. “You must have a final reading as to who is responsible for what. And what is everybody doing.”
Gimenez also learned that local authorities didn’t have a presence in the Secret Service’s command center, which created an ideal environment for disorganization and a lack of communication in case a threat presented itself.
“This is not rocket science stuff. This is a simple security measure that anybody would take,” said Gimenez. He also echoed the concerns of Republican Representative Elijah Crane of Arizona, who pointed out a lofty water tower just east of the show grounds.
As a former sniper and U.S. Navy SEAL, he immediately identified the tower as a critical post for Secret Service counter snipers, along with numerous other security miscues.
“From there, you could see everything,” said Gimenez. “You would not have any, any line-of-sight issues because you’re way above the trees,” while other legislators noted a tree partially obscured one oblique angle to surveil Crooks’ roof.
For his part, Crane told reporters that aspect is only further proof “we are being gaslit and lied to.”
Representative Bennie Thompson of Mississippi said that from the Democratic perspective, some facts about the scene “speak for themselves” and set the stage for the committee’s work later in the week.
“Some of us are just members of Congress; we’re not experts. But seeing what happened that day is important because we have a hearing tomorrow,” said Thompson.
Rep. Nick LaLota: The Secret Service got it “horribly wrong”
Representative Nick LaLota of New York said the Secret Service got it “horribly wrong” on July 13, saying they were “thwarted” by 20-year-old Crooks.
“The Secret Service got it horribly wrong on July 13,” said LaLota. “They were thwarted by a 20-year-old with no military or law enforcement training.”
“And yet there is an agency with a $3 billion budget and 3,000 employees,” said LaLota. “It’s a horrible embarrassment for the agency.”
Rep. LaLota said viewing the sight where Crooks opened fire on Trump “brought reality to the situation.”
“Of course, I’ve seen countless clips on TV and social media, and I’ve seen some of the digital recaps, but being here on the ground brings some good perspective as to where the would-be assassin was and where the stage was,” LaLota said.
LaLota expressed his hope that Secretary of the Secret Service Kimberly Cheatle will have the “courage” to “face the music” at the Tuesday committee meeting in Washington, D.C.
He said he has questions regarding the tactics of the day, the Secret Service, and strategic decision-making.
“I have questions in three main areas,” said LaLota. “One, the tactics of that day, what was involved or not involved with respect to communications? Why didn’t we use drones? What were the authorities and communications between state and local, departments and officials and federal ones?”
“My second one is strategic; why, in the days leading up to it, were decisions made to see the authorities to state and local folks inside perimeters that are usually known to be protected by the Secret Service themselves? What strategic decisions are made and why? When Trump, with the agents on the Trump campaign, asked the Secret Service for more resources, why did the Secret Service heads deny those requests.”
LaLota also said he has questions about the Secret Service administration and the culture fostered by Director Cheatle.
“Are DEI priorities negatively affecting the hiring promotion and assignment processes within the department and thus making them less effective?” said LaLota. “We should be a nation based upon merit, and we want our best and brightest in these, in these important jobs.”
“Is DEI infecting the Secret Service to the point where we put the leading candidate for president in 2024 at risk?” questioned LaLota. “These are the questions that we need to get to the bottom here.”
The statement from representatives came after GOP Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin released his official 13-page preliminary findings of his office’s probe into the assassination attempt.
Preliminary findings determined the Secret Service didn’t attend a security briefing given to local sniper and SWAT teams on the morning of July 13 local law enforcement said communications were siloed and there wasn’t frequent radio contact with the Secret Service directly, that local law enforcement was notified about Crooks before the shooting and received confirmation the Secret Service was also aware of the notification, and that the Secret Service along with local law enforcement was seen on the roof of American Glass Research (AGR) after the shooting.
Additionally, the investigation found photos of the shooter were sent to the ATF for racial recognition, and local law enforcement said the Secret Service was not initially planning on sending snipers to the rally.