The US Secret Service is under scrutiny after a Senate briefing on Wednesday revealed that the agency received information that the man who tried to kill Donald Trump was considered a “threat” 10 minutes before the former president took the stage.
Despite this information, Trump was still allowed to continue and go out to speak.
According to a Fox News interview with Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, the agency responsible for protecting the former president identified the gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, as a “suspicious person” more than an hour before Saturday’s shooting that left Trump wounded and one killed.
“He was identified as a suspect because he (had) a rangefinder as well as a backpack. And that was over an hour before the shooting actually happened,” Barrasso said.
Barrasso said a Secret Service briefing on the Senate floor revealed that agents were fully aware of information about Crooks but never acted on the vital information. He said there were no reports that local police had clashed with the gunman before he opened fire.
Barrasso also revealed that the top Secret Service agent in charge of securing the rally was on the phone with police at the time of the shooting. He is one of a long list of prominent officials calling for the resignation of Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle over the agency’s failure to protect the former president from assassination attempts.
“The American people should not feel comfortable about this. This is a complete failure (on behalf of) the Secret Service. We need a replacement at the top,” Barrasso said.
“I am appalled to learn that the Secret Service knew of the threat before President Trump took the stage. I have no confidence in Director Cheatle’s leadership and believe it is in the best interest of our nation if she steps down,” Blackburn wrote.
