The head of the Secret Service issued a lukewarm statement on Monday reiterating the agency’s plans to investigate the assassination attempt against Donald Trump and keep the upcoming political conventions safe — but did not acknowledge in any way the agency’s failings that led up to the shooting.
The statement was penned by Kimberly Cheatle, the embattled director of the Secret Service, who has faced growing calls to resign after the “total security breakdown” at the Butler, Pa., rally where the former president was wounded by a sniper perched less than 150 yards away with a clear line of sight.
Cheatle begins by offering “deepest condolences” to the loved ones of Corey Comperatore, the ex-volunteer fire chief who died shielding his daughter from the gunman’s bullets, as well as those wounded in the “senseless act of violence.”
She praised the agency’s on-the-ground personnel for moving “quickly” during the incident, singling out the counter sniper team for “neutralizing the shooter” and agents for “implementing protective measures to ensure the safety” of the ex-commander-in-chief.
“The Secret Service is working with all involved Federal, state and local agencies to understand what happened, how it happened, and how we can prevent an incident like this from ever taking place again,” the missive reads in part.
As for the Republican National Convention kicking off today in Milwaukee and the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next month, Cheatle pledged the agency would “adapt our operations as necessary in order to ensure the highest level of safety and security” for the high-profile events.
In terms of how the agency would be addressing Trump’s security moving forward, Cheatle touted “additional security enhancements we provided former President Trump’s detail in June,” and said they’ve also implemented “changes” since Saturday’s deadly shooting to “ensure his continued protection for the convention and the remainder of the campaign.”
Both Cheatle and her agency have come under intense scrutiny following Trump’s brush with death on stage at a campaign rally.
Critics contend the 28-year Secret Service veteran has focused too much on woke “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” (DEI) initiatives — such as declaring her intention to make sure the department was 30% women by 2030 — at the expense of security.
Trump’s security detail on the day of the shooting included three women, who former FBI Assistant Director Chris Swecker told The Post were clearly in over their heads when the bullets started flying.
“But the women I saw up there with the president — they looked like they were running in circles. One didn’t know how to holster, the other one didn’t seem to know what to do, and another one seemed not to be able to find her holster,” he said.
“DEI is one thing. Competence and effectiveness is another, and I saw DEI out there.”