Kimberly Cheatle is no longer the director of the Secret Service. Still, questions remain about the unprotected rooftop where Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, attempted to assassinate Donald Trump on July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania. Crooks missed a fatal headshot by millimeters, but the glaring security breaches led to a grilling of the agency not seen in a generation. For over four hours, then-Director Cheatle took a beating from Democrats and Republicans over this assassination attempt, and she stonewalled lawmakers. If there was bipartisan agreement, Cheatle should resign, which she eventually did despite claiming she felt she was the best to lead the agency.
Cheatle departs as new bodycam footage obtained by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) is released. It shows Beaver County Emergency Services Unit telling a Secret Service agent that photos of Crooks were taken by their team and distributed to the rest of the support teams before he fired on the former president: [WARNING: Graphic Content]:
BREAKING: Bodycam footage from roof following attempted assassination of President Trump
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) July 23, 2024
Officer says Secret Service sniper took multiple photos of Thomas Crooks before the shooting. pic.twitter.com/E4dVx7SbwN
In a letter to the agency, the Iowa Republican listed numerous questions, including whether the Secret Service and local law enforcement are responsible for covering the AGR building, where Crooks was perched. Also, a Secret Service drone operator was on the personnel list for the July 13 rally, though no aerial surveillance was reportedly active when the attack began. Meanwhile, Crooks allegedly flew his drone over the rally area before he opened fire.
NEW My office has obtained docs from law enforcement on July 13 assassination attempt of Pres Trump I’m writing Secret Service Acting Dir Rowe & DHS Scty Mayorkas AGAIN 2get badly needed answers/clarity pic.twitter.com/LyQMzYGCkD
— Chuck Grassley (@ChuckGrassley) July 23, 2024
🚨🚨Here are the docs @ChuckGrassley obtained from local law enforcement from July 13 assassination attempt on Trump.
— Susan Crabtree (@susancrabtree) July 23, 2024
GRASSLEY wants new acting USSS director to tell him if SECRET SERVICE AND LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT HAD THE JOINT RESPONSIBILITY TO COVER THE AGR BUILDING WhERE… https://t.co/tevqihNybQ
The Secret Service official in the suit says he was told there were bystanders who were taking pictures of the shooter and pictures of law enforcement who should’ve been stopping the shooter in the minutes before the deadly assassination attack was launched. Sure would be nice to… https://t.co/dbrCNXkWLd
— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) July 24, 2024
😂‼️NOW THIS IS GOOD. Apparently, @ChuckGrassley is not intimidated by the social media post circulating within the Secret Service community (both CURRENT and former agents and employees) that I posted about earlier and have attached below essentially telling @SpeakerJohnson and… https://t.co/qwTkSh94xz pic.twitter.com/cUvZgAH24u
— Susan Crabtree (@susancrabtree) July 24, 2024
The footage dovetails with the video taken by Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ), who scaled the structure, noting that it wasn’t really a sloped roof. Before her exit, Cheatle said the safety concerns were why snipers weren’t on that roof.
How are they able to stand and talk on a sloped roof in such severe heat, I was told that was very dangerous
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) July 23, 2024
UPDATE: A new video of the attack has been released; an eyewitness, who claims to be ex-military, also noted the glaring security issues at the rally, namely that he and others were along the fenceline, full-view of the stage, and none of them were checked by police. [WARNING: Graphic content]:
JUST IN: New video from the deadly attack at Trump rally in Pennsylvania pic.twitter.com/4EOVuuoqUk
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) July 24, 2024