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Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle is blasted for 'stupidity' and 'BS excuse' that snipers were not on the roof used by gunman Thomas Crooks because it was 'too sloped'
The Secret Service's director Kimberly Cheatle has been slammed for her 'stupidity' and 'BS excuse' that snipers were not present on the roof used by would-be assassin Thomas Crooks because it was 'too sloped'.
Speaking to ABC News on Tuesday, Cheatle claimed that agents were not positioned on top of the sloped building, deeming it too dangerous - despite images from the scene showing Secret Service snipers set up on a sloped roof behind where Trump was delivering his speech.
Former Army Ranger Sean Powell was among those who registered his outrage with Cheatle's 'BS excuse' a rage filled tweet.
'Holy s***. A sloped roof? That is a total BS excuse,' he wrote.
'Our snipers used to set in on mountain tops in Afghanistan. On the down slopes if need be. The stupidity of this statement explains so much of why s*** hit the fan that day. Absolute incompetence,' he added.
Following Cheatle's bizarre comments, a former US senator from South Carolina, Jim DeMint also weighed in saying: 'This sad excuse about defies believability.'
Speaking to ABC News, Secret Services director Kimberly Cheatle bizarrely claimed that Secret Service snipers were not placed on the roof that Thomas Crooks used in his assassination attempt on Donald Trump because it was 'too sloped'
Cheatle's claims were heavily criticized as it was spotted that the snipers who were located on the left building had set up on a slanted roof too, behind Trump's podium, while Crooks was located on the right
The roof of the building Thomas Crooks was on was left without Secret Service snipers in a decision that has left many calling for Cheatle to resign
Secret Service sniped pictured at the Saturday rally set upon a sloped roof near where Trump was delivering his speech
Instead of placing her snipers on the roof of the American Glass Research Building in Butler, Pennsylvania, where Crooks fired from, she made the decision to secure the building from the inside.
'That building in particular has a sloped roof at its highest point,' she claimed.
'And so, you know, there's a safety factor that would be considered there that we wouldn't want to put somebody up on a sloped roof.
'And so, you know, the decision was made to secure the building, from inside,' she added.
Thanks to Cheatle's decision, Crooks managed to evade cops and Secret Service three times, even though he had been deemed 'suspicious' and could have been on the roof for up to 30 minutes before he pulled the trigger.
Witnesses also begged law enforcement to act when they saw him clamber onto the roof with his AR-style rifle, but the lapse in security meant he was able to carry out his bid to take the 45th president's life.
But now, her comments have been heavily criticized by members of the public, with many dubbing the theory a 'total BS excuse' that 'defies believability'.
The lapse in security allowed would-be assassin Crooks to evade both police and the Secret Service, despite being flagged as suspicious.
Witnesses reported seeing Crooks climb onto the sloped roof with his father's AR-style semiautomatic rifle, but security officials failed to act in time to prevent any harm coming to the former president.
'The snipers above President Trump were on a sloped roof so why couldn't they secure the sloped roof that the assassin was on?'
'She should have been fired days ago. We need accountability'.
Trending Politics co-owner Collin Rugg added: 'Ironically, the snipers who were behind Trump during the rally were on a sloped roof, she is b*********** and getting away with it'.
As the public outcry surrounding Cheatle's comments rages on, conversations about how she obtained her position within the agency are also beginning to emerge.
It has been said it is largely due to her close relationship with first lady Jill Biden that she was able to land her role as director of the agency.
Four sources close to President Biden's family, including people who interacted with Cheatle during the Obama-Biden administration, told the New York Post she was well liked by the future first lady and her most senior aides, including top adviser Anthony Bernal.
'Cheatle served on Dr. Biden's second lady detail and Anthony pushed for her,' a Democratic insider said.
'I heard at the time she was being considered for director that Anthony had pushed her forward as an option,' another source added.
Republicans preparing to grill Cheatle have already focused on her own background.
Before being appointed by President Biden in 2022, she worked for PepsiCo as senior director in Global Security.
She worked for 25 years in the agency and in the Vice Presidential Protective Division.
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Ky.) on Fox News has called her a 'diversity hire.'
'You know she was working at Pepsi before this. I know she was a former CIA Secret Service agent, but still, this is what happens when you don’t put the best players in,' he said.
The director of the 159-year-old agency, Kimberly Cheatle, (pictured, right) has already been called to appear before the House Oversight Committee to be grilled
Trump was shot in the ear around 10 minutes after he took to the stage
He was seen with blood across his face on Saturday
Hours after Trump was shot, House Speaker Mike Johnson called for a full investigation into the attack, promising that Congress would hear testimony from Cheatle soon.
'THE HOUSE WILL CONDUCT A FULL INVESTIGATION OF THE TRAGIC EVENTS TODAY,' Johnson wrote on X.
'The American people deserve to know the truth. We will have Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle and other appropriate officials from DHS and the FBI appear for a hearing before our committees ASAP.'
Cheatle also told ABC News her first reaction to the shooting was 'shock.'
She said the Secret Service was aware of the security vulnerabilities presented by the building Crooks took a sniper's position on to aim at Trump.
However, a decision was made not to place any personnel on the roof – even though security experts have said a primary responsibility of law enforcement would be to secure elevated areas near a high level protectee.
She also continues to resist calls that she step down over the incident, even while taking responsibility for her agency.
'The buck stops with me,' she said.
'It was unacceptable,' she added. 'And it's something that shouldn't happen again.'
Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old gunman who opened fire on former President Donald Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday
Police personnel stand over the body of Thomas Matthews Crooks on a rooftop near the Trump rally on Saturday
Ex-FBI special agent Kenneth Gray told DailyMail.com on Monday that the Secret Service 'really screwed up' at the rally on Saturday and that efforts to hire more women in field roles may well have played a role.
Republican officials gathering in Milwaukee have been calling for tough scrutiny of the agency even as the feds are implementing tighter security measures around Trump and other protectees.
‘Somebody, somewhere has a really, really a lot of serious questions to have to answer,’ House Judiciary and ‘Weaponization’ committee member Kelly Armstrong of North Dakota told DailyMail.com.
Cheatle's decision to avoid questions until now has also drawn astonishment. She was not present at the initial press conference headed by the FBI.
The probe set up by President Joe Biden after the incident is being overseen by the Justice Department, not Homeland Security, which oversees the Secret Service.
'That speaks volumes,’ former House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. Jason Chaffetz told DailyMail.com.