Retirement of the Secret Service chief demanded
At the Trump assassination attempt, several things went wrong from a safety perspective before the investigation even began. Mike Johnson, Speaker of the US House of Representatives and therefore the second in line for the US Presidency, is demanding answers.
Speaker of the US House of Representatives Mike Johnson has called for the resignation of Kimberly Cheatle, head of the Secret Service, following the assassination attempt on Presidential candidate Donald Trump. Johnson told Fox News that the incident was unforgivable. The House will establish a working group to investigate the security arrangements at Trump's rally over the weekend. "We need answers," Johnson urged, who, in his capacity as spokesperson, is the second in line for the US Presidency.
Cheatle is scheduled to appear before a House committee on Monday, but Johnson said he had been told that she might not show up.
Shooter only 135 meters away
Trump was injured by a shot at a rally on Saturday. A bystander was killed, two others were seriously injured. The attempted assassination raised the question of how the 20-year-old suspect Thomas Matthew Crooks was able to climb onto a roof 135 meters away from the stage where Trump spoke and open fire with a clear view. Trump was hit in the ear. A bystander was killed, two others were seriously injured.
The security measures on the day of the attempted assassination are now under review in the Homeland Security Department, to which the Secret Service belongs. The Inspector General of the agency, Joseph Cuffari, has initiated an investigation into the protective services for Trump around the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on the previous Saturday, according to a brief statement. It is still unclear when the investigation began.
President Joe Biden has already ordered independent investigations into the security measures at Trump's rally. It only became known this week that the Secret Service had strengthened Trump's security in the days leading up to the rally due to a tip about a threat from Iran. However, this could not prevent the assassination attempt.
The call for answers from Speaker Mike Johnson extends beyond just the Secret Service head, Kimberly Cheatle, as he also questions the effectiveness of the security measures during Donald Trump's rally, given the close proximity of the shooter to the stage. Despite Joe Biden ordering independent investigations into the matter, the circumstances surrounding the attempted assassination on Trump and the subsequent injuries and death of bystanders remain complex and under scrutiny.
