Questions about the agency’s readiness have arisen in the aftermath of Saturday’s shooting, which wounded the former president, killed an attendee and left two people critically injured. The shooter, identified by authorities as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, also was killed by Secret Service agents at the scene.
Among the concerns and questions is how a sniper was able to obtain rooftop access roughly 150 meters from the former president’s position at the podium at an outdoor rally.
- Why was gunman’s roof not secured in advance?
- Was Secret Service too reliant on local police?
- Were warnings about the gunman passed on?
- Was the event properly resourced?
- Was Trump taken off stage quickly enough?
The FBI has taken on the role of lead investigator into the incident, during which one person was killed and two others critically injured – while Trump was wounded in the ear.
As the US demands answers, the Secret Service says it is working to discover “what happened, how it happened, and how we can prevent an incident like this from ever taking place again”.
Its chief, Kimberly Cheatle, has been summoned to testify before a committee of the US House of Representatives on 22 July.
