Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle says RNC security ‘strengthened’
WASHINGTON – U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle on Monday expressed confidence in the security measures being taken to ensure the safety of the Republican National Convention this week after an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump over the weekend.
In her first statement since the assassination attempt, Cheatle said the Secret Service RNC coordinator and partners for the convention “have reviewed and strengthened” security measures in the wake of Saturday’s shooting.
“The Secret Service is tasked with the tremendous responsibility of protecting the current and former leaders of our democracy,” Cheatle said in her statement. “It is a responsibility that I take incredibly seriously, and I am committed to fulfilling that mission.”
Trump was shot in his right ear after a sniper opened fire at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday. One spectator, Corey Comperatore, was killed in the shooting. Two others were seriously injured.
The gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, was killed.
Cheatle began her statement by extending her condolences to the family and friends of Comperatore, as well as those injured during the shooting.
She also praised the response from the Secret Service, as well as the counter sniper team who neutralized the shooter, and for the agents who implemented “protective measures to ensure the safety of former president Donald Trump.”
Cheatle said she has been in “constant contact” with Secret Service personnel in Pennsylvania who maintained the crime scene until FBI took over, as well as coordinating with the protective detail for Trump and have briefed Biden on the details of the incident.
Since the incident on Saturday, Cheatle said the Secret Service has implemented changes to Trump’s detail to “ensure his continued protection for the convention and the remainder of the campaign.”
As the RNC is underway, Cheatle said “the Secret Service will continuously adapt our operations as necessary in order to ensure the highest level of safety and security for convention attendees, volunteers and the City of Milwaukee.”
In the aftermath of the shooting, Cheatle has come under fire for the Secret Service’s response and the security measures at Saturday’s rally have been called into question after the shooter was able to get so close to Trump.
President Joe Biden on Sunday said he is opening a review on the incident, as well as called for an investigation into the motives of the shooter.
House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer, R-Kentucky, made the request for a briefing with the Secret Service and said he would call Kimberly Cheatle, the agency's director, to testify at a hearing.
Cheatle said that she will participate fully with Biden’s review, as well as work with the appropriate Congressional committees on any oversight action.
“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,” she said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Secret Service Director Cheatle: RNC security ‘strengthened’