PA - Assassination attempt, shooting injures former POTUS Donald Trump, leaves 1 spectator deceased two in critical condition, 13 July 2024 #3

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Just my opinion, however, I think Congress should appoint a panel of retired Secret Service agents who have the knowledge and experience to investigate what happened at the rally and possibly what plans are being made by the Secret Service to do their job going forward.

Also, after seeing the video of Trump being shot, I have to wonder why there wasn't some type of portable bullet proof shield there that could be brought up from behind the banner to protect Trump and the agents. Seriously, bullet proof vests, glass, etc. have been around for decades. Why doesn't the secret service use something like that instead of risking agents lives?

One good improvement I noticed was that most of the Secret Service Agents around Trump were wearing suits the same shade of blue as his suit. Once they surrounded him you couldn't tell where their bodies ended and his began except when he lifted his head to show he was alright. I saw a picture of the Secret Service Agents pushing Ronald Reagan into a car and they were each dressed differently making him more vulnerable.
 
I understand what you're explaining. However, it would be reassurance to anyone listening that specific due process/es ARE actually taking place. The obvious place to begin would be those overseeing the strategic planning of coverage for this event, and if I recall the only information we have about that came from news agency blurbs. I'd feel better if she had said this (the planning) is OUR initial focus, then we are looking at x,y, z... and so forth. She didn't have to publicly divulge the names of specific individuals working at the US SS. LOGICAL answers would have been better than evasion of questions. jmo
I completely agree with this. You don't have to disclose everything, but there were obvious failures with planning the perimeter, allocating responsibilites of the different LE resources and communicating between agencies. All this is plain to see from the MSM reporting. IMO a lot of Americans are distrusting of government agencies and government officials. Don't treat us like we are idiots. I wanted her to acknowledge specific failures. What are you doing about those things immediately since presidential candidates are still campaigning and having rallies? The stonewalling and comments that go against common sense just feed the feeling that government officials are not accountable and don't care about the American people. Waiting until a thorough investigation is done does not address similar issues that could happen at ongoing rallies. It also bothers me that I sometimes get a sense from comments that since Trump wasn't killed this isn't that big of a deal. I understand the SS mission was to protect the target, but let's not forget that someone died and others were injured. Their lives are just as valuable as these candidates. JMO
 
If I was her supervisor, I would wait for the report of professional investigators, and see if her personal failures of leadership actually contributed to the failure. It's only fair.
I am not sure how things work in this area, but say in the military arena a leader can be put on a leave of sorts when there is an investigation ongoing. They do get fired for loss of confidence all the time. It is their responsibility when something goes really wrong and sometimes that thing is not even something they directly have a role in, but if they are overseeing it or in charge of the people that really mess up, then it falls on them.

We are talking about one of the most well known security agencies in the world that are charged with protecting the leader of one of the most powerful nations in the world. It is 100% a loss of confidence in this agency and as the head of this agency she is responsible. It is her job to see the lapses that exist, it's her job to ensure that the people under her are adequately trained to provide security for some of the most high profile people in the world. The agency has a zero fail mission. There was catastrophic failure so it's many of our opinions that she has to go. This failure happened on her watch. Other's can be equally liable and they can get fired too. Firing her doesn't mean that no more investigation is allowed to happen and I certainly don't trust her to be in charge of investigating a failure that happened on her watch.

The fact she's still working (she went to the RNC) is baffling. Wouldn't that need to pause while the investigation proceeds. A massive failure happened on her watch... a catastrophic failure and is it business as usual?
 
Bbm.
Agreed.

Speculation here :
Makes one wonder whether Ms. Cheatle knows more about the assassination attempt and doesn't want to reveal it ?
Or, problems within the secret service itself ?
Anyone and everyone who has hired security needs to know they're in competent hands !
Omo.
I'll add to this thought and say IF there are massive within the secret service then the person in charge of that HAS to be the one to sound the alarm. She can't be afraid to stand up and say things are not going well or that there are massive issues. This is peoples lives at stake. I don't know that this is the case, but if it is then it's certainly her job to advocate for those that work under her and for those that she is charged with protecting. Nobody wins if she knows of shortcomings and does nothing. The time to act is not after something is nearly assassinated and an innocent civilian is killed. It's BEFORE.
 
The committee wants to know why the perimeter of the grounds wasn't secured. Why were warnings about a suspicious sighting of Crooks not heeded, and how did Crooks get easy access to the roof?

While the visit yielded more questions than answers, committee members said some things were made clear.

"It's way too close. Being up on the rooftop, looking where the president was is so close for a sniper," Rep. McCaul added.

 
IMO, this was written before the hearing took place. It was the desired outcome of a political drama.
I have to disagree.

This is the most bipartisan hearing that I have ever witnessed and I’ve seen quite a few. Frankly I was pleasantly surprised on how well everyone got along. imo


Representatives James R. Comer, Republican of Kentucky and the chairman of the committee, and Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the panel, joined several members of the committee in demanding Ms. Cheatle’s resignation.

CNN —
US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle faced off Monday with angry lawmakers from both parties, who grilled her over the stunning security failures that led to the recent assassination attempt against Donald Trump.
(…)
The director also remained defiant in the face of bipartisan calls for her immediate resignation, including from Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee.
 
Just my opinion, however, I think Congress should appoint a panel of retired Secret Service agents who have the knowledge and experience to investigate what happened at the rally and possibly what plans are being made by the Secret Service to do their job going forward.

Also, after seeing the video of Trump being shot, I have to wonder why there wasn't some type of portable bullet proof shield there that could be brought up from behind the banner to protect Trump and the agents. Seriously, bullet proof vests, glass, etc. have been around for decades. Why doesn't the secret service use something like that instead of risking agents lives?

One good improvement I noticed was that most of the Secret Service Agents around Trump were wearing suits the same shade of blue as his suit. Once they surrounded him you couldn't tell where their bodies ended and his began except when he lifted his head to show he was alright. I saw a picture of the Secret Service Agents pushing Ronald Reagan into a car and they were each dressed differently making him more vulnerable.
Great point about the wardrobe! I think the idea is that the agent's bodies are the shield. In any case, once a protectee is in the crosshairs of an assasin they have already failed miserably. When bullets fly it's a catastrophic failure. When people die it's all that and so much more.
To fail on so many levels, with so many points when it could have been averted, but wasn't. So many reasons to not stick Trump onto the stage but they did. And how hard would it have been to stick an agent or local deputy or even a hired security guard on that rooftop. I don't know, the whole thing smells fishy to me, and refusing to share even the most basic facts only adds to the aroma.
 
This is the most bipartisan hearing that I have ever witnessed and I’ve seen quite a few. Frankly I was pleasantly surprised on how well everyone got along.
I agree. That was brutal, there was no shelter for Dir. Cheatle. After the right ripped her, the left ripped her. I'm still wondering if she handed over her phone.
 
At times, Ms. Cheatle seemed less informed than the lawmakers quizzing her. When Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia, asked for a detailed timeline of events, Ms. Cheatle said she did not have one.

“I have a timeline that does not have specifics,” she said, eliciting laughter from the room

  • "It is my firm belief, Director Cheatle, that you should resign," House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) said at the outset of Monday's hearing.
  • Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the top Democrat on the panel, also called for her resignation, saying the Secret Service chief has "lost the confidence of Congress at a very urgent and tender moment in the history of the country."
  • "Director Cheatle, because Donald Trump is alive, and thank God he is, you look incompetent," said Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio). "If Donald Trump had been killed, you would have looked culpable
 
Just my opinion, however, I think Congress should appoint a panel of retired Secret Service agents who have the knowledge and experience to investigate what happened at the rally and possibly what plans are being made by the Secret Service to do their job going forward.

Also, after seeing the video of Trump being shot, I have to wonder why there wasn't some type of portable bullet proof shield there that could be brought up from behind the banner to protect Trump and the agents. Seriously, bullet proof vests, glass, etc. have been around for decades. Why doesn't the secret service use something like that instead of risking agents lives?

One good improvement I noticed was that most of the Secret Service Agents around Trump were wearing suits the same shade of blue as his suit. Once they surrounded him you couldn't tell where their bodies ended and his began except when he lifted his head to show he was alright. I saw a picture of the Secret Service Agents pushing Ronald Reagan into a car and they were each dressed differently making him more vulnerable.
Bbm.

I think that is a great idea !
Omo.
 
The one revelation that upset me the most.... she admitted she planned to attend a conference in Aspen during the Republican Convention. She didn't want to answer the question, she was ask more than once.

Moo...
 

That's pretty serious. It doesn't mention which questions she didn't answer that they thought were important, but I do trust the judgment Rep. Raskin.

I don't doubt there will be a full investigation with transparency, but apparently some are serious about her failure to ask some key questions. Myself I couldn't understand why she couldn't answer the question about the number of shots fired.
 
She stated she was a speaker. I don't see her listed as a speaker nor in the agenda.
 
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“They said they didn’t have the manpower for it, which is crazy,” Trump said he was told of Secret Service resources to ensure the rooftop wasn’t compromised, before later questioning why agents didn’t suggest he delay his appearance at the rally. “Why couldn’t I have stayed off the stage for five minutes?”
 
At times, Ms. Cheatle seemed less informed than the lawmakers quizzing her. When Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia, asked for a detailed timeline of events, Ms. Cheatle said she did not have one.

“I have a timeline that does not have specifics,” she said, eliciting laughter from the room

  • "It is my firm belief, Director Cheatle, that you should resign," House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) said at the outset of Monday's hearing.
  • Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the top Democrat on the panel, also called for her resignation, saying the Secret Service chief has "lost the confidence of Congress at a very urgent and tender moment in the history of the country."
  • "Director Cheatle, because Donald Trump is alive, and thank God he is, you look incompetent," said Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio). "If Donald Trump had been killed, you would have looked culpable

A timeline is how you outline the specifics. Did anyone press further after she said that?
 
A timeline is how you outline the specifics. Did anyone press further after she said that?
At one point, Cheatle’s response about not having a specific timeline of events for the hearing drew exasperated laughter from lawmakers.

“That’s shocking. That is absolutely unacceptable. That means you are a failure at your job,” said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who had been questioning Cheatle.

“Can you explain why you are answering so many fewer questions here than you have to the media?” Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) asked at one point.

“You’re not making this easy for us,” Rep. Shontel Brown (D-Ohio) said at another
 
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