Why did the Secret Service not station an agent on the warehouse roof that the gunman used as a sniper’s perch?
Ms. Cheatle was pressed repeatedly on this point. Her most detailed answer was in response to a question from Committee Chairman James Comer, Republican of Kentucky. Ms. Cheatle seemed to indicate that the Secret Service had left the rooftop unmanned on purpose, because, she said, the agency preferred “sterile” — presumably meaning empty — rooftops. Instead, she said, the warehouse rooftop was to receive “overwatch” — meaning law enforcement officers were supposed to watch that rooftop from another, higher perch.
“There was a plan in place to provide overwatch, and we are still looking into responsibilities, and who was going to provide overwatch,” Ms. Cheatle said.
How many Secret Service agents were assigned to protect President Trump in Butler, Pa.?
Ms. Cheatle declined to answer that question, or to say how many officers from other federal law enforcement agencies were on hand to supplement the Secret Service. “We feel that there was a sufficient number of agents assigned,” she told Mr. Comer.
Who decided that the warehouse roof should be outside the Secret Service’s security perimeter for Mr. Trump’s rally?
“I don’t have a specific person to identify for you,” Ms. Cheatle told Rep. Stephen Lynch, Democrat of Massachusetts.
Later, Rep. Michael Cloud, Republican of Texas, pressed Ms. Cheatle to say whether a Secret Service official had given final approval to the security plan for Mr. Trump’s rally. When Mr. Cloud pressed Ms. Cheatle to identify who had final sign-off, Ms. Cheatle said, “It’s a conjunction of personnel.”
In follow-up questions, she said she would not specify further during the hearing.
Why did the Secret Service allow former President Trump to take the stage, despite people in the crowd pointing out a gunman on the warehouse roof?
“If the detail had been passed information that there was a threat, the detail would never have brought the former president out onto stage,” Ms. Cheatle said.
She said that the Secret Service agents around the president had been aware of a suspicious person, but not a threat. "We are currently still combing through communications, and when communications were passed,” Ms. Cheatle said. She indicated to Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, Democrat of Illinois, that the Secret Service had not considered either pausing the rally or removing Mr. Trump from the stage before the shots were fired.
How did Mr. Crooks get his rifle up onto the warehouse roof? Did he leave it there before the rally?
“I do not have that information at this time,” Ms. Cheatle said.
Rep. Andy Biggs, Republican of Arizona, responded with the same frustration as other members of Congress.
“You should have come today ready to give us answers. I call upon you to resign today. Today!” Mr. Biggs told Ms. Cheatle.
What additional security steps did the Secret Service take after the U.S. learned about a potential Iranian plot to kill Mr. Trump
The Iranian threat stemmed from Tehran’s desire to avenge the strike ordered by Mr. Trump in January 2020 that
killed Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, the Iranian security and intelligence commander responsible for the killing of American troops in Iraq. Mr. Turner claimed that Christopher A. Wray, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, was shocked that the Iranian information was not part of the Security Service threat assessment.
Ms. Cheatle said she thought the security in place at Butler was sufficient to deal with the Iranian threat.
“Is an Iranian assassin more capable than a 20-year-old?” Mr. Turner asked, seemingly sarcastically.
On Monday, Kimberly A. Cheatle told a House committee that she could not reveal — or did not know — key details about the attempted assassination of President Trump. Here’s what was missing.
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