Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, who resigned on Tuesday, stated during a congressional hearing the previous day that the service was still investigating who was responsible for overseeing the building used by the shooter targeting Trump.
“What I can tell you is that there was a plan in place to provide overwatch and we are still looking into responsibilities and who was going to provide overwatch,” Cheatle said on Monday to House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY).
Cheatle also told Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), “There was overwatch provided for that rooftop.”
When he asked, “Did overwatch fail?” she responded, “I am waiting to hear what the results of the investigation were so that I can identify where the failures were.
She declined to disclose the identities of those responsible for the overwatch.
“I’m not going to provide their names in this setting,” she said.
Cheatle’s failure to provide answers angered lawmakers from both parties, prompting calls for her resignation. Although she initially resisted during the hearing, she ultimately resigned the following morning.
The Secret Service is responsible for designing the comprehensive security strategy for protectees, typically entrusting specific areas to local law enforcement for events such as campaigns or remote locations. The Secret Service confirmed that it positioned the building from which alleged shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks targeted former President Donald Trump outside its perimeter.
The party responsible for overseeing the building used by the shooter remains unclear. However, reports indicate that personnel from the Butler County Emergency Services Unit (ESU), akin to a SWAT team, were stationed inside the building, including police snipers, as reported by the Beaver Countian.
Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) disclosed initial findings on Sunday suggesting that the Butler County ESU did not encompass the building within its security perimeter.
Yet on Monday, following Cheatle’s testimony, Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) disclosed that whistleblowers informed him that law enforcement personnel had been stationed on the roof that day but had “abandoned their posts due to the heat.” They also mentioned that instead of patrolling the building as planned, law enforcement chose to remain indoors.
NEW – Whistleblowers tell me law enforcement personnel were in fact STATIONED to the roof the day of the Trump rally, but abandoned it, citing the heat. They also say law enforcement were supposed to be patrolling the building, but opted to stay inside instead pic.twitter.com/aIVNSPHUF6
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) July 22, 2024
A former Secret Service agent informed Breitbart News that if local law enforcement were positioned inside the building, they would bear responsibility for securing the entire premises, including the roof.
Senator Johnson’s preliminary findings indicate that a Butler County ESU sniper observed Thomas Matthew Crooks from inside the building at 5:10 p.m. and captured photographs of him by 5:14 p.m. Although Crooks was unarmed, he appeared suspicious to the sniper, who documented the encounter with at least two photos. The report does not specify what actions were taken with those photographs.
According to the findings, at 5:32 p.m., the sniper spotted Crooks again and shortly thereafter alerted other law enforcement snipers via a group text on site. The sniper was then instructed to report the suspect to command.
At 5:41 p.m., the sniper contacted command to report the suspect. By 5:45 p.m., the sniper texted the Beaver ESU Group Command regarding the suspect and instructed them to forward the message to higher command. At 5:59 p.m., a law enforcement operator in Beaver County received confirmation from a Butler County SWAT commander that the messages had been relayed to command, including the Secret Service, and requested further details about the suspect’s whereabouts.
Approximately 13 minutes later, the gunman would commence firing.
