"Significant Security Lapse: Secret Service Faces Criticism as Gunman Obtains Clear Line of Sight on Trump"

An attempt on the life of Donald Trump points to a significant failure by the Secret Service, as a breach of security left the former president vulnerable to gunshots - an event that is likely to leave a lasting mark on a once revered agency that's encountered various scandals as of late.

While there are several unresolved questions surrounding the shooting, the fact that a 20-year-old shooter could climb a rooftop approximately 200 yards from where Trump stood has spurred demands for a thorough investigation of the Secret Service.

Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego, a Senate candidate in Arizona and former Marine, stated: “Those responsible for the sanitary, approval, and implementation of this evidently insufficient security plan must be brought before Congress to account for their actions.”

The imminent official inquiries concerning the shooting, which resulted in one death and an injured Trump, are set to challenge the U.S.' ability to safeguard its dignitaries amidst an era characterized by intense division and widespread firearm availability.

The immediate concerns regarding the attack are likely to place Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle under considerable scrutiny from congressional investigators, coinciding with the FBI's separate investigation into the shooting.

In the aftermath of Saturday’s shooting incident, lawmakers across the political spectrum and law enforcement specialists have highlighted a series of apparent lapses or mistakes that seem to have contributed to the horrifying incident and the near-tragedy of a political disaster.

Thomas Matthew Crooks, identified by the FBI as the gunman, was fatally shot by a Secret Service sniper team following his gunshots from a building overlooking Trump’s rally. His ability to access that rooftop, which gave him a clear shot at Trump, is one of the first areas to be reviewed.

“A clear shooting line should never have been possible for the former president,” said Gallego, an Iraq war veteran, in a statement.

The advantageous position Crooks was able to attain sadly brings to mind one of the most tragic incidents in U.S. political history: the murder of President John F. Kennedy by Lee Harvey Oswald from a 6th-floor spot in the Texas School Book Depository. Despite the fact that it's been over six decades since Kennedy's assassination, the lessons learned have continued to remain pivotal to Secret Service operations and guidelines.

Investigators are expected to interview the agents who carried out the preparatory measures for the Trump rally, worked with local law enforcement in scouting the area, and conversed with the campaign staff. Possible points of exploration include whether rooftop access was considered and if measures to impede such access were suggested.

Numerous witnesses place the distance between the building where the shooter's body was found and the stage at roughly 150 to 250 yards, leading some experts to express astonishment that a roof with an unobstructed view of the stage was not secured.

While appearing on CNN, Army veteran Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) observed that it wouldn't be difficult for someone with high-powered rifle to hit a target from that distance. He said, “This massive security breach, in my opinion, is reflected in the absence of anyone on that building.”

The timing of the Secret Service's reaction and its coordination with local law enforcement is also being criticized by witnesses who claimed they tried to alert the authorities about the situation.

A rally attendee, Greg Smith, described his efforts to alert authorities for about three to four minutes. He lamented, "Why is there not Secret Service on all of these roofs here?" He then followed with, "This is not a big place...Security failure. Utterly a security failure."

As investigation continues into these accounts, it will be crucial to examine local and state police radio traffic, as well as the Secret Service's. Queries being raised include the length of delay from when the news first broke to when it reached the agents and if a communication breakdown occurred.

The most recent high-profile situation that drew such considerable scrutiny to the handling of the Secret Service was after the Jan. 6, 2021 incident when a security sweep missed a pipe bomb placed outside the Democratic National Committee headquarters as then Vice President-elect Kamala Harris arrived. Following the attack, the agency drew bipartisan contempt after congressional investigators found that dozens of higher-up officers’ and agents' phones had in the weeks following been wiped.

Trump's Secret Service detail is also being questioned whether they moved promptly enough to secure him and if they followed protocol. After the initial shooting, agents quickly shielded Trump behind what experts believe to be a ballistic barrier in line with the Service's longstanding "cover and evacuate" protocol. However, in the process of moving Trump to safety, they exposed his chest and body to the crowd twice, which could be a mistake considering the potential presence of multiple shooters.

Social media is currently rife with speculation regarding the shooter's motive, and Trump's allies have quickly suggested a connection between Biden's rhetoric and the Saturday's violence. However, no public evidence has yet emerged to shed light on the reason behind the attack.

In a White House appearance, Biden said: “We don’t yet have any information about the motive of the shooter. I urge everyone — everyone, please: Don’t make assumptions about his motives or affiliations. Let the FBI do their job.”

FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate, however, hinted that the scope of the investigation would be wide-ranging, including looking at all events leading up to the assassination attempt. Biden also mentioned an "independent review of the national security at yesterday's rally to assess exactly what happened," but details of this review are as yet undetermined.

Concerns have also arisen from some right-wing quarters that increased security measures were requested by the Trump campaign in the past months but were denied by the Secret Service. Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi has strongly denied these allegations.

Anna Muller for TROIB News