US Secret Service agents suspended in investigation of Trump shooting, reports say
US Secret Service agents have been suspended following an investigation into an "operational failure" that occurred in Butler, Pennsylvania, where an assassination attempt on Donald Trump nearly took place. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
The US Secret Service is facing criticism for its inability to protect Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump during a recent threat to his safety.
An investigation into an "operational failure" that nearly resulted in Trump’s death last month has led to the suspension of a regional director and several agents. The incident occurred on July 13 when Trump was delivering a speech at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. An assailant opened fire from a nearby rooftop, resulting in one audience member's death and seriously injuring two others. Trump narrowly escaped injury, only being grazed as he turned his head at the last moment.
On Friday, CBS News reported that the Secret Service had placed multiple agents, including the Pittsburgh field office director, on leave, according to an anonymous source familiar with the situation. Anthony Guglielmi, a spokesman for the Secret Service, refrained from confirming or denying the report, stating that the “mission assurance review is progressing.”
Following this report, Missouri Senator Josh Hawley, a Republican, sent a letter to Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe, claiming that a whistleblower had contradicted Rowe's sworn testimony to Congress. The whistleblower alleged that “officials at Secret Service headquarters encouraged agents in charge of the trip not to request any additional security assets in its formal manpower request–effectively denying these assets through informal means.” However, Rowe had stated to Congress that no assets were denied.
In his letter, Hawley demanded an explanation for the "apparent contradiction," emphasizing that the agency's decision to place some field agents on leave was insufficient.
The Secret Service and the FBI reported that 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks was able to reach the rooftop overlooking Trump's rally with a rifle, firing at least eight shots before being subdued by a USSS counter-sniper. Kimberly Cheatle, who was leading the Secret Service at the time, informed reporters that the rooftop was outside the established security perimeter, and agents were not stationed there due to safety concerns about the slope of the roof. She resigned ten days after the incident.
The FBI, which continues to investigate the assassination attempt, has not disclosed any findings regarding Crooks or his motives. Congressman Clay Higgins, a Louisiana Republican, has accused the bureau of effectively covering up details surrounding the shooting and destroying evidence. Higgins stated that the FBI “released the crime scene” just three days after the event, cleaned up blood and other “biological evidence” from the roof, and permitted Crooks’ family to cremate him on July 23, which obstructed any verification of pending autopsy results as of August 5.
Lucas Dupont contributed to this report for TROIB News
An investigation into an "operational failure" that nearly resulted in Trump’s death last month has led to the suspension of a regional director and several agents. The incident occurred on July 13 when Trump was delivering a speech at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. An assailant opened fire from a nearby rooftop, resulting in one audience member's death and seriously injuring two others. Trump narrowly escaped injury, only being grazed as he turned his head at the last moment.
On Friday, CBS News reported that the Secret Service had placed multiple agents, including the Pittsburgh field office director, on leave, according to an anonymous source familiar with the situation. Anthony Guglielmi, a spokesman for the Secret Service, refrained from confirming or denying the report, stating that the “mission assurance review is progressing.”
Following this report, Missouri Senator Josh Hawley, a Republican, sent a letter to Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe, claiming that a whistleblower had contradicted Rowe's sworn testimony to Congress. The whistleblower alleged that “officials at Secret Service headquarters encouraged agents in charge of the trip not to request any additional security assets in its formal manpower request–effectively denying these assets through informal means.” However, Rowe had stated to Congress that no assets were denied.
In his letter, Hawley demanded an explanation for the "apparent contradiction," emphasizing that the agency's decision to place some field agents on leave was insufficient.
The Secret Service and the FBI reported that 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks was able to reach the rooftop overlooking Trump's rally with a rifle, firing at least eight shots before being subdued by a USSS counter-sniper. Kimberly Cheatle, who was leading the Secret Service at the time, informed reporters that the rooftop was outside the established security perimeter, and agents were not stationed there due to safety concerns about the slope of the roof. She resigned ten days after the incident.
The FBI, which continues to investigate the assassination attempt, has not disclosed any findings regarding Crooks or his motives. Congressman Clay Higgins, a Louisiana Republican, has accused the bureau of effectively covering up details surrounding the shooting and destroying evidence. Higgins stated that the FBI “released the crime scene” just three days after the event, cleaned up blood and other “biological evidence” from the roof, and permitted Crooks’ family to cremate him on July 23, which obstructed any verification of pending autopsy results as of August 5.
Lucas Dupont contributed to this report for TROIB News
