13.52°C Vancouver

Jul 22, 2024 6:25 PM - The Associated Press

Secret Service director says Trump assassination attempt was biggest agency 'failure' in decades

Share On
secret-service-director-says-trump-assassination-attempt-was-biggest-agency-failure-in-decades
TheSecret Servicehas acknowledged it denied some requests by Trump's campaign for increased security at his events in the years before theassassination attempt.(Photo: The Canadian Press)

The director of the Secret Service says the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump was the agency's “most significant operational failure” in decades.

Director Kimberly Cheatle told lawmakers Monday during a congressional hearing: “On July 13, we failed." Cheatle says she takes full responsibility for the agency's missteps related to the attack at Trump’s Pennsylvana rally earlier this month.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

WASHINGTON (AP) —The Secret Service directoris set to testify Monday before a congressional committee as calls mount for her to resign over security failures at a rally where a 20-year-old gunmanattempted to assassinateformer PresidentDonald Trump.

The House Oversight Committee hearing will be Kimberly Cheatle's first appearance before lawmakers since the July 13 Pennsylvania rally shooting that left one spectator dead. Trump was wounded in the ear and two other attendees were injured after Thomas Matthew Crooks climbed atop the roof of a nearby building and opened fire.

Lawmakers have been expressing anger over how thegunman could get so closeto the Republican presidential nominee when he was supposed to be carefully guarded. TheSecret Servicehas acknowledged it denied some requests by Trump's campaign for increased security at his events in the years before theassassination attempt.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has called what happened a “failure” while several lawmakers have called on Cheatle to resign or forPresident Joe Bidento fire her. The Secret Service has said Cheatle does not intend to step down. So far, she retains the support of Biden, a Democrat, and Mayorkas.

Before the shooting, local law enforcement had noticed Crooks pacing around the edges of the rally, peering into the lens of a rangefinder toward the rooftops behind the stage where the president later stood, officials have told The Associated Press. An image of Crooks was circulated by officers stationed outside the security perimeter.

Witnesses later saw him climbing up the side of a squat manufacturing building that was within 135 meters (157 yards) from the stage. He then set up his AR-style rifle and lay on the rooftop, a detonator in his pocket to set off crude explosive devices that were stashed in his car parked nearby.

The attack on Trump was the most serious attempt to assassinate a president or presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981. It was the latest in a series of security lapses by the agency that has drawn investigations and public scrutiny over the years.

Authorities have been hunting for clues into what motivated Crooks, but so far have not found any ideological bent that could help explain his actions. Investigators who searched his phonefound photos of Trump, Biden and other senior government officials, and also found that he had looked up the dates for the Democratic National Conventional as well as Trump’s appearances. He also searched for information about major depressive order.

Latest news

saskatchewan-apologizes-to-former-students-of-boarding-school
BCSep 29, 2025

Saskatchewan apologizes to former students of boarding school

The Saskatchewan government is officially saying sorry to survivors and families for its role in the historical abuse and trauma that occurred at a boarding school for Metis and First Nations children. Premier Scott Moe says the province has also agreed to pay $40 million to former students of the Ile-a-la-Crosse Boarding School and their families. The school, northwest of Saskatoon, operated from the 1820s until it burned down in the 1970s. School survivors have said they were banned from speaking their language and were frequently beaten if they did, resulting in the loss of their
vancouver-whitecaps-and-vancouver-fc-face-off-in-the-canadian-championship-final
BCSep 29, 2025

Vancouver Whitecaps and Vancouver FC face-off in the Canadian championship final

The Vancouver Whitecaps will face Vancouver FC in the TELUS Canadian Championship final, this Wednesday, October 1 at 7 p.m. at BC Place Stadium. The Vancouver Whitecaps team recently won the Cascadia Cup for the 8th time, setting a record. The Whitecaps will now be eyeing a fourth consecutive Canadian championship title. The Vancouver Whitecaps won the semi-finals against Forge FC by an aggregate score of 6-2 in the two matches and the team enters the final with strong momentum. Vancouver FC in a huddle during a match of Canadian championship. (Photo - Vancouver FC)However, Vancouver FC from
charger-fails-to-dodge-richmond-rcmp-for-second-time
BCSep 29, 2025

Charger fails to dodge Richmond RCMP for second time

Richmond RCMP Road Safety Unit impounds vehicle a second time as it fails to dodge police enforcement. On September 20, 2025, officers from the Richmond RCMP Road Safety Unit (RSU) were conducting targeted enforcement in east Richmond when an RSU officer stopped a vehicle driving 99km/hr in a 50km/h zone. The vehicle was impounded for excessive speed, and the driver received a violation ticket in the amount of $368, plus the additional cost of towing, impound, and driver premium points. Of note, the officer recalled stopping the exact same vehicle almost exactly one year ago for speeding on Hw
jobs-minister-urges-canada-post-to-table-new-offer-to-striking-union
CanadaSep 29, 2025

Jobs minister urges Canada Post to table new offer to striking union

Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu is urging Canada Post to quickly table an offer to the union of striking postal workers. The Canadian Union of Postal Workers took to the picket lines Thursday after Ottawa announced sweeping changes to the Crown corporation's operations to address its troubled financial situation. Those changes include ending daily mail delivery and moving almost all Canadian households to community mailboxes, moves the union calls a direct attack on workers. In an interview today, Hajdu did not rule out federal intervention to end the latest strike but also said Canada Post needs to
BCSep 29, 2025

One man dead and one injured in serious crash

Police are investigating after a two-vehicle collision claimed the life of one driver and seriously injured another Saturday afternoon. On September 27, 2025 at 1:30 p.m., the Oceanside RCMP received a report of a serious two-vehicle crash on Highway 4 near Cameron Lake. An eastbound Honda Civic appeared to have lost control on a series of curves where it impacted with a westbound Chevy Impala. The Civic subsequently became engulfed in flames and the sole occupant died at the scene. The driver of the Impala, a 70-year-old Alberta man, was extricated and taken to hospital with serious, potentia

Related News