A Secret Service briefing on Wednesday to senators revealed the agency had identified Matthew Thomas Crooks as a “threat” 10 minutes before former President Donald Trump took the stage and was almost assassinated.
The revelation prompted fresh calls for Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to resign. Cheatle doubled down against resigning in a statement after the briefing. The statement read:
Continuity of operations is paramount during a critical incident and U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has no intentions to step down. She deeply respects members of Congress and is fiercely committed to transparency in leading the Secret Service through the internal investigation and strengthening the agency through lessons learned in these important internal and external reviews.
Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) revealed some of those details in a post after the briefing, which was conducted for all 100 senators via telephone and included Cheatle and FBI Director Christopher Wray. He posted on X:
This was a 100% cover-your-ass briefing. He was identified as being suspicious one hour before the shooting. He had a range finder and a backpack. The Secret Service lost sight of him.
No one has taken responsibility. No one has been held responsible.
Someone has died. The President was almost killed. The head of the Secret Service needs to go.
Fox News’s Aishah Hasnie reported that Barrasso told her the Secret Service had identified Crooks, 20, as a “character of suspicion” because of the range finder as well as a backpack “more than an hour” before the shooting.
She also reported the Secret Service had identified Crooks as a “threat” 10 minutes before Trump walked onstage, but still allowed him to take the stage.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) confirmed parts of that account after the briefing, posting on X:
I just got off a briefing with the Secret Service and FBI. I am appalled to learn that the Secret Service knew about a threat prior to President Trump walking on stage. I have no confidence in the leadership of Director Cheatle and believe it is in the best interest of our nation if she steps down from her position.
According to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Cheatle and Wray took only a “handful” of questions from senators — and none from conservatives. He has also called for her resignation, posting:
After my briefing from the Director of the Secret Service, I am even more certain that she should resign, and if she doesn’t, Joe Biden should fire her. This was a catastrophic failure, and we are not getting the answers we need.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) also called for Cheatle to step down.
“Last week’s near-assassination of former President Trump was a grave attack on American democracy. The nation deserves answers and accountability. New leadership at the Secret Service would be an important step in that direction,” he said in a statement on X after the briefing.
Blackburn — who confronted Cheatle at the Republican National Convention after the briefing — again called again for her resignation on Thursday.
This situation was entirely avoidable. There is no excuse for the tragedy that took place on Saturday evening. Secret Service must be held accountable for this cover up. Director Cheatle must go.
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