OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
After the federal protection agency claimed that local police were required to have secured the building and rooftop used by the 20-year-old shooter who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump on Saturday, the head of the Fraternal Order of Police ripped into the U.S. Secret Service.
The group’s president, Patrick Yoes, also said that the Secret Service’s primary function is to protect Trump wherever he is, including the Butler, Pa., venue where he was nearly killed.
Yoes made his remarks after the agency’s director, Kimberly Cheatle, doubled down on her agency’s claim that local police were supposed to secure that building.
“All of us want answers,” Yoes said in a statement, noting remarks by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas that the failure in security nearly resulted in Trump losing his life. “All of us in law enforcement can agree that the roof of the building should have been secured by law enforcement. It clearly was not.”
Fox News adds:
The Secret Service has come under fire after it was revealed the alleged shooter was able to obtain an elevated shooting position just outside the security perimeter of the rally. Yoes noted that the agency relies on the support and assistance of local authorities for such events.
“Suggestions made in the media that suggest local agencies should play no role in assisting the USSS at events like that one in Butler simply do not know what they are talking about,” he said.
Yoes said the Secret Service will begin relying more on local police agencies as the election nears.
“Yet, in the wake of some of the anonymous comments from unknown officials, State and local agencies may wonder if they can rely on the Secret Service,” he said. “I am concerned that anonymous statements or media speculation could have a chilling effect on the ability of Federal, State and local law enforcement to work together through what will certainly be a grueling campaign.”
For her part, Cheatle has vowed to remain USSS director in spite of growing calls for her to resign, especially over her previous statements to use Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) standards to ensure that at least 30 percent of the force is comprised of women.
The shooter, whose name will not be mentioned here, was shot and killed by Secret Service counter-sniper teams within seconds after firing on Trump. One person was killed in the incident and two others were wounded but are in stable condition.
Trump opened up about the assassination attempt on his life, calling it a “surreal” experience that nearly ended in tragedy.
As he prepared to travel to Milwaukee, Wis., on Monday to attend the Republican National Convention, which lasts until Thursday, Trump told the New York Post that divine intervention is the only reason he’s alive.
“The doctor at the hospital said he never saw anything like this. He called it a miracle,” Trump told the outlet.
“I’m not supposed to be here. I’m supposed to be dead,” the former president added. “I’m supposed to be dead.”
Trump also discussed some confusion about his shoes. Video of the immediate aftermath of the unsuccessful attack showed agents attempting to rush him off the stage to safety while he said, “Wait, I want to get my shoes.”
“The agents hit me so hard that my shoes fell off, and my shoes are tight,” Trump explained before going on to praise the agents in his detail.
“They took him out with one shot right between the eyes,” he said. “They did a fantastic job. It’s surreal for all of us.”
He talked about the image of him raising his fist and shouting “Fight” three times as the agents attempted to quickly move him off-stage after a bullet nicked his right ear and blood could be seen on his face.
“A lot of people say it’s the most iconic photo they’ve ever seen,” Trump told the NYP. “They’re right and I didn’t die. Usually, you have to die to have an iconic picture.”
