The US Secret Service is under scrutiny after a Senate briefing Wednesday revealed the agency was given information that the man who tried to assassinate Donald Trump was deemed a "threat" 10 minutes before the former president took the stage at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania but allowed Trump to continue anyway.
According to a Fox News interview with Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, the agency responsible for protecting the former president identified the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, as a "character of suspicion” more than an hour before Saturday's shooting which wounded Trump and left one person dead.
"He was identified as a character of suspicion because (he had) a rangefinder as well as a backpack. And this was over an hour before the shooting actually occurred,” said Barrasso.
Barrasso said the stunning Senate briefing by the Secret Service revealed that agents were fully aware of reports regarding Crooks but never acted on the vital information. He said there was no talk of reports that local officers engaged with the shooter before he opened fire.
"So you would think over the course of that hour, you shouldn’t lose sight of the individual," Barrasso continued. "Somebody ought to be following up on those sorts of things. No evidence of that happening at all."
Barrasso also revealed that a top Secret Service agent in charge of securing the rally was talking to police on the phone right as the shooting took place. He is one of a long list of prominent officials calling for the resignation of Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle for the agency's failure to protect the former president from the assassination attempt.
"The American people shouldn't feel comfortable with this," Barrasso said. "This is a total failure (on behalf of) the Secret Service. We need replacement at the top."
Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn, who also took part in the briefing, joined in on the chorus for Cheatle's resignation.
"I am appalled to learn that the Secret Service knew about a threat prior to President Trump walking on stage," Blackburn posted on X. "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."
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