Secret Service director says agency will participate in assassination attempt investigation amid questions over procedures

CNN —

In her first public statement since the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle on Monday said the agency will “participate fully” in an independent review ordered by President Joe Biden and also said the agency will work with Congress on “any oversight action.”

Cheatle, who was appointed by Biden in 2022, expressed confidence in the agency’s security plan for this week’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee and said changes have been made to Trump’s security detail since Saturday.

“The Secret Service is tasked with the tremendous responsibility of protecting the current and former leaders of our democracy,” Cheatle said. “It is a responsibility that I take incredibly seriously, and I am committed to fulfilling that mission.”

Questions have swirled about the agency’s preparations in the aftermath of Saturday’s shooting, which wounded the former president, killed an attendee and left two people critically injured. The shooter, identified by authorities as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, also was killed by Secret Service agents at the scene.

Among the concerns and questions is how a sniper was able to obtain rooftop access roughly 150 meters from the former president’s position at the podium at an outdoor rally.

Notably, the shooter’s location was outside the security perimeter, raising questions about both the size of the perimeter and efforts to sweep and secure the American Glass Research building, and how the shooter was able to obtain rooftop access.

A spokesman for the United States Secret Service told CNN the agency did not sweep the building where Crooks shot at Trump but instead leaned on local law enforcement to conduct