Watch: Secret Service director grilled over Trump assassination attempt

Holly Patrick
Tuesday 23 July 2024 16:53 BST
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Louise Thomas

Louise Thomas

Editor

Watch as Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle testified at a hearing into security lapses that allowed an attempted assassination of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

Ms Cheatle was grilled before the US House of Representatives Oversight Committee after facing calls for her resignation from top Republicans including House speaker Mike Johnson and Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell.

The former president was wounded in the ear when a gunman opened fire on an outdoor campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on 13 July.

Former fire chief Corey Comperatore, 50, was killed, and another person was injured.

Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, was identified by the FBI as the gunman.

The resident of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, opened fire with a semi-automatic AR-15 rifle while Mr Trump was speaking on stage in the rural town.

A Secret Service sniper shot dead the gunman at the scene.

The House Judiciary Committee said it has evidence that the Secret Service did not have adequate resources for Mr Trump's rally due to staffing shortages created by a rival campaign event in Pittsburgh with first lady Jill Biden and a NATO summit held days before in Washington.

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