(OPINION) This past weekend we were mere inches away from a radically different America than the one we have today. This was the first time a president had been wounded by a would-be assassin since 1981, and the horrific event has many people questioning the competency and motives of the supposedly elite agents trusted with the president’s life.
The director of the Secret Service apparently knew about the assassin’s rooftop before the shooting—and did nothing.
Kimberly Cheatle has come under intense scrutiny these last couple of weeks, as Secret Service director she is responsible for the president’s well-being, along with all security operations onsite.
In a recent interview with ABC, Cheatle admitted that she was aware of the building where the assassin made his mark on American history.
She even said that she was mindful of the potential risk but decided against securing the site due to “safety concerns” with the slope of the roof. This statement has called her competence into question. Clearly, the rooftop wasn’t that unsafe if the 20-year-old shooter managed to access it.
Glenn pointed out recently that Cheatle seems to be unqualified for the job. Her previous position was senior director in global security at America’s second-favorite soda tycoon, PepsiCo.
While guarding soda pop and potato chips sounds like an important job to some, it doesn’t seem like a position that would qualify you to protect the life of America’s most important and controversial people.
Even considering her lack of appropriate experience, this seems like a major oversight that even a layperson would have seen. Can we really chalk this up to incompetence?
Shortly after the attempted assassination, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees the Secret Service, launched an investigation into the shooting and the security protocols in place at the rally.
The DHS promised full transparency during the investigation, but House Republicans don’t feel that they’ve been living up to that promise.
Republican members of the House Oversight Committee are frustrated with Director Cheatle after she seemingly dodged a meeting scheduled for Tuesday. This has resulted in calls for Cheatle to step down from her position. (READ MORE)
