Kimberly Cheatle, director of the U.S. Secret Service, on Monday issued her first statement since Saturday’s assassination attempt on President Donald Trump.
Please see the full statement below.
“First, I want to express my heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Corey Comperatore, who was killed in Saturday’s assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, and to those injured in this senseless act of violence.
During the incident, Secret Service agents on the scene acted quickly, with counter-sniper teams neutralizing the shooter and agents implementing protective measures to ensure the safety of former President Donald Trump.
Since the shooting, I have been in constant contact with Pennsylvania Secret Service officials, who have worked to preserve the integrity of the crime scene until the FBI could assume the role of lead investigator into the assassination attempt, and have coordinated with former President Trump’s security forces to brief President Biden on the details of the incident.
The Secret Service is working with all relevant federal, state and local agencies to understand what happened, how it happened, and how we can prevent this from happening again. We understand the importance of the independent investigation announced yesterday by President Biden and will cooperate fully with it. We will also work with the appropriate congressional committees regarding their oversight efforts.
The incident in Pennsylvania has understandably raised questions about possible updates and changes to security for the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. The U.S. Secret Service works with federal, state and local law enforcement and public safety partners to dynamically design National Special Security Event (NSSE) security operations plans to respond to the dynamic security environment and the latest information from our partners.
I am confident in the security plan put in place by the Republican National Committee coordinator and our partners at the Secret Service. We have reviewed and enhanced this plan in the wake of Saturday’s shooting. Our security plan for national special security events is designed with flexibility in mind. As the convention progresses, the Secret Service, in accordance with the President’s direction, will continually adjust our operations as necessary to ensure the highest level of safety and security for conventioneers, volunteers and the City of Milwaukee. In addition to the additional security enhancements we provided to former President Trump’s security in June, we have also made changes to his security since Saturday to ensure his continued protection throughout the convention and the remainder of the campaign trail.
The Secret Service has the great responsibility of protecting the current and former leaders of our democracy. I take this responsibility very seriously and am committed to fulfilling that mission.”
