CNN
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The assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump is the worst security blunder by the US Secret Service in the last 40 years, and it has sparked an ongoing standoff between the Secret Service and local police, with both sides arguing that the Secret Service should have been responsible for securing the building where the shooter was hiding.
This public contradiction is a major departure from the normally close and positive relationship between the Secret Service and local police, and could lead to an erosion of trust and put further strain on security operations.
The Secret Service is responsible for a large number of protected individuals and occasional visiting foreign dignitaries, and handles thousands of trips requiring protection — a huge burden that requires assistance from local law enforcement.
In an interview with ABC News on Monday, Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle said that local police were in the building at the time of the shooting and that their role was to guard the building about 400 to 500 feet away, outside the strict perimeter and within view of the rally stage.
“There was local police in that building. There was local police in that area working the perimeter of the building,” Cheatle said.
A source familiar with the investigation told CNN that snipers had been positioned inside the building, and a local sniper team from Butler County Emergency Services was on the second floor keeping an eye on the crowd at the rally, the source said.
One former Secret Service official disagreed that Cheatle was placing too much responsibility on local police, telling CNN: “The Secret Service is responsible for everything, not just internal lines. They should make sure they cover all of this.”
“Just having an officer in the building doesn’t mitigate the vulnerability of being on high ground,” the former agent said.
Patrick Yoess, national president of the Brotherhood of Police, defended the actions of local, state and federal police officers in a stern statement following Cheatle’s comments.
“Whatever happened at Butler, this is not a failure of the local, state and federal officers on the ground who responded to the shooting at former President Trump. They acted heroically and put their lives on the line to protect all attendees at the event, and we must acknowledge that,” Yoes said. “This is a failure at a management or command level to make up for obvious weaknesses in the security of the event.”
A Secret Service spokesman told CNN on Sunday that the agency did not search the building where suspect Thomas Matthew Crooks lay prone and fired several shots at Trump. The spokesman said that was the responsibility of local police and a routine business decision that should have had someone there. CNN analysis of eyewitness video and the official video feed of Trump’s speech showed that people in the crowd noticed the gunman on the roof about two minutes before the shooting.
Jim Pasco, executive director of the Fraternal Order of Police, which represents the Secret Service’s more than 1,200 officers and agents, stressed that state and local law enforcement are invaluable partners to the Secret Service and that the relationships are built on trust.
“This trust will be undermined by the Secret Service’s thoughtless comments,” Pasco told CNN. “It represents a betrayal by the leadership of the Secret Service of the brave men and women who perform their incredibly skilled and professional duties in the field every day.”
“The Secret Service agents and officers who were on the scene Saturday were heroes,” Pasco said. “They were let down by the management plan.”
A former Secret Service agent told CNN that investigators also need to determine whether the assets and personnel authorized by Secret Service leadership were sufficient, and whether local police failed to maintain the integrity of their areas of responsibility.
“None of that changes the fact that, given the realities of the terrain and line of sight of that event, the perimeter is not wide enough and, in fact, dangerously close from a protection operations standpoint,” the source said.
Pasco also took issue with Cheatle’s delays in answering questions and making public statements.
“The responsibility is mine,” she told ABC News.
“Apparently it took two days for the liability to be cleared,” Pasco told CNN.
The Secret Service categorically denied the accusations that it was attempting to shift the blame, saying in a statement to X on Tuesday night, “Our agency relies on the support of our brave police officers and local partners and we are deeply grateful for their unwavering commitment and courage. Any suggestion otherwise is completely untrue.”
At a press conference late Saturday, where the Secret Service was not present, reporters asked who else besides the Secret Service was providing security for the rally.
“The Secret Service always takes the lead on security for these types of incidents, but we work very closely together afterwards. I hate to say it’s routine, but it’s pretty routine for all of our agencies to work with the Secret Service,” said Lt. Col. George Bivens of the Pennsylvania State Police.
“It really depends on the venue, what information is there and how many resources are devoted to it. We work with the Secret Service to provide what they require, but they are the leaders of security.”
Pennsylvania State Police officials said all assets requested by the Secret Service had been provided.
Timeline of the attack: How the shooting happened
Videos show local police scrambling to chase a crowd of people who say a gunman has climbed onto the roof, and some videos shared on social media show officers running toward the building as bystanders shout instructions to them.
Butler Township police also responded to the shooting and fired shots at the gunman, sources told CNN.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden said he feels safe with the Secret Service and has full confidence in the agency in the wake of the assassination attempt on President Trump.
“I feel safe with the Secret Service,” Biden told NBC’s Lester Holt on Monday. “What we saw was the Secret Service that responded put their lives at risk… They were prepared to give their lives for the president. The question is, should they have anticipated what was going to happen? Should they have done what was necessary to prevent this from happening? That’s the question. That’s an open question.”
Biden also pointed to the role of local police in helping protect the former president on Saturday.
“A big part of this problem has to do with the local police in the country. They play a big role,” the president said. “I’m not saying they’re incompetent. I’m just saying this is a complicated process.”
This story has been updated with additional reporting and response.
CNN’s Justin Lear contributed to this report.
