US Secret Service admits attack against Trump was its “biggest operational failure” in decades

The director of the United States Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle, admitted before Congress on Monday that the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump represented the agency’s “biggest operational failure” in decades.

In a hearing before a House committee, Cheatle took “full responsibility” for his agency’s “security” lapses and assured that they are cooperating with the ongoing investigation into the attack.

“The attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump on July 13 is the Secret Service’s greatest operational failure in decades,” Cheatley said in his opening statements before the committee. He was called before the committee by Republicans who control the lower house. The Republican opposition has demanded the resignation of Cheatley, who was in charge of the agency in charge of protecting Trump.

The former president was shot in the ear while attending a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13 by a shooter who climbed onto a rooftop about 140 metres from the former president, outside the security perimeter.

Before the shooting, witnesses had warned about the suspicious presence of the attacker, a 20-year-old man whose motive is still unknown and who was shot dead by Secret Service agents seconds later.

During the hearing, Republicans protested Cheatley’s refusal to answer most of their questions, and alleged that there were multiple ongoing investigations with which the Secret Service was cooperating to clarify what went wrong with the operation.