Secret Service Knew of Shooter’s Threat, But Failed to Act, Say Senators

As reported by Fox News, the gunman who attempted to assassinate former President Trump on Saturday was identified as suspicious by law enforcement more than an hour before he opened fire. Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) shared this information following a briefing between Senate lawmakers and the U.S. Secret Service.

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“He was identified as a character of suspicion because [he had] a rangefinder as well as a backpack. And this was over an hour before the shooting actually occurred,” Barrasso stated. “So, you would think over the course of that hour, you shouldn’t lose sight of the individual. Somebody ought to be following up on those sorts of things. No evidence of that happening at all.”

According to Fox News, the Secret Service was aware of the threat before Trump walked on stage and narrowly survived the assassination attempt. During the incident, a Secret Service agent responsible for security was on the phone with local and state police about the threat.

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Barrasso noted, “They shut it after just a couple of questions and didn’t get to any of the meat of the matter.”

Calling for accountability, Barrasso urged U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to resign. “The American people shouldn’t feel comfortable with this,” he said. “This is a total failure [on behalf of] the Secret Service. We need replacement at the top.”

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), who also participated in the briefing with the Secret Service and the FBI, expressed her dismay. “I was appalled to learn the Secret Service knew about a threat prior to President Trump walking on stage,” she said. “I have no confidence in the leadership of Director Cheatle and believe it is in the best interest of our nation if she steps down from her position,” Blackburn wrote in a post on X.