Bipartisan House lawmakers who visited the site of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump are dismissing excuses from the Secret Service following the incident. Representatives Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.) and Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) expressed concerns about alleged security lapses, while other lawmakers raised questions about the agency's administration and culture.
A bipartisan delegation of House Homeland Security Committee members toured the Butler Farm Show Grounds in Pennsylvania on Monday, where former President Trump survived an assassination attempt last week. The lawmakers scaled the same glass factory building used by Thomas Crooks, the would-be assassin, to get a firsthand account of the incident and assess the security measures in place.
House Dems, GOP Lawmakers Dismiss Secret Service Excuses after Trump Assassination Attempt
Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.) expressed frustration with the Homeland Security department and its subordinate agency, the Secret Service, for its handling of Trump's rally. Gimenez dismissed the Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle's suggestion that the "sloped roof" of the sniper nest prevented it from being properly secured.
"This entire administration is a complete disaster," Gimenez said. "I'm 70 years old, if I was able to get on this roof — anybody can."
House Dems, GOP Lawmakers Dismiss Secret Service Excuses after Trump Assassination Attempt
Gimenez called for Cheatle's resignation, stating that her comments revealed her lack of understanding of the situation. "I could run around on that roof all day long," he said.
Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-MD) and Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) previously raised concerns about alleged security lapses, including the Secret Service's alleged failure to attend a security briefing given to local SWAT and sniper teams before the rally. According to Johnson, local law enforcement also revealed that they were not in frequent communication with Secret Service officers.
House Dems, GOP Lawmakers Dismiss Secret Service Excuses after Trump Assassination Attempt
"After all the failures that I've seen just walking the scene and the cardinal sins that I'm hearing that the Secret Service committed, I would assume this is just another part of this," Gimenez responded.
Gimenez emphasized the importance of thorough security measures and highlighted the concerns expressed by Rep. Elijah Crane (R-Ariz.) about the presence of a water tower that could have been used for countersniping. "From there, you could see everything," Gimenez said. "You would not have any, any line-of-sight issues because you're way above the trees."
House Dems, GOP Lawmakers Dismiss Secret Service Excuses after Trump Assassination Attempt
Crane echoed Gimenez's concerns, stating that "we are being gaslit and lied to."
"The Secret Service got it horribly wrong on July 13," said Rep. Nick LaLota (R-NY). "They were thwarted by a 20-year-old with no military or law enforcement training."
House Dems, GOP Lawmakers Dismiss Secret Service Excuses after Trump Assassination Attempt
LaLota questioned the $3 billion budget and 3,000 employees of the Secret Service, calling it "a horrible embarrassment for the agency." He expressed hope that Director Cheatle would face accountability at a committee hearing in Washington D.C.
"I have questions in three main areas," LaLota said. "One, the tactics of that day, what was involved or not involved with respect to communications? Why didn't we use drones? What were the authorities and communications between state and local, departments and officials and federal ones?"
House Dems, GOP Lawmakers Dismiss Secret Service Excuses after Trump Assassination Attempt
LaLota also raised concerns about the Secret Service's administration and culture, questioning whether DEI priorities were affecting hiring, promotion, and assignment processes, potentially impacting the agency's effectiveness.
"Is DEI infecting the Secret Service to the point where we put the leading candidate for president in 2024 at risk?" LaLota said. "These are the questions that we need to get to the bottom here."
House Dems, GOP Lawmakers Dismiss Secret Service Excuses after Trump Assassination Attempt
The preliminary findings from Sen. Johnson's investigation determined that the Secret Service did not attend the security briefing, that local law enforcement had limited communication with the Secret Service, and that the agency initially did not plan to send snipers to the rally.
The Secret Service has not responded to Fox News Digital's requests for comment.
House Dems, GOP Lawmakers Dismiss Secret Service Excuses after Trump Assassination Attempt
