Last night’s assassination was the first shooting of a US president or candidate of a major party since the assassination attempt on Republican President Ronald Reagan in 1981.
NBC has spoken to Steve Nottingham, a former police officer who was responsible for the security of several world leaders. He points to several security deficiencies at Saturday’s campaign meeting, both during the preparations and at the time the meeting was held.
– They should have covered those places in advance, he says.
Several security experts NBC has spoken with call the assassination of Trump the biggest security breach since Reagan.
Jim Cavanaugh, a retired special agent who worked in the Secret Service, says he is surprised the shooter was able to get to a spot with an unobstructed view of the podium where Trump was speaking.
– There must not be anyone walking on a roof. All elevated places must be secured, he tells NBC.
Then man on the roof
Trump supporter Ron Moose, who attended the campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday where Trump was shot in the ear, said he heard regarding four shots.
– I saw the audience bow down, and then Trump also appeared quickly. Then the Secret Service rushed in and protected him as soon as they might. We’re only talking regarding a second before they all protected him, he said.
On the other hand, it is stated that it took 22 seconds from the time the shots were fired until the Secret Service went up to the podium where Trump was standing.
A man who described himself as an eyewitness told the BBC he saw a man armed with a rifle crawling onto the roof near the meeting. He said that he and those he was with started pointing at the man and that they tried to alert the security guard.
Shortly following, five shots were heard, according to the witness, who adds that the man was up on the roof for several minutes.
The shots appeared to come from an area outside the one secured by the Secret Service.
The assassination occurred less than four months before the Nov. 5 election, in which Trump faces a runoff with President Joe Biden. Most opinion polls show a close race between the two.
Summoned for a hearing
At a press briefing late Saturday night, FBI officials said it was surprising that the suspect fired multiple shots.
The Secret Service had no representative at the briefing, where the FBI and state law enforcement officials briefed. The FBI is now leading the investigation into the attack.
Just hours following the attack, the House Oversight Committee summoned Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to a July 22 hearing.
– Americans demand answers regarding the assassination attempt on President Trump, said a statement from the committee.
Condemns the violence
Both leading Republicans and Democrats quickly condemned the violence.
– There is no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as a nation to condemn it, Biden said in a statement.
Trump will receive his party’s formal nomination when the Republican Party holds its national convention. It starts in Milwaukee on Monday.
– This horrific act of political violence at a peaceful election campaign meeting has no place in this country, and should be condemned unanimously and forcefully, writes House of Representatives Majority Leader, Republican Mike Johnson on social media.
“Political violence has no place in the United States,” says Senate Majority Leader, Democrat Chuck Schumer.
Some of Trump’s Republican allies believe the attack is politically motivated.
– For several weeks, statements from the leaders of the Democrats have led to a ridiculous hysteria that if Donald Trump wins, it will be the end of democracy in America, says congressman Steve Scalise, who survived a politically motivated assassination in 2017.
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2024-07-15 19:54:42
