Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has no intention to resign, citing the need for a “continuity of operations,” that allowed former President Donald Trump’s would-be assassin to slip through the cracks.
“Continuity of operations is paramount during a critical incident and U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has no intentions to step down,” Secret Service Spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement Wednesday.
Guglielmi has been peddling the statement to various outlets, including The New York Times, The Hill, and Fox News. But he neglected to explain why it is so vital to continue the operations, which left gaping holes in security at Trump’s Butler, Pennsylvania, rally July 13. There, a shooter wounded the former president and two attendees, killing father and firefighter Corey Comperatore.
If the current operations leave Trump and other candidates vulnerable, it is unclear why they should continue without substantial changes.
Negligent Security
Security at Trump’s Butler rally raised far more questions than the Secret Service has answered.
Democrats had been pushing to strip Trump’s Secret Service protection months before the assassination attempt. His security detail had been asking for increased resources for weeks, only to be denied by the Department of Homeland Security. Guglielmi claimed this was false.
The DHS also denied Secret Service protection to Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. until the attempt on Trump’s life.
During the Butler rally, the Secret Service reportedly drew resources from Trump’s already-limited security team in order to staff a nearby Jill Biden event. Guglielmi denied this also.
Officials
