Rep. Ruben Gallego called the incident “a security failure at the highest level, not seen since the attempted assassination of President Reagan.”
In the aftermath of the attempted assassination of former President Trump, there is renewed focus on the role of the Secret Service in protecting candidates on the campaign trail—and many questions about its response to Saturday’s shooting.
While many politicians praised the Secret Service for quickly escorting Trump from the scene after he was shot, several others—along with security experts—have sounded the alarm about the fact that the shooter, whom the FBI has identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was able to reach the rooftop of a nearby building in the first place; from there, he shot at the president and into the crowd, killing one spectator and critically injuring two others. (On Sunday, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro identified the victim as Corey Comperatore, who the governor said was a firefighter and Trump fan who died after diving on top of his wife and daughters to protect them from the gunfire.)
In a letter sent to Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle on Sunday, Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) wrote that the attempted assassination “raises grave concerns regarding the security measures—or lack thereof—that were taken” to protect Trump, and called the incident “a security failure at the highest level, not seen since the attempted assassination of President Reagan.”
Evy Poumpouras, a former Secret Service agent, said on the Today show Sunday that the role of the Secret Service is like “the conductor of the orchestra: They create the blueprint and design for the security plan. They work with state police, they work with local police, and then they put in resources and assets.” She said that while she did not have details about how the Secret Service prepared for the event, “if there was no coverage [at the adjacent building] whatsoever, that’s going to be an issue.”
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Julianne McShane is Mother Jones’ news and engagement writer, focusing on daily news coverage and stories at the intersection of gender and inequity.
