The Republican National Convention has been a great event so far with everyone coming together in unity behind former President Donald Trump and Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) for the Republican ticket. There have been fun and inspiring moments, including Trump’s emotional entry into the hall just two days after Saturday’s assassination attempt.
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The things that have come out about the shooter and what the Secret Service knew — and when they knew it — have infuriated Americans. The latest news is that the Secret Service had Thomas Matthew Crooks, the shooter, on their radar and were aware he was a threat at least ten minutes before Trump walked out on the stage — but they still let the former president walk out. That was on top of the news that law enforcement had been aware of Crooks for some time beforehand. Local law enforcement took pictures of him by 5:45, 26 minutes before the shooting. And they had even taken another photo of him an hour earlier than that.
Yet nothing was done to stop him.
The Secret Service director earned a lot of mockery on X after she claimed that the roof that Crooks was on was “sloped,” claiming that could have been a reason not to put an agent on it because of the “safety factor.”
The Secret Service held a “briefing” on Wednesday but then reportedly only answered four questions. They did not respond to the mountain of demands asking what was going on here.
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So that further inflamed people, as Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) noted.
So when the Secret Service Director Kim Cheatle showed up at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday, senators wanted answers. I’m not sure why Cheatle was there, but Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and other senators waylaid her and peppered her with questions, demanding to know why the Secret Service wasn’t providing answers. Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) told her point blank he had called for her resignation. “Resignation or full explanation to us right now!” Barasso demanded.
I think she said that that wasn’t the place to talk, and Barasso said they could find a place. She said she had to go, and then they said they were going with her. Then they followed her through the hall, continuing to pepper her, “No shame, no concern!” “You answer to us!” “This was an assassination attempt! You owe the people answers!” “You owe President Trump answers!” They were all furious and chased her down the hall until they rushed her into a room, and she shut the door on them.
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Here’s another angle:
They are demanding her resignation and have issued a subpoena for her appearance at a congressional hearing. We’ll have to wait to see if she shows up.
READ MORE: House Oversight Chair Issues Subpoena for Secret Service Director to Appear for Briefing on Shooting