In light of Saturday evening’s events, where Trump narrowly escaped assassination, questions have been raised about security vulnerabilities that should have never been left in place.
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle posted a statement on Monday morning addressing the shooting and vowing to strengthen the security plan for the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee in the wake of the assassination attempt.
The incident in Pennsylvania has understandably led to questions about potential updates or changes to the security for the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. The U.S. Secret Service, in conjunction with our Federal, state and local law enforcement and public safety partners, designs operational security plans for National Special Security Events (NSSE) to be dynamic in order to respond to a kinetic security environment and the most up-to-date intelligence from our partners.
I am confident in the security plan our Secret Service RNC coordinator and our partners have put in place, which we have reviewed and strengthened in the wake of Saturday’s shooting. The security plans for National Special Security Events are designed to be flexible. As the conventions progress, and in accordance with the direction of the President, the Secret Service will continuously adapt our operations as necessary in order to ensure the highest level of safety and security for convention attendees, volunteers and the City of Milwaukee. In addition to the additional security enhancements we provided former President Trump’s detail in June, we have also implemented changes to his security detail since Saturday to ensure his continued protection for the convention and the remainder of the campaign. [Emphasis added]
On Sunday the New York Post reported:
The Secret Service will make no changes to security at the Republican National Convention in the aftermath of an assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump, the agency said Sunday.
“We are confident in the plans that we have and are moving forward with those plans,” Audrey Gibson-Cicchino, the Secret Service’s RNC convention coordinator, told reporters.
Based on Cheatle’s statement, it appears the Secret Service decided some changes were in order.
The announcement comes as members of Congress plan to launch an investigation into the security failures that nearly led to Trump being assassinated.
Related: We Now Know Why Secret Service Resources Were Redirected From Trump Rally
“Congress will do a full investigation of the tragedy yesterday to determine where there were lapses in security and anything else that the American people need to know and deserve to know,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Sunday. “But in the meantime, we’ve got to turn the rhetoric down. We’ve got to turn the temperature down in this country.”
