Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa has thrown down the gauntlet against the Secret Service, declaring them responsible for the debacle surrounding a recent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. As a member of the bipartisan investigation looking into this serious breach of security, Grassley has wasted no time in putting the agency on blast for their failure to protect one of America’s most beloved political figures.
After an assailant managed to fire a shot at Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, former Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle tried to deflect the blame onto local law enforcement. She claimed that the local authorities were the ones responsible for securing the rally’s perimeter. However, new evidence—much to the chagrin of Cheatle—has surfaced, leading Grassley to imply that the Secret Service may have serious egg on their face for their lackluster performance.
BREAKING: Grassley's Shocking Revelation Raises Serious Questions About First Attempt On Trump's Life https://t.co/VWMWispFQS
— 🇺🇸BamaFan 🐘🏈 (@clark6271) September 18, 2024
Grassley’s investigation pointed a finger squarely at the Secret Service in a letter dispatched to acting director Robert Rowe. The senator recalls local law enforcement officials expressing their concerns during a security walkthrough, only to be met with some rather cavalier responses from the Secret Service agents, who confidently assured them they would handle it. One might wonder if those agents were busy re-watching their favorite superhero movies instead of focusing on actual security protocols.
The aftermath of the shooting was grim, with Trump narrowly escaping injury and a rallygoer tragically killed. Grassley is now demanding answers from Rowe about whether these new facts hold water and what exactly the Secret Service did—or didn’t do—to prevent this mess. Rowe’s previous defense, which suggested that local authorities had it covered, has been challenged by Grassley, asserting that the boots on the ground had a vastly different experience.
In what could be described as the “Most Effective Game of Telephone,” it was also revealed that a communication breakdown allowed the shooter to act while response teams lagged behind by a full 30 seconds. Meanwhile, a local officer now finds himself under investigation for backing away from the shooter just moments before bullets began to fly. The ineptitude doesn’t stop there; it turns out the Secret Service’s technology is stuck in the Stone Age, raising an eyebrow over why drones weren’t in the air monitoring the rally site.
Grassley has been kept busy with other threats against Trump as well, including an alarming alleged plot orchestrated by Iranian forces and another man recently apprehended near Trump’s golf outing in Florida. As Grassley strives to keep the pressure on federal agencies, it’s becoming increasingly clear that not only is he protecting Trump, but he’s also tackling what seems to be a systemic issue of incompetence within the Secret Service. When the stakes are this high, one can only hope that word gets out to upgrade their security game before the next rally.