'Let’s hire a private army': Chip Roy mocked for calling to defund Secret Service after Trump's shooting

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA: Rep Chip Roy (R-Texas) recently called for the US Secret Service to be defunded.

The comments came following an assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump, which raised concerns about the agency’s ability to protect elected officials.

Rep Chip Roy says Donald Trump is alive because he 'turned his head'

Chip Roy sat with Fox News after attending the funeral of Corey Comperatore, a Pennsylvania firefighter who was killed in the shooting at Donald Trump’s rally near Pittsburgh.

“Right now, the president of the United States — the former president and hopefully soon to be president of the United States Donald Trump — is alive not because of what the Secret Service did, but because he providentially turned his head,” Roy said to the network.

“That’s the truth of the fact and the fact is, the American people are sick of it.” Roy asserted according to The Hill.

“They’re sick of the FBI. They’re sick of the intel community. All of these people keep their jobs and now, the Secret Service endangers the poor president and the sitting Republican nominee and they’re acting like nothing happened," the representative said, taking an aim at the Biden administration.

USSS Director Kimberly Cheatle is set to testify before House Oversight and Accountability Committee 

Chip Roy’s call for defunding the US Secret Service came after 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire at the rally in Butler, killing Comperatore, critically injuring two other attendees, and grazing Donald Trump’s ear with a bullet. Crooks was killed by a countersniper.

The Secret Service faced heavy criticism for perceived security lapses and communication failures.

Director Kimberly Cheatle admitted her agency was “solely responsible” for the protocol on Saturday and mentioned certain “safety factors” considered when police decided to secure the building from inside rather than on the roof.

Cheatle is set to testify before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee on Monday to discuss the security failures that led to Trump’s near-death experience.

Calls for resignation for USSS Director Kimberly Cheatle

Demand for Kimberly Cheatle's resignation has grown, but she has refused to step down.

Roy found it “absolutely unbelievable” that the gunman managed to fly a drone over the rally site hours before the event without the Secret Service noticing, referencing a report by The Wall Street Journal that highlighted the day’s security lapses.

“We have to stop funding it. We have to stop giving these people jobs,” Roy argued. “We have to hold them accountable.”

Roy expanded his criticism beyond the Secret Service, targeting other government agencies.

“It’s not just the Secret Service,” he said. “It’s the Pentagon, the Department of Defense, the FBI, the CIA, DHS.”

Internet mocks Rep Chris Roy's call to defund Secret Service

Chip Roy’s comments have sparked widespread ridicule online about defunding the US Secret Service.

“If they don’t want Trump to have any Secret Service at all just request that,” joked one person on X (formerly Twitter).

“Ah yes, defending the Secret Service will surely keep presidential candidates safe,” mocked another.

“Legislators should be required to be evaluated by a psychiatrist before taking their seats,” commented a user.

Another questioned, “And that’s supposed to help how?”

Some reactions were more sarcastic, with one person quipping, “Yeah, that will be much better protection…”

Another added, “That makes sense. Let’s hire a private army to protect the wannabe dictator.”

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.