Donald Trump Jr calls Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle's explanation about sloped roof 'dumbest excuse'
WASHINGTON, DC: Donald Trump Jr, the eldest son of Donald Trump, has publicly criticized the Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle's explanation regarding the security measures during the recent shooting incident at a rally in Pennsylvania.
The gunman, identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, allegedly climbed a building adjacent to where Trump was speaking and fired shots and a bullet grazed the former president's ears.
One event attendee was killed and two others were critically injured in the shooting. Authorities fatally shot Crooks at the rally on July 13.
Donald Trump Jr dismisses Kimberly Cheatle's 'nonsense' explanation
On Tuesday, July 16, Trump Jr appeared on Fox News with Sean Hannity from the Republican National Convention (RNC) and addressed the aftermath of his father Trump's attempted assassination.
He labeled the Secret Service director's concerns about the sloped roof, which the shooter used, as "nonsense."
Kimberly Cheatle explained on Tuesday, July 16, that the sloped roof used by the gunman had safety factor considerations. Consequently, agents were positioned inside the building rather than on the roof.
She emphasized that this decision was based on safety protocols.
Contesting Cheatle's explanation, Trump Jr asserted that the Secret Service agents he knows are not worried about a sloped roof.
“I can assure you … these are, especially the guys that I’ve known and they’re some of them will be lifelong friends, they’re not worried about a five-degree pitch on a sloped roof,” he stated.
“Like, that’s nonsense. That’s not an excuse. It’s the dumbest excuse,” Trump Jr added, criticizning locations of other agents during the shooting.
Security concerns and calls for Kimberly Cheatle's resignation
Following the horrifying shooting, concerns about the level of security at the event have intensified, prompting calls for Cheatle's resignation. However, she has rejected these calls.
To bolster his argument, Trump Jr pointed to the video clip of the rally that emerged, indicating that rally attendees noticed the shooter on the roof before he fired shots.
On Saturday, July 13, the Republican presidential candidate's son stated that his father was in “great spirits” after the shooting and he would “never stop fighting to save America.”
At the Republic Nation Convention that marked Donald Trump's first public appearance since the incident at the rally, he appeared with a bandage over his right ear.
Speaking about the shooting, Trump Jr said, “You know, the fact that he turned his head at that moment … I’m not an overly spiritual guy, right. But that is divine intervention," according to The Hill.
