Secret Service Failure To Prevent Trump Shooting Under Scrutiny By Democrats, Republicans: 'We Can't Allow This Violence To Be Normalized'

The U.S. Secret Service is facing the most intense scrutiny in decades after the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump on Saturday.

The event is expected to have vast political consequences for Trump's campaign and is already affecting specific stocks and sectors, including Trump's own Trump Media & Technology Group Corp DJT and companies within the sustainable energy sector, among others.

Both the public and members of the political sphere are raising harsh questions about how an armed gunman was able to gain access to an open shooting position just 130 yards away from the podium where the former president was giving his speech in Butler, Pennsylvania.

On Sunday, President Joe Biden was quick to announce an "independent review" of the Secret Service's actions during the attack. Biden also said he directed Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to review all security measures for the Republican National Convention this week.

"We can't allow this violence to be normalized. The political rhetoric in this country has gotten very heated. It's time to cool it down,” said Biden in a statement. 

Trump is expected to become the official Republican nominee for the 2024 election during the convention.

"We are confident in the security plans that are in place for this event," said Audrey Gibson-Cicchino, Secret Service RNC national coordinator, on Sunday.

Since 1901, the U.S. Secret Service has been responsible for the safety of the president, vice-president, as well former presidents, as main presidential candidates and their families. 

There have been 15 assaults on U.S. presidents or presidential candidates since 1835. Four of them ended the lives of presidents Abraham Lincoln in 1865, James Garfield in 1881, William McKinley in 1901 and John F. Kennedy in 1963.

The main questions now are how Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old suspect who shot Trump, was able to gain access to the building, and why the building was kept off the security perimeter. Crooks was killed by a Secret Service sniper seconds after the first shots were fired.

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Several agencies and government bodies are involved in the investigation, according to CNN.

The FBI is leading the investigation into the assassination attempt itself. The Department of Homeland Security, the Secret Service and Congress are looking into the security flaw that allowed for the assault to happen.

A witness at the scene told the BBC that he saw a man "crawling" on the rooftop of the building with an assault rifle and alerted the authorities minutes before the attack happened.

Republican lawmakers have been especially incisive at raising concerns over the incident and demanding that an investigation is launched.

"The fact that we're hearing that people knew that there was a man on this roof with a gun, and were trying to get police attention while the president was up at the podium is just incredibly cause for concern and, I think, very frustrating for everyone," said Mike Turner, an Ohio Republican who chairs the House Intelligence committee.

Secret Service Director Cheatle has been called to testify before a House committee on July 22.

Now Read:

• Rising Support For Political Violence In Lead-Up To Trump Rally Shooting, Though Authorities Are Still Working To Determine Motive Behind Attempted Assassination

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