Former President Trump discussed his conversation with Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle during an interview with Fox News’ Jesse Watters on Monday night. Trump remarked that Cheatle was very nice, but criticized the lack of security measures that allowed a gunman to access a roof and open fire during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
“She came to see me, and it went very nicely. She was very nice, I thought. But, you know, somebody should have made sure there was nobody on that roof,” Trump said. “The roof had a direct line of sight to the stage. They said they didn’t have the manpower to secure it, which is crazy. They mentioned that 130 yards is like sinking a one-foot putt—it’s considered really close.”
Trump elaborated on the vulnerability, explaining, “It sounds like a lot, but it’s actually very close from that standpoint. I was surprised by that. They said even a bad shot would likely hit the target. Someone should have been there. It was essentially a flat roof,” he added. “Cheatle mentioned a sloped roof, like on a barn, but this roof only had a slight incline, a few degrees. It was basically flat.”
Trump questioned the information Cheatle received about the roof’s slope. “I thought she was very nice, but you have to ask why I couldn’t stay off the stage for five minutes while they secured the area,” he continued. “How does a situation happen where a roof that’s plainly in sight from the location where I was speaking is not secured? Why didn’t someone see that?”
(FOX)