Secret Service’s “Greatest Failure”：Acknowledging Trump’s Assassination

According to a New York Times report on the 22nd, U.S. Secret Service Director Crittle, who became the focus of criticism following the attempted assassination of Trump, attended a hearing of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee (hereinafter referred to as the Committee) that day. During the four-and-a-half-hour questioning, Crittle, the second female director in the history of the Secret Service, dodged nearly every question posed by the congressmen. On the 23rd, it was revealed that Crittle had resigned from her position as director of the Secret Service.

The New York Times reported that Crittle’s task at the hearing was to explain “the largest operational failure of the Secret Service in decades.” However, she not only failed to address the external doubts and criticisms but also actively avoided them from the beginning of the meeting. According to Fox News, Crittle refused to answer basic questions about the attempted assassination of Trump throughout the hearing. For example, when Committee Republican Chairman Comer asked if she could explain “why agents were not deployed on the rooftop,” Crittle replied, “I cannot.” She refused to disclose how many agents were protecting Trump on July 13th or who decided to exclude the rooftop from the security perimeter. Crittle also did not inform Committee members why Secret Service agents “only learned at the last second that someone in the crowd had spotted a gunman on the rooftop.” During the hearing, Crittle sometimes seemed to know less than the congressmen questioning her. When Republican Representative Greene asked her to provide a detailed timeline of the event, Crittle said she did not have one, which elicited laughter from the room.

The latest reports indicate that Crittle frequently used the same response when answering questions: she was waiting for a report and did not want to say anything “that might be inaccurate.” She also refused to answer “minor questions,” such as “how many shots were fired” and “how did the gunman Crooks get the rifle onto the rooftop.” She stated that these “minor questions” should be directed to the FBI, which is in charge of the criminal investigation of the case. Crittle even refused to answer questions about herself, such as when asked how long she had prepared for the hearing, she replied, “I am not sure of the date when I received the letter requesting me to come.” Republican Representative McClain sarcastically responded, “What are you sure of? Are you sure of your hair color? Are you sure of your suit color?”

The New York Times reported that, typically, members of the president’s party might ask simple questions to support the presidential appointee during a hearing. However, by the end of this hearing, the Democrats’ criticism of Crittle was nearly as severe as that of the Republicans. During the hearing, 15 bipartisan congressmen believed that Crittle should resign or be dismissed. Committee Democratic Chairman Raskin stated, “I did not see any disagreement between the two parties during today’s hearing.” He said, “At such a critical and sensitive moment in American history, Director Crittle has lost the trust of Congress.” Comer also stated, “I firmly believe Director Crittle should resign. The Secret Service, with thousands of employees and a large budget, has now become synonymous with ‘incompetence.'” In response to the accusations, Crittle acknowledged that “the attempted assassination of former President Trump was the most significant failure in the Secret Service’s work in decades” and stated she would take responsibility, but also claimed she had no intention of resigning, believing she was “the best person to lead the agency during its rigorous scrutiny.” However, according to an AP report on the 23rd, Crittle announced her resignation as director of the Secret Service in an email to Secret Service employees that day.

As Crittle was being questioned, more details about the attempted assassination surfaced. According to a report by Russia’s Sputnik News Agency on the 23rd, Republican Senator Hawley wrote to Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas on the 22nd stating, “Contrary to Director Crittle’s public statements about the ‘safety’ of the slanted rooftop, a whistleblower directly familiar with the Secret Service’s security plan revealed that law enforcement personnel were supposed to be stationed on that rooftop that day.” The whistleblower also disclosed that during the rally, at least one security officer was supposed to be deployed on that rooftop, but “due to the hot weather, this security officer abandoned their post.”

Fox News reported on the 22nd that a group of House Homeland Security Committee members inspected the incident site. Committee Republican Representative Gimenez refuted Crittle’s earlier claim that “security measures could not be taken on the rooftop where gunman Crooks was located.” He stated, “I am 70 years old, but I can run on that rooftop all day. She should resign because she clearly does not know what she is talking about.” Republican Representative Greene, who also inspected the site, said local Pennsylvania police stated they were not allowed into the Secret Service command center on the 13th, a typical example of poor communication between local and federal law enforcement agencies. He stated that congressmen are still trying to obtain more information about law enforcement communications on the day of the rally.

The report also mentioned that gunman Crooks had conducted shooting training at a range in western Pennsylvania weeks before the assassination attempt. Jenkins, a retired U.S. Air Force veteran who trained with him, said Crooks’ shooting skills were “impressive.” He was shocked to learn that his training partner almost assassinated Trump. Additionally, according to a previous AP report, Crooks used a drone to conduct reconnaissance of the rally site before the assassination attempt.