Following the breakdown in the most basic of security defenses, much of the nation has been awaiting an explanation of the events surrounding the shooting of former President Donald Trump.
Fox News reported that The Department of Homeland Security's inspector general has moved forward with an investigation into the Secret Service's security decisions surrounding the former President Trump's rally in Pennsylvania over the weekend.
After the shooter was identified, it was discovered that the shooter was an amateur. It was also found that his perch was one where such an amateur could pull off a kill shot, and was reportedly not within the Secret Service's perimeter.
Questions about how that could be considered sufficient security have coursed through a nation irate at the idea of what could have been the result of Saturday's shooting.
The agency stated in a brief notice posted to the inspector general's website that the purpose of the investigation is to "Evaluate the United States Secret Service’s (Secret Service) process for securing former President Trump’s July 13, 2024 campaign event," which was the site of an assassination attempt against Trump.
No specific date was offered for the start of the investigation. The notice was one of numerous ongoing cases that the inspector general's office is currently investigating.
An independent assessment of the security at the rally had already been directed by President Biden.
On Wednesday, there are still questions regarding the manner in which Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old shooter, was able to ascend a building and fire at Trump and rally attendees in Butler, Pennsylvania.
In a Tuesday interview, Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle asserted that her agency was "solely responsible" for the security measures in the area.
Despite the fact that other events in the state necessitated Secret Service protection, Cheatle informed CNN that no assets from the rally were diverted on the day of Trump's shooting.
"At that particular site, we divided up areas of responsibility, but the Secret Service is totally responsible for the design and implementation and the execution of the site," Cheatle said.
Separately, Cheatle told ABC News that the agency knew about the building's security flaws when the shooter positioned himself to shoot at Trump.
"That building in particular has a sloped roof at its highest point. And so, you know, there's a safety factor that would be considered there that we wouldn't want to put somebody up on a sloped roof," the director said.
"And so, you know, the decision was made to secure the building, from inside."
