Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle is blasted for ‘stupidity’ and ‘BS excuse’ that snipers were not on the roof used by gunman Thomas Crooks because it was ‘too sloped’

Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has been criticized for her “stupidity” and “bullshit excuse” that there were no snipers on the roof used by would-be assassin Thomas Crooks because it was “too slanted.”

Cheatle told ABC News on Tuesday that there were no officers on the sloping building because he considered it too dangerous. However, footage from the scene did show Secret Service snipers on a sloping roof behind where Trump gave his speech.

Instead of placing her snipers on the roof of the American Glass Research Building in Butler, Pennsylvania, from where Crooks was shooting, she decided to secure the building from the inside.

“That building in particular has a sloping roof at the highest point,” she claimed.

‘So there is a safety factor that needs to be taken into account. For example, we don’t want someone standing on a sloping roof.

“And so it was decided to secure the building from the inside,” she added.

Cheatle’s decision allowed Crooks to evade police and the Secret Service three times, despite being considered a “suspect” and possibly having been on the roof for as long as 30 minutes before pulling the trigger.

Witnesses also pleaded with police to intervene when they saw him climb onto the roof with his AR rifle, but the lack of security allowed him to carry out his attempt to end the 45th president’s life.

But now her comments have been heavily criticised by the public, with many calling the theory ‘total nonsense’ that ‘lacks credibility’.

Former Army commander Sean Powell took to X, formerly Twitter, to criticize Cheatle’s reasoning.

“Holy shit. A slanted roof? That’s a total BS excuse,” he wrote.

“Our snipers used to go up on mountain tops in Afghanistan. On the slopes if they had to. The stupidity of that statement explains so much of why the s*** hit the fan that day. Absolute incompetence,” he added.

The lack of security allowed the killer Crooks to evade both police and the Secret Service, despite being considered a suspect.

Witnesses reported seeing Crooks climb onto the sloped roof with his father’s semi-automatic AR-style rifle, but security officials were unable to intervene in time to prevent the former president from being injured.

Following Cheatle’s bizarre comments, former South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint also said on X: “This sad excuse defies all credibility.

“The snipers above President Trump were on a sloped roof. Why couldn’t they secure the sloped roof where the assassin was standing?”

“She should have been fired days ago. We need accountability.”

Collin Rugg, co-owner of Trending Politics, added: “Ironically, the snipers who were behind Trump at the rally were on a sloping roof. She’s an asshole and she’s getting away with it.”

As public outrage over Cheatle’s comments continues, conversations are also beginning to surface about how she came to be in her position at the agency.

It is said that it was largely due to her close relationship with first lady Jill Biden that she was given the position of director of the agency.

Four sources close to President Biden’s family, including people who had contact with Cheatle during the Obama-Biden administration, told the New York Post She was much loved by the future first lady and her top advisers, including Anthony Bernal.

“Cheatle was part of Dr. Biden’s second lady department and Anthony has strengthened her position,” a Democratic Party insider said.

“I heard Anthony put her forward as an option when she was being considered for the director position,” another source said.

Republicans seeking to question Cheatle have already focused on her own background.

Before being appointed by President Biden in 2022, she worked at PepsiCo as senior director of Global Security.

She worked for 25 years at the agency and in the Vice Presidential Protective Division.

Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Ky.) called her a “diversity asset” on Fox News.

“You know she was at Pepsi before that. I know she was a former CIA Secret Service agent, but still, this is what happens when you don’t put the best players in,” he said.

Hours after Trump was shot, House Speaker Mike Johnson called for a full investigation into the attack and promised that Congress would soon hear testimony from Cheatle.

“THE HOUSE WILL CONDUCT A FULL INVESTIGATION INTO THE TRAGIC EVENTS TODAY,” Johnson wrote on X.

“The American people deserve to know the truth. We will bring Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle and other relevant officials from DHS and the FBI to a hearing before our committees as soon as possible.”

Cheatle told ABC News her initial reaction to the shooting was “shock.”

She said the Secret Service was aware of security breaches in the building that Crooks targeted as a sniper to shoot at Trump.

However, it was decided not to place personnel on the roof, even though security experts have said law enforcement’s primary responsibility would be to secure elevated areas near a person with a high level of protection.

She continues to resist calls to resign over the incident, even as she takes responsibility for her agency.

“I’m the one who bears the responsibility,” she said.

“It was unacceptable,” she added. “And it must not happen again.”

Former FBI agent Kenneth Gray told DailyMail.com on Monday that the Secret Service “really made a mistake” at Saturday’s meeting and that efforts to hire more women for field positions may have played a role.

Republican officials gathering in Milwaukee called for tighter scrutiny of the agency as the federal government implements stricter security measures for Trump and others protected.

“Somebody, somewhere, really needs to answer a lot of serious questions,” Kelly Armstrong of North Dakota, a member of the House Judiciary and Armaments Committee, told DailyMail.com.

Cheatle’s decision to avoid questions so far has also been surprising. She did not attend the first FBI-led news conference.

The investigation launched by President Joe Biden after the incident is being led by the Justice Department, not Homeland Security, which oversees the Secret Service.

“That speaks volumes,” Jason Chaffetz, former chairman of the House Oversight Committee, told DailyMail.com.