A former FBI special agent slammed the director of the Secret Service in the wake of the assassination attempt on former President Trump, warning the response has been “unacceptable.”
Fox News contributor Nicole Parker, who served as a special agent for the FBI, ripped Director Kimberly Cheatle for her handling of the attack on Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.
“Where was she or where was any representative from the United States Secret Service? The initial press conference… that is their site. They should have had a representative there,” Parker told Maria Bartiromo on Monday.
Parker said Cheatle took too long to speak after the attack.
“If it is not important enough for her to show her face in light of a… potential assassination. If there is a time for her to come forward, it is now, and it’s just radio silence. It’s unacceptable.”
Cheatle released a statement on Monday in response to Saturday’s tragedy writing, “I would like to start by extending my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Corey Comperatore, who was killed during the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump’s life in Butler, Pennsylvania, Saturday, as well as those who were injured during this senseless act of violence.”
“Secret Service personnel on the ground moved quickly during the incident, with our counter sniper team neutralizing the shooter and our agents implementing protective measures to ensure the safety of former president Donald Trump.”
The Secret Service faced sharp criticism for skipping a press conference Saturday night after the deadly shooting, which local officials and FBI officials attended just hours after Trump was shot.
It wasn’t until Sunday that the Secret Service held a press briefing at Centennial Hall in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, ahead of the Republican National Convention.
“Just to be clear, did you or did you not make changes to the security plan based on the events of yesterday?” one reporter asked during the briefing.
“There have been no changes to our current operational security plans for this event,” Audrey Gibson-Cicchino, the 2024 RNC security coordinator for the Secret Service, said. “We have an operational security plan that’s built out for every area of responsibility related to any and all aspects of security related to this event.”
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Cheatle also mentioned during her Monday statement she was “confident” in the RNC security plan, which she said was “strengthened” following the weekend attack.
“The incident in Pennsylvania has understandably led to questions about potential updates or changes to the security for the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. The U.S. Secret Service, in conjunction with our Federal, state and local law enforcement and public safety partners, designs operational security plans for National Special Security Events (NSSE) to be dynamic in order to respond to a kinetic security environment and the most up-to-date intelligence from our partners,” she wrote.
“I am confident in the security plan our Secret Service RNC coordinator and our partners have put in place, which we have reviewed and strengthened in the wake of Saturday’s shooting. The security plans for National Special Security Events are designed to be flexible. As the conventions progress, and in accordance with the direction of the President, the Secret Service will continuously adapt our operations as necessary in order to ensure the highest level of safety and security for convention attendees, volunteers and the City of Milwaukee. In addition to the additional security enhancements we provided former President Trump’s detail in June, we have also implemented changes to his security detail since Saturday to ensure his continued protection for the convention and the remainder of the campaign.”
Meanwhile, Cheatle faces growing calls to step down over the attack, which killed one rally attendee and critically injured two others.
She was appointed by President Biden to lead the Secret Service in 2022, making her only the second woman ever in history to lead the agency.
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“That achievement in a male-dominated industry was not lost on me,” Cheatle said in a 2022 Security Magazine article about “Women in Security.” “I kept a photo on my desk of the first five women sworn into the service, and I used that to remind me that these women created opportunities for me and I can help others grow and lead as well.”
According to the USSS agency website, Cheatle is responsible for executing the agency’s integrated mission of “protection and investigations by leading a diverse workforce.” Critics have accused Cheatle of prioritizing “woke” ideologies rooted in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) instead of only focusing on hiring the best for the agency.
“She has this plan in place. It’s very well known… by 2030, she wants 30% of… female staff at the Secret Service,” she continued. “Maria, why should that matter? We should be focused on protecting. That is the job of the Secret Service. Anything else is a distraction. Any of this diversity, equity, inclusion, any of this, it’s a distraction from the true mission. And I saw the same exact thing at the FBI, unfortunately. I started to wonder, am I working for a social justice warrior club or am I working for the FBI?”
Regardless, Parker called the attack on Trump “inexcusable.”
“How this ever occurred is mind-boggling, and it’s actually terrifying for America,” Parker noted. “If a 20-year-old can disrupt the political process in the United States and ignite this massive firestorm, look at our adversaries. Can you imagine? They’re probably sitting back laughing. This is inexcusable. It is unacceptable, and how this occurred. It is a failure.”
Fox News’ Stepheny Price contributed to this report.