Former US President and Republican candidate Donald Trump has claimed that he received no prior warnings about potential security issues before a rally in Pennsylvania, where an attempted assassin shot him in the ear. In an interview with Fox News, Trump stated, “Nobody mentioned it, nobody said there was a problem. I would’ve waited for 15; they could’ve said let’s wait for 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 5 minutes, something. Nobody said.” He added, “I think that was a mistake. How did somebody get on that roof? And why wasn’t he reported?” A report by The Washington Post revealed that top officials at the US Secret Service allegedly turned down multiple requests from Trump’s security team for additional workforce and equipment ahead of events leading up to the attempted assassination on July 13th. The report attributed the denial of these requests to resource shortages. Following the incident, the Secret Service and its director, Kimberly Cheatle, have come under intense scrutiny. In a 2021 Secret Service podcast, Cheatle stated, “This agency and the Secret Service have a zero-fail mission.” However, the attempted assassination has cast doubt on the agency’s ability to fulfill its mission. When asked who bears the most significant responsibility for the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, Cheatle pointed to the Secret Service. “The buck stops with me,” Cheatle said. “I am the director of the Secret Service.” She has stated that she has no plans to resign and has the administration’s backing. Meanwhile, Bethel Park High School has refuted claims that the alleged shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was bullied or made threats about a potential school shooting. These claims were initially reported following the Pennsylvania rally shooting. The school maintains that Crooks excelled academically, had regular attendance, and had no disciplinary incidents related to bullying or threats. However, former classmates of Crooks have asserted that he was subjected to relentless bullying during his time at school. This assertion is supported by a recently surfaced video showing instances of bullying directed at Crooks. Bethel Park High School has dismissed these claims as a “painful misconception.”
