Secret Service under investigation by Homeland Security Inspector General following Trump assassination attempt

The Department of Homeland Security’s Inspector General has launched an investigation into the Secret Service’s security management at former President Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania over the weekend.

In a brief statement on the Inspector General’s website, the agency said the goal of the investigation was to “evaluate the Secret Service’s process for securing former President Trump’s July 13, 2024, campaign rally,” during which an assassination attempt on Trump occurred.

No date was given for the start of the investigation. The notice was part of a long list of ongoing cases being pursued by the Office of the Inspector General. President Biden had already ordered an independent review of security at the rally.

On Wednesday, it remained unclear how 20-year-old gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks managed to climb a building in Butler, Pennsylvania, and open fire on Trump and rally attendees.

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Former President Trump is seen after he was shot during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday. (Rebecca Droke/AFP via Getty Images)

Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle said in an interview on Tuesday that her agency was “solely responsible” for implementing and enforcing security measures there.

Cheatle told CNN that no assets were diverted from the rally on the day Trump was shot, although other events in the state required Secret Service protection.

“At this particular site, we have divided the responsibilities, but the Secret Service is fully responsible for the design, implementation and execution of the site,” Cheatle said.

Director of the secret service faces new criticism for comment on the “sloping roof”

To the left is the building where the shooter was at the Trump rally, and a sniper post was stationed on a slanted roof behind former President Trump’s podium at the event. (Fox News Digital/Glen Van Tryfle/TMX/Reuters)

In a separate interview with ABC News, Cheatle said the agency was aware of the security vulnerabilities in the building. The crooks took up a sniper position when they took aim at Trump.

“This building has a sloping roof at its highest point. And you have to consider the safety factor because we wouldn’t put anyone on a sloping roof. And that’s why the decision was made to secure the building from the inside,” she said.

Police snipers returned fire after shots were fired during Trump’s speech at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, July 13. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

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But the “slanted roof” comment is being questioned critically. Critics on social media are calling it a “total nonsense excuse” that “defies all credibility”.

Chris Pandolfo of Fox News and the Associated Press contributed to this report.