The United States Secret Service reportedly urged former President Trump to stop holding outdoor rallies, citing security concerns in the wake of the assassination attempt, sources told the Washington Post Tuesday.
Secret Service officials urged Trump to stop holding rallies with large crowds outdoors in the wake of security failures during the attempted assassination of Trump at his outdoor rally at Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania, USSS sources told the Washington Post. Trump’s campaign team is reportedly looking to hold more rallies in indoor spaces and not planning any outdoor events, sources from the Trump team told the Post.
“We’ve seen from the early days of his presidency even, and before that during his first campaign in 2016, how important crowd size is to him. It gives him a lot of joy and energy being with large crowds,” former Trump spokeswoman Sarah Matthews told the Post. “He feeds off their energy. It’s almost like a source of comfort for him.” (RELATED: Security Had Reportedly Been Stationed On Rooftop Used By Trump Rally Shooter, But Abandoned It Due To ‘Hot Weather’)
One anonymous campaign official echoed agreement to the sentiments, saying that while indoor venues were more expensive, they provided more security due to the finite number of doors and easier crowd control, according to the Post.
U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle expressed her support for the recently announced Blue Ribbon Panel to review our actions and the investigation of the July 13 attempted assassination of former President Trump.
Read the full statement here. pic.twitter.com/cqVTwjjFWp
— U.S. Secret Service (@SecretService) July 22, 2024
“Obviously, with an indoor venue, you have a capacity,” she told the Post. “It doesn’t pack the same punch. There’s something about being at one of those outdoor rallies.”
In early 2024, requests from the Trump team for extra resources for protection for large events were rejected by the USSS, according to the Post Saturday. USSS Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned Tuesday after she evaded questions about the security failures at Trump’s rally during a bipartisan House Oversight Committee hearing on Monday.
Thomas Crooks, Trump’s would-be assassin, was able to open fire from an unsecured building 400 feet from Trump’s podium during the attempt on his life. The Secret Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) told lawmakers that they identified the shooter 50 minutes before he began to fire, sources told the Daily Caller News Foundation
Many questions about the U.S. Secret Service’s failures during the assassination attempt on Trump remain unanswered from the hearing, with Cheatle frequently deferring to an upcoming FBI investigation during the hearing.
The Trump Campaign directed the DCNF to the Secret Service for all questions.
The U.S. Secret Service did not immediately respond to the DCNF request for comment.
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