CNN Reporter Grills Secret Service Chief About Unsecured Rooftop At Trump Rally: ‘How Could That Perimeter Be So Small?’

Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle was grilled by a CNN reporter about why the rooftop where a shooter almost assassinated former President Donald Trump was unsecured.

CNN’s Whitney Wild questioned the Cheatle about why the perimeter near Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania over the weekend did not encompass the rooftop less than 150 yards away, where shooter Thomas Crooks attempted to kill the presumptive GOP nominee.

The security agency previously claimed that the security near the rooftop was the responsibility of local law enforcement. Police were reportedly inside the building at the time of the shooting which had a clear a line of sight to the rally stage where Trump spoke to his supporters.

During Wild’s interview with Cheatle, the Secret Service director said she could not “get into the specifics” surrounding the security plan of the rally.

WILD: I’ve spoken to several people who look at the perimeter hearing that news, look at the perimeter and say how knowing that there was a credible threat against the former president, how could that perimeter be so small that it excluded a building just 150 yards away from the podium?

CHEATLE: I can’t get into the specifics of any threats, but obviously with all of our protectee, we’re constantly monitoring the threats that are out there, and we design our security plan based on that. Also, depending on the venue and the environment that we’re in. And on that particular day, a full advance had been completed. But this is also why we are doing an internal review, and we look forward to the external review, as well. And obviously, if, you know, there are things that we need to change about our policies or our procedures or our methods, we are certainly going to do so.

WILD: Was that perimeter too small?

CHEATLE: The perimeter encompassed the area that we needed to secure for the event. That, that that we had it on that day. What happened is a terrible incident and should never happen. And we are obviously going to make sure that moving forward, we take whatever lessons we that come out of this and adjust accordingly.

WILD: Was every element, every part of his, from the intelligence to the counter assault team to the detail agents, the shift agents. I mean, every element top to bottom of the advance in the operation was every element increased after you learned of this credible threat?

CHEATLE: What we increased was what we felt was appropriate for the former president. And for that particular event on that day. We have been increasing the assets and the resources and the staffing that we have been providing to the former president, since he was a presidential candidate and then the presumptive nominee. That’s what I can tell you.

WILD: That sounds like a no.

CHEATLE: I am not saying a no at all. I’m saying that we have continued to increase the resources that we’ve been providing to the former president.

Watch the clip above via CNN.