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By Matthew Impelli
Life & Trends Reporter
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U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle provided an update on the "threat" posed by Thomas Crooks during a hearing about the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump.
On Monday, Cheatle appeared before the House Oversight Committee to answer questions about the assassination attempt and ongoing investigations by the FBI and Secret Service.
During the hearing, Cheatle was questioned by Ranking Member Jamie Raskin who asked if Crooks "had been flagged as a potential threat" before Trump took the stage in Butler, Pennsylvania.
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"What I can say is that the individual was identified as suspicious," Cheatle said in response.
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When asked why the Secret Service would allow Trump to take the stage if there was a suspicious person identified in the crowd beforehand, Cheatle said, "If the detail had been passed information that there was a threat, the detail would never have brought the former president out onto the stage."
Raskin then went on to say that the Secret Service "did not know that the gunman actually had a weapon before President Trump was allowed to get up on the stage."
In response, Cheatle said, "To the best of our knowledge and the facts we have at this point, that is correct."
On July 13, Crooks, 20, was identified as the individual who shot at the former president at a campaign rally over the weekend while he was on stage, injuring his ear in an assassination attempt. Crooks was later killed by the Secret Service while one rally attendee also died and two others were in critical condition.
Since the incident, many have criticized Cheatle and called for her resignation as many have questioned how a 20-year-old gunman was able to climb onto a roof about 450 feet from a leading presidential candidate and open fire on him with a .22-fitted AR-style rifle.
Later on in the hearing, Massachusetts Democratic Representative Stephen Lynch questioned Cheatle about reports that Crooks was in possession of a rangefinder when he entered the rally.
"Yes, he did," Cheatle said in regard to the rangefinder.
However, Cheatle noted that "a rangefinder is not a prohibited item."
Lynch then asked if any officials confronted Crooks about the rangefinder.
"Again to my knowledge, I believe that was the process that was taking place to locate the individual," Cheatle said before she was interrupted by Lynch who asked again if Crooks was confronted.
"I do not have those details at this time," Cheatle said in response.
The Secret Service directed Newsweek to Cheatle's testimony after reaching out via email for comment.
Follow Newsweek's live blog for continuous updates here.
Update, 7/22/24, 11:54 a.m. EST: This story has been updated with further information.
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