Why Donald Trump Jr. Was Skeptical About How Father's Assassination Attempt Took Place

Donald Trump Jr. expressed his skepticism about the attempted assassination of his father Donald Trump during the Butler rally in Pennsylvania. Trump Jr. questioned the presence of the U.S. Secret Service and the delay in their actions. During his appearance on Fox News Hannity, he vocalized his opinion by saying, "It doesn't happen. I've had a Secret Service detail, I've been around my father's for eight years but I've had my own," per Newsweek.

Continuing further he said, "When you're the presumptive nominee, a shooter with a rifle does not get on a roof for half an hour without being spotted, without being noticed and without being exterminated and certainly not within 130 yards," as he shared his skeptical views on the whole situation during an outdoor rally of his father. Commenting on the former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, he added, "I've shot with all of my Secret Service agents...they're not worried about a sloped roof. I can assure you...they're not worried about a five-degree pitch on a sloped roof. That's nonsense, that's not an excuse." 

Cheatle reasoned why she did not assign any personnel to the building with a sloping roof. "That building in particular has a sloped roof at its highest point. And so, you know, there's a safety factor that would be considered there that we wouldn't want to put somebody up on a sloped roof. And so, you know, the decision was made to secure the building, from the inside," she said as reported by the NY Post. The shooter, who was shot to death on the spot by the Secret Service was identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks; Crooks was waiting to shoot the shot from the same building that didn't have any security officer on its roof. 

On the other hand, Trump Jr.'s brother Eric Trump lauded the swift action taken by the services and the officer's squad to shield the former President. According to Newsweek, he said, "They're the greatest people ever and every single one of those people would have taken a bullet for him that day and they did, they jumped in... I don't put any of this on them. In fact, I laud them for their courageousness and being heroes that day because they could have gotten killed as well."

Cheatle, who resigned from her position, also issued a public statement in the wake of the incident. "Secret Service personnel on the ground moved quickly during the incident, with our counter sniper team neutralizing the shooter and our agents implementing protective measures to ensure the safety of former president Donald Trump. The Secret Service is tasked with the tremendous responsibility of protecting the current and former leaders of our democracy. It is a responsibility that I take incredibly seriously, and I am committed to fulfilling that mission," the statement read, as reported by Reuters.