US Secret Service Urges Trump Team to Stop Outdoor Rallies After Assassination Bid: Reports

New Delhi: Amid safety concerns for former US President Donald Trump, who recently  survived an assassination attempt during an election rally in Pennsylvania, the Secret Service officials have asked his campaign to stop scheduling large outdoor rallies and other outdoor events with big crowds, according to media reports.

The Secret Service officials are responsible for the security of political leaders in the United States.

The Republican Presidential nominee had escaped the assassination bid at an election rally in Pennsylvania's Butler on July 13. Trump was grazed by a bullet in the right ear, and one rallygoer was killed in the gunfire at a campaign rally.

The reports suggested that the Secret Service agents raised their concerns with the Trump camp about large outdoor rallies. However, the imminent rallies of the Republican nominee are indoor programs.

US Secret Service Director Steps Down

Meanwhile, the director of the Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle, steped down after facing scrutiny over security lapses related to the assassination bid.

The Secret agency is facing probes by multiple congressional committees and the internal watchdog of the US Department of Homeland Security.

The resignation followed a day of sharp questioning from a House committee about the Secret Service’s actions before the July 13 rally in Butler Township.

At the hearing, Cheatle defended her position, insisting she was the most qualified person to lead the agency responsible for protecting the president, vice president, their families, and major presidential candidates. Despite her defense, Cheatle faced significant backlash over the agency’s performance.

“I take full responsibility for the security lapse,” she said in the email to staff Tuesday. “In light of recent events, it is with a heavy heart that I have made the difficult decision to step down as your director.”

All About Trump Rally Shooting

A 20-year-old gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, fired shots from a building about 150 yards away from the stage, killing one rally attendee and critically injuring two others. Crooks was shot and killed by a Secret Service sniper after firing multiple rounds at Trump.

The Secret Service’s failure to extend its security perimeter to include the building from which Crooks shot was a key point of contention. Instead, the agency left the security of the area up to local law enforcement. Furthermore, Secret Service agents allowed Trump to take the stage despite receiving a report from local police about a suspicious individual at the event, who turned out to be Crooks.