Assassination Attempt on Trump Raises Security Concerns

Donald Trump stated that he was not warned about an impending issue before his Pennsylvania rally, where an attempted assassination occurred. The U.S. Secret Service is under scrutiny for denying requests for additional security. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle will testify before the U.S. House Oversight Committee about the incident.

Donald Trump expressed on Saturday that he received no forewarning about any potential issue prior to his rally in Pennsylvania last week, during which a would-be assassin shot him in the ear.

"Nobody mentioned it, nobody said there was a problem. I would've waited for 15, they could've said let's wait for 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 5 minutes, something. Nobody said," Trump told Fox News in an interview. "I think that was a mistake," he added. "How did somebody get on that roof? And why wasn't he reported?"

The Washington Post reported that top U.S. Secret Service officials repeatedly rejected requests from Trump's security detail for additional manpower and gear leading up to the attempted assassination. The agency, tasked with protecting Trump, cited resource shortages as reasons for the denials, according to insider sources.

The Secret Service has yet to comment outside regular office hours in response to a Reuters query. Director Kimberly Cheatle is scheduled to testify before the U.S. House of Representatives Oversight Committee on July 22 regarding the incident at Trump's Pennsylvania rally.