Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle is facing intense criticism after admitting her agency chose not to secure the rooftop from which a would-be assassin fired at former President Trump because it was too slanted. Despite knowing the roof posed a security risk, Cheatle defended the decision, stating they focused on securing the building from the inside. This shocking revelation has raised serious concerns about the agency’s effectiveness, especially after the attacker managed to get a clear shot at Trump, wounding him and killing another person. As scrutiny mounts, Cheatle insists she won’t resign, claiming, “The buck stops with me,” but many question whether her leadership can ensure future security.

Despite the shocking news that the Secret Service decided not to guard the roof from which Thomas Crooks opened fire on former President Donald Trump because it was too sloped, embattled Director Kimberly Cheatle says she has no intentions to leave reports the New York Post.

“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,” she told ABC News in a startling admission.

“And so, you know, the decision was made to secure the building, from the inside,” she told the outlet.

Cheatle acknowledged that the agency was aware of the building’s rooftop security risk, but it chose not to place agents there, leaving Crooks free to establish an excellent sniper position with an unhindered view of Trump on stage.

At a distance of roughly 130 yards, Crooks could see the GOP nominee with his AR-style semiautomatic rifle clearly from the roof.

Experts in tactical operations were incensed by Cheatle’s justification that the building’s slope made appropriate area security impossible.

A veteran of the Army and former FBI supervisory special agent James Gagliano stated he didn’t comprehend her logic.

Gagliano advised, “You just have to work with the terrain you’re presented with.”

Dan Bongino, a well-known right-wing talk show presenter and former NYPD officer and Secret Service agent, was outraged by Cheatle’s illogical logic.

“The Secret Service director said, ‘don’t worry, we didn’t put someone on the roof because it could’ve created a dangerous situation.’ Like what? Someone getting shot in the head?” he said in an episode of “The Dan Bongino Show” podcast.

Former Army Special Forces soldier and GOP congressional candidate for Washington Joe Kent wrote on X that the slope made counter-sniper coverage challenging, but that still doesn’t explain the disastrous security lapse.

“What’s the excuse for not securing the perimeter & all access points to the building/roof when you can’t get on the roof and you identified the building/roof as a threat?”

As more information has emerged about the agency’s appalling handling of Trump’s attempted assassination, Cheatle has been under increasing pressure to resign.

As she responded to the growing criticism, she told ABC that “the buck stops with me” yet she declined to leave her position.

Cheatle described her agency’s response to Saturday’s Trump campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, to ABC News on Monday. “It was unacceptable.” “Moreover, it’s something that ought to never occur again.”

Trump and two other people were injured when twenty-year-old Crooks opened fire from the rooftop with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, killing a veteran firefighter in the process.

“It was obviously a situation that as a Secret Service agent, no one ever wants to occur in their career,” she told the outlet.

“The buck stops with me. I am the director of the Secret Service, and I need to make sure that we are performing a review and that we are giving resources to our personnel as necessary.”

In a statement released on Monday, the head of the Secret Service announced that “changes” will be made to Trump’s security team during the campaign, but it made no mention of the agency’s shortcomings.

However, the bland letter did little to appease critics who have attacked Cheatle for putting politically charged “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” projects—such as promising to increase the proportion of women in the Secret Service to 30% by 2030—before delivering strong and reliable security.

Three women were part of Trump’s security detail on the day of the shooting; retired FBI Assistant Director Chris Swecker told The Post that these women looked completely unprepared when Crooks opened fire.

“The women I saw up there with the president — they looked like they were running in circles. One didn’t know how to holster, the other one didn’t seem to know what to do, and another one seemed not to be able to find her holster,” he said.

“DEI is one thing, competence and effectiveness is another, and I saw DEI out there.”

It’s interesting to note that on the opening night of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Trump’s Secret Service detail consisted solely of male agents, all of whom were notably smaller than Trump’s 6-foot-3 physique.

According to law enforcement sources who spoke with The Post on Monday, Trump’s security has been enhanced by the Secret Service to the full presidential package, which is the same level that President Biden receives.

Explore exclusive GGI coverage of Donald Trump’s assassination attempt.