(TheProudRepublic.com) – Republican candidate Donald Trump said what happened in Butler, Pennsylvania, was a very different story as he compared the quick and effective Secret Service agent’s response with the second assassination attempt last weekend.
“And, in this particular case, you had a very sharp agent, as good as you could find, and did a fantastic job,” Trump said during an interview on Fox News’s “Hannity.”
Moreover, Trump said the incident at his golf club in West Palm Beach “worked out very well” but noted that the earlier event at a campaign rally in Butler, where a gunman killed one person and wounded two before being shot by Secret Service, was “a very different story.”
“Now, Butler’s a very different story,” he stated. “Somebody should have been on that building. And that’s a different story. But they also showed great … they were very brave, because, when those bullets were flying, they were … they were … trying to protect me.”
The would-be assassin, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was on top of a building near the July rally and opened fire. Secret Service agents quickly surrounded Trump, and the gunman was killed.
While the former president initially commended the agents for their protection, the Secret Service was criticized for not properly securing the area.
Acting Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle was called to testify before Congress and resigned in late July following a poorly received appearance.
In addition, the latest threat occurred on Sunday when Secret Service agents saw a man aiming a rifle through the golf course’s perimeter. The agent fired at the suspect, who then dropped his firearm and fled, shooting back in the process.
Authorities found two bags, a loaded rifle with a scope, and other items at the scene.
Ryan Wesley Routh was arrested and charged with two federal gun crimes: unlawful possession of a weapon as a convicted felon and using a firearm with obliterated serial numbers.
In turn, a federal investigation is ongoing, and more charges might be added. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis also announced that the state is starting its own criminal investigation into the attempted assassination.
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