Secret Service Chief Under Scrutiny After Trump Assassination Attempt

In the wake of a deadly assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, questions are being raised about the preparedness of the Secret Service. Former FBI special agent Nicole Parker calls the lack of security personnel at the rally an "epic fail," while a former Secret Service agent says the agency is "stretched too thin."

The assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump has raised serious questions about the preparedness of the Secret Service.

Just days after the incident, in which a would-be assassin killed a bystander and wounded two others while trying to kill Trump, questions remain about how an armed man was able to climb onto a rooftop less than 150 yards from the candidate with a rifle and a clear line of sight.

Secret Service Chief Under Scrutiny After Trump Assassination Attempt

In the wake of the attack, Fox News contributor and former FBI special agent Nicole Parker called the lack of security personnel at the rally an "epic fail." She said the Secret Service is "stretched too thin" with new responsibilities and protectees, while its budget and manpower haven't caught up with the times.

"They got a real opportunity after 9/11 to ask for increased funding, double the size of the agency, really increase the capabilities, and none of the directors did that," said Bill Gage, an expert on active shooter response who retired from the Secret Service after 13 years with the agency, including 6 ½ as a member of the counter assault team.

Secret Service Chief Under Scrutiny After Trump Assassination Attempt

"In a perfect world, you have 30 CS teams and 500 agents," he said, using the agency's acronym for the counter-sniper team that took out the assassin. "But the Service just doesn't have those resources."

Even a third of that manpower would have been sufficient, he said.

Secret Service Chief Under Scrutiny After Trump Assassination Attempt

Instead, videos from the rally show just a single CS team returning fire and neutralizing the suspect as a group of agents on the ground swarmed the former president, shielding him with their bodies.

Additional agents in tactical gear were pictured over the suspect's corpse on the rooftop moments later.

Secret Service Chief Under Scrutiny After Trump Assassination Attempt

The Service's duties have expanded, and the country is also in an active stretch of the busy 2024 campaign season, where President Biden and his predecessor and challenger, Trump, are both on the road regularly; the Republican National Conference is set to kick off in Milwaukee – and Chicago will host the Democratic National Conference in a few more weeks.

"When I first joined the service in 2002, we were only protecting the president, the vice president and a few members of their family," Gage told Fox News Digital. "By the time I left, we were protecting the vice president's grandkids, foreign presidents, former presidents who were taking trips overseas."

Secret Service Chief Under Scrutiny After Trump Assassination Attempt

As the list of protectees expanded, so did the list of threats. The Islamic State terror group rose alongside Al-Qaeda. Fears grew about home-grown terrorism. But the Service saw no significant growth in budget or personnel, Gage said.

The U.S. Secret Service has also faced questions over its preparedness and a number of scandals in recent years.

Secret Service Chief Under Scrutiny After Trump Assassination Attempt

The agency took more heat this week after a would-be assassin climbed on top of a building outside the secure perimeter of a Trump rally in Pennsylvania. The suspect, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, died at the scene after a Secret Service counter-sniper team returned fire.

But not before he fatally struck a 50-year-old engineer named Corey Comperatore, a father of two.

Secret Service Chief Under Scrutiny After Trump Assassination Attempt

He also wounded two other spectators – and Trump was seen with blood on the side of his head after he said a bullet punctured his right earlobe.

Crooks climbed up on top of a building across from the rally with an AR-15-style rifle.

Secret Service Chief Under Scrutiny After Trump Assassination Attempt

Authorities have been criticized for a delayed response after witnesses spotted the armed Crooks on the roof and began to shout for help.

But Gage and other experts argue that the agents on scene were likely already responding amid the chaos.

"I think these people are probably being honest and sincere, but to say that nothing was being done, you know, until we can get transcripts of the radio traffic, I think that's just wild speculation," he said.

Still, he said, with more planning and resources, the attack could've been thwarted earlier.

"I love the Secret Service, but it's not without fault," he said. "And I think there was some fault here. Both in the planning and the resources that were devoted to this."