Americans are expressing more doubt about the ability of the US Secret Service (USSS) to protect political candidates following the failed assassination attempt on former President Trump last month, when he was grazed in the ear by a bullet, according to a recent survey.
The poll, released Friday from the Associated Press/NORC Research Center found that only 31 percent of respondents said they were “extremely” or “very confident” that the USSS can keep presidential candidates safe.
About 40 percent said they were “somewhat” confident in the Secret Service’s ability to provide protection before the election and 28 percent said they were “somewhat” confident or “not at all” confident, the poll found.
The USSS has come under heightened scrutiny after a gunman climbed onto a roof near Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, last month and had a direct line to the former president before he began shooting.
A bullet grazed Trump’s ear. One event attendee died and two others were in critical condition after the incident on the outskirts of Pittsburgh. The shooter, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was also killed.
The poll also found that 72 percent of respondents believe the Secret Service was responsible for the assassination attempt.
The law enforcement agency has come under intense criticism from members of Congress trying to understand what led to the lack of communication between the Secret Service and local authorities who were supposed to protect the event.
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle testified before Congress about the security breach and later resigned. Acting director Ronald Rowe, who also spoke before lawmakers last month, said he was “embarrassed” by the shooting and said he “could not defend” why the roof was not secured before the campaign event.
About 50% of respondents to the recent survey said they believe the failure resulted from local law enforcement in Pennsylvania. A large number also attributed the assassination attempt to political division within the United States, according to the survey.
Although no motive was found by federal investigators, 78% of respondents said the political divide was to blame for the incident.
The Secret Service promised that things will change within the organization after the shooting, but noted that communication problems are “not an easy solution.”
The survey was carried out from July 25th to 29th with 1,143 people and has a margin of error of 4.1 percentage points.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
