As Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle testified before Congress about the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, one Democrat lawmaker wondered if race had anything to do with security failures.
When Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, questioned Cheatle, her approach was from an angle her colleagues had not broached, bringing up that would-be assassin Thomas Crooks was a “young White male” and that may have factored into why Secret Service did not perceive him as a threat sooner.
“I wanna talk about training and I want to talk about the fact that there’s been a little bit of dancing around as it relates to this being a suspicious person and this being a situation that was perceived to be a threat, and it seems as if there’s a different analysis that takes place,” Crockett said. “One of my questions has to do with if you have any bias training that your officers undergo.”
Continuing in her address to Cheatle, Crockett noted her own background as a “civil rights lawyer” in furthering her argument.
“I have learned so many times, in having to deal with law enforcement, that there usually is not a perception of a threat when it is a young white male, even if they are carrying a long gun. Yet a lot of times, at least in this country, when it comes to law enforcement, there is a perceived threat just by somebody having a little bit more melanin in their skin,” she stated.
“A lot of times, one of the things that we have consistently pushed for on my side of things — and when I say my side, is once we are looking at a tragedy in which law enforcement made an error — it is the bias training and whether or not our officers are getting it,” Crockett said.
“So I’m curious to know, in some of the training that you talk about that is part of your budget, has bias training been part of that?” she asked the Secret Service chief.
“Yes, it is,” Cheatle responded.
Crockett used her time to also push for gun control laws, and pointed to congressional colleagues who are “consistently engaging in violent rhetoric.”
Social media reactions poured in on the Democrat’s highlight of race in the near-assassination of Trump at the Pennsylvania rally on July 13.
White people were calling out to law enforcement that he was on the roof. Skin color is irrelevant.
— 1776 ULTRA MAGA JSR🍊🍊 (@cpamba33) July 22, 2024
Literally every Presidential assassin has been a white male.
We ARE the suspicious demographic of choice for this particular crime.
— Mark Jeffrey (@markjeffrey) July 22, 2024
Congress should ban professional race baiters.
— BoujeeBombshell (@badboujeebabee) July 22, 2024
It’s absolutely sickening how someone like her, can sit back making excuses about an assassin and say he wouldn’t be noticed because he is white?
What planet does she live on?
She really went with “White Privilege” to make a cover for Secret Service failures?
She needs to go.
— Ken W. (@tampa_npa) July 22, 2024
A white guy tries to take the life of another white guy.
How can we make this about black people?
— Brad Johnson (@wildnorthman) July 22, 2024
It’s amazing how people can interject racism into any situation isn’t it?
— H R (@HRofOZ) July 22, 2024
Democrats piss me off, they don’t care about the assassination attempt all they’re doing is bringing gun control, open carry and race into play. They want to showcase their political agenda.
— Conservative Star (@Conserv57869874) July 23, 2024