Trump says Secret Service did not warn him about gunman before assassination attempt

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A political scientist and expert on political assassinations pointed out major similarities between the attempted killing of former President Trump and the infamous presidential assassinations of the 20th century, focusing in particular on the fact that major security failures led to each of the traumatic incidents.

Dr. Larry Sabato, the author of "The Kennedy Half Century: The Presidency, Assassination, and Lasting Legacy of John F. Kennedy," told Fox News Digital this week that just like in the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy – as well as the President Reagan assassination attempt – a troubled young man was able to game "serious" security vulnerabilities and get a clear shot at a U.S. leader.

"By my count, Trump had perhaps triple the Secret Service personnel that JFK had," the professor said, hinting at the scale of the security failures that almost led to Trump’s death last weekend.

A 20-year-old suspected gunman named Thomas Crooks fired an AR-15-style rifle at the former president during his 2024 campaign rally in Pennsylvania last Saturday, hitting Trump in the right ear and narrowly missing his head. Two others were seriously wounded, and Trump supporter Corey Comperatore was killed while protecting his family.

Secret Service protecting Trump returned fire, killing Crooks seconds after he opened fire.

As more details emerged about the shooting, law enforcement disclosed that Crooks had taken the shots while lying prone on a roof only a little more than 150 yards away. Questions arose as to how the gunman could have such a clear vantage point in broad daylight of Trump, and at such a close distance. U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has been under fire for the alleged security failures that occurred that weekend.

Sabato, who is also the director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, told Fox this week that such security failures have characterized presidential assassinations in the U.S., particularly in both Kennedy assassinations in 1963 and 1968, and the attempted Reagan assassination in 1981.

"Protective services were inadequate in all cases," the professor stated. "For JFK, the open unguarded windows in the Texas School Book Depository Building are obvious. And JFK’s motorcade passed tens of thousands of unscreened people and territory. That was standard back then."

Fox News' Gabriel Hays contributed to this report.

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A Republican member of the House Oversight Committee, who is expected to grill U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle on Monday, said the overarching Department of Homeland Security will get a "rude awakening" if they continue to "stonewall" in regard to failures in the lead-up to the attempt on former President Trump's life.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital over the weekend that the bureaucracy cannot be allowed to shirk their duty to explain themselves to the American people when the hearing commences.

"I am looking forward to hearing from Director Cheatle this Monday and getting answers for the American people on the Secret Service's failure to take action that would have prevented the attempt on President Trump's life from happening," Luna said.

"I also would like to get answers on why Mayorkas' DHS tried to pull blatant bureaucratic stonewalling on us," she said. "They are not getting away with it, and we expect their full transparency."

Luna added: "They will get a rude awakening if they keep trying to block information from Congress and the American people."

Fox News' Charles Creitz contributed to this report.

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisc, released his official 13-page preliminary findings of his office's investigation into the assassination attempt of former President Trump.

Trump survived an assassination attempt on July 13 at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where gunman Thomas Mathew Crooks opened fire, killing one spectator and injuring several others, including Trump, who suffered injuries to his ear.

Shortly following the incident, Johnson's office began contacting federal, state and local government entities, as well as private companies, to solicit information about the security failures at the rally. The preliminary findings are based on the initial information Johnson's office obtained since the shooting.

The senator said he is sharing this information with the public to be transparent.

The preliminary findings determined that the Secret Service did not attend a security briefing provided to local SWAT and sniper teams on the morning of July 13, local law enforcement said communications were siloed and they were not in frequent radio contact directly with the Secret Service, local law enforcement notified command about Crooks before the shooting and received confirmation that the Secret Service was aware of the notification, the Secret Service was seen on the roof of the American Glass Research building with local law enforcement following the shooting, photos of the shooter were sent to the ATF for facial recognition and local law enforcement said the Secret Service was initially not going to send snipers to the rally.

Johnson's office also provided a timeline of the events on July 13.

United States Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle looks on during a press conference. (KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle expressed her support for an independent security review of last week's assassination plot against former President Donald Trump.

"We are eager to cooperate with the independent security review of the U.S. Secret Service's action related to the July 13 assassination attempt of former President Trump in Butler," Cheatle wrote in a Sunday press release.

"I look forward to the panel examining what happened and providing recommendations to help ensure it will never happen again."Cheatle wrote that the agency is "continuing to take steps to review [their] actions internally" and "remain[s] committed to working quickly and transparently with other investigations, including those by Congress, FBI and the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General." 

Read the full article about Kimberly Cheatle by Christina Coulter

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., appeared on "Fox & Friends" on Sunday to discuss Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle's upcoming testimony about the recent assassination attempt against President Trump.

Luna, who is part of the House Oversight Committee, says that she wants to know "who ultimately made the decision to prevent Trump from actually being protected that day."

"We do see that Mayorkas is stonewalling our subpoenas to be able to understand what happened with communication between Secret Service, but I also have some questions about who exactly this kid was working with," she said, referencing gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks.

The Florida Republican added that she believes there is a "weaponized double standard within the justice system."

"Regardless of whatever your political leanings are, what happened with President Trump should have never gone down...so why did that happen? And I think the American people deserve answers to this," Luna added.

Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn slammed Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle for prioritizing a cocktail party over an investigation into the attempted assassination of former President Trump.

Cheatle ducked a fuming group of senators who wanted to discuss security lapses that nearly cost Trump his life, but Blackburn and several other lawmakers confronted the embattled security boss Wednesday at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

But Blackburn said Cheatle was occupied with a reception and declined to field their inquiries.

"What was not appropriate was that she was there in a luxury suite. She was having a cocktail reception for, as she termed them, their security partners and partners on the convention," Blackburn told Fox News Digital.

Read the full article about Marsha Blackburn by Rebecca Rosenberg

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is rushed offstage by U.S. Secret Service agents after being grazed by a bullet during a rally on July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania.(Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The Secret Service’s explanation for security lapses that allowed a 20-year-old gunman to take multiple shots at former President Trump has continued to evolve, most recently with the agency acknowledging it had denied some requests by Trump’s team for additional security.

Revelations first reported by the Washington Post that the Secret Service denied repeated requests by Trump’s security detail were just the latest in an ever-evolving explanation by the agency, which initially pushed back hard on claims it had issued such denials.

"The assertion that a member of the former president’s security team requested additional security resources that the U.S. Secret Service or the Department of Homeland Security rebuffed is absolutely false," Anthony Guglielmi, a spokesman for the Secret Service, said the day after the attempt on Trump’s life.

Read the full article about the Secret Service by Michael Lee

Eric Trump joined the chorus of Republicans calling on Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to resign after security failures enabled former President Trump's attempted assassin to open fire at a Pennsylvania rally last weekend, killing one and injuring others.

"[She] should resign in absolute disgrace," he told Fox News' Maria Bartiromo on Sunday."The fact that you can come out and lie to the American people, stop subpoenas as Mayorkas is trying to do right now, stop FOIA requests as Mayorkas is trying to do right now, and tell the American people that… Secret Service couldn't navigate the roof. That's going to be the excuse she's going to use? It's an absolute disgrace," he continued.

"The fact that the Biden administration could allow a former president, and very likely a future president, to take a bullet through the ear, and there is no accountability… and the person [Cheatle] is still in their job just shows how disgraceful and inept this administration is. She should be out of a job. They should put somebody in there that's competent."

Read the full article about Eric Trump by Taylor Penley

Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., recently appeared on "Sunday Morning Futures" to discuss the fallout surrounding the Secret Service's handling of the assassination attempt against former President Trump.

Comer, who serves as the chair of the United States House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, confirmed that Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle plans to testify on Monday.

"I subpoenaed her, so she's going to have to honor that subpoena or she's going to pay the price," Comer said. "The American people have lots of questions, and they deserve answers."

The Kentucky Republican also discussed the recent WaPo report revealing that the Secret Service had denied requests from Trump's security detail in the past.

"We think, not only do we need answers, but people need to be held accountable," he said. "And that's what the director is going to have to answer tomorrow. She's going to have about a six-hour hearing, and she's going to have hundreds of questions that she's going to have to answer. And the American people will be watching that hearing."

Former Secret Service agent Bill Gage appeared on "Fox & Friends" on Sunday to discuss the damning Washington Post report that claimed top Secret Service officials "repeatedly" denied requests from Trump's security detail.

Trump was shot in Butler, Pennsylvania, during a July 13 rally, leading to increased scrutiny against the Secret Service.

Speaking to host Will Cain, Gage said that the Secret Service has been "chronically understaffed, underfunded, for years."

Gage also defended the agency against suspicions that requests from Trump's team were denied for political reasons.

"I can tell you that that is not true," the former agent said. "The Service is an apolitical organization that makes these decisions based on available resources. And it is a simple supply and demand equation for the Secret Service."

Congressman Ronny Jackson appeared on "Sunday Morning Futures" on Sunday morning to discuss the scrutiny surrounding the Secret Service's response to the Trump assassination attempt.

Speaking to Maria Bartiromo, Jackson went into detail about Trump's health after the assassination attempt. He served as Physician to the President during the Trump administration, and immediately consulted with the former president in the aftermath of the July 13 shooting.

"I wanted people to know that the president's doing well," Jackson said. "I also wanted people to know that he almost died."

"I mean, if that bullet had been 1 to 2 cm more towards his head, it would have entered his head and it would have done incredible damage."

During the interview, Jackson also accused Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle of lying to him during a private meeting. He referenced a recent Washington Post report that found that senior Secret Service officials denied requests from Trump's security detail in the past.

"She has a lot to answer for, she lied to me in the meeting," the Texas Republican said. "I asked her specifically if they had backed down or denied resources for the president at any point, and she said no. And now we're finding out that [the WaPo report] is true."

The congressman also said that he has "never, ever been prouder of President Trump," than he was last week.

"When he stood up with blood all over his face, and he raised his fist in defiance and he shook his fist, that was unbelievable," Jackson said admiringly. "That was his warrior spirit from deep down inside coming out. I think that he's a warrior."

Thomas Matthew Crooks tested his shooting prowess at a western Pennsylvania gun range just weeks before last Saturday's attempted assassination of former President Trump, according to a report.

Bill Jenkins said he practiced his firearms skills immediately next to Crooks at the Keystone Shooting Center in Cranberry on June 22 – mere weeks before the July 13 attack, The Sun reported.

"I was sitting next to evil," Jenkins told the outlet. "I haven't been able to sleep thinking about it."

This is an excerpt from an article by Rebecca Rosenberg. 

A source familiar with the investigation backed up what Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin, said on Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures" claiming Secret Service did not attend a 9 a.m. security meeting with local law enforcement the day of the July 13 rally. The source also supported what Johnson said about local law enforcement who were outside the rally perimeter not being on the same tactical radio channel as the Secret Service. 

Johnson stressed that the details are all preliminary information based on interviews his staff has held with local law enforcement. Fox News has not been able to independently confirm Johnson’s other claims that a picture time taken by a local sniper shows Crooks on the roof at 5:14 p.m., nearly an hour before Trump was shot, nor that there allegedly is video on the Internet that disputes the FBI's statement about a single shooter.

"So, again, we had pictures of this guy, you know, why was he intercepted? There's so many, so many unanswered questions here," Johnson told FOX Business host Maria Bartiromo.

Trump is rushed offstage by U.S. Secret Service agents after being hit by a bullet during a rally on July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Senior Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials pushed back against "statements questioning the presence of women in law enforcement," namely female Secret Service agents, in the wake of the assassination attempt on former President Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.

"These assertions are baseless and insulting," Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Kristie Canegallo, and the leaders of the DHS agencies and offices with law enforcement responsibilities said in a joint statement released on Saturday.

“Every single day, in communities big and small across our great country, women are serving in federal, state, local, tribal, territorial, and campus law enforcement," they continued. "They are highly trained and skilled professionals, who risk their lives on the front lines for the safety and security of others. They are brave and selfless patriots who deserve our gratitude and respect."

“We in the United States Department of Homeland Security — the largest law enforcement organization in the federal government — will, with great pride, focus, and devotion to mission, continue to recruit, retain, and elevate women in our law enforcement ranks," DHS leadership added. "Our Department will be the better for it, and our country more secure.”

The Secret Service has been heavily criticized for its failure to prevent Trump from being shot during a Pennsylvania rally on July 13. Many Republican lawmakers have called for Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to resign. She was appointed by President Biden to lead the Secret Service in 2022, making her only the second woman to ever lead the agency.

Prior to this role, Cheatle served as senior director of global security at PepsiCo, where she was responsible for directing and implementing security protocols for the company's facilities in North America. Critics have accused Cheatle of prioritizing "woke" ideologies rooted in DEI instead of only focusing on hiring the best for the agency. While at the Secret Service, Cheatle has stressed the importance of increasing diversity in the Secret Service.

Fox News Digital's Hannah Grossman contributed to this post.

Police cars outside the residence of suspect Thomas Matthew Crooks in Pennsylvania on July 14, 2024.

Former classmates described Thomas Matthew Crooks, who allegedly attempted to assassinate former President Trump at a Butler, Pennsylvania, rally on July 13, to the Wall Street Journal as a quiet loner who wasn't politically outspoken and went by "Tom."

Law enforcement officials told the Journal his mother, Mary, who is blind, and his father, Matthew, have been cooperating with the investigation but appear to have had little knowledge of what their son was planning. One source described Crooks’ home searched by law enforcement in Bethel Park as cluttered and dirty, like that of a hoarder.

Trump speaks to a Grand Rapids, Michigan, crowd during his first campaign rally since the assassination attempt in Pennsylvania.

Former President Donald Trump said at a rally in Michigan on Saturday, "I owe immigration my life," recalling how the slight turn of his head at a rally in Pennsylvania to a sign on border statistics was the difference between the bullet striking his right ear, instead of piercing his skull.

"You know, I was pointing to an immigration border sign when I made this turn, and that thing went that way instead of that way," Trump told Grand Rapids, Mich. , rallygoers, recounting the trajectory of the bullet. "So I owe immigration my life. It's true, it's true."

The former president and Republican nominee said he turned his head to point to what he refers to as the "million dollar sign," which was held up by a crane at the Butler, Pa., rally on July 13. At that moment, a bullet whizzed toward the former president, striking his right ear.

"But that sign was very good. I think I'm going to sleep with it tonight," Trump said Saturday.

"Then I looked and I said, that's not good. That's not good. So I said, immigration. If you think about it right, at immigration, I would have never been looking to the right. And I had to be. It was the only it was the only place that would have saved us," Trump said. "Every shot was no good for me except for the one direct, direct, and came whizzing by and, I hope we have to never go through that again. Everybody, because it's so horrible."

U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle will testify before Congress on Monday.

U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has not visited the site of the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.  

Fox News national correspondent Bryan Llenas asked the Secret Service, “Has Director Cheatle visited the rally site in Butler to do a site walk through or survey since the shooting? If not, why?” 

Anthony Guglielmi, Chief of Communications for the U.S. Secret Service, said in response, “The site is an FBI crime scene. We are not conducting that part of the investigation. “

Cheatle will testify in front of Congress about security lapses Monday morning without having been to the crime scene first hand. While she’s being questioned, a group of lawmakers will be touring the rally site Monday morning led by Republican Rep. Mark Green of Tennessee.

Elon Musk reportedly donated $45 million to Donald Trump's campaign per month.

Former President Donald Trump said at a campaign rally in Michigan on Saturday that he would "rescue the U.S. auto industry from obliteration," while also touting the recent endorsement of Tesla founder and tech entrepreneur Elon Musk.

Trump told rallygoers that Musk did not tell him about having donated $45 million per month to his campaign and also never mentioned in their conversations Trump's criticism of electric vehicles.

"I love Elon Musk. Do we love him? I love him," Trump said. "But Elon endorsed me the other day, and I read -- I didn't even know this -- he didn't even tell me about it, but he gives me $45 million a month, a month. Not 45 million. Gives me 45 million a month."

"And I talked to him just a little while ago to say I was coming here. How are you doing? And he didn't even mention it," Trump added. "I mean, other guys, they give you $2 and you got to take them to lunch. You got to win 'em, dine 'em."

The former president and Republican nominee said he is not opposed to electric vehicles entirely but said the head of the United Autoworkers wanted them above all else.

"I'm constantly talking about electric cars. But I don't mean I'm against -- I'm totally for them," Trump said. "But whatever the market says and if it's 10% of the market, 12%, 7%, 20%, whatever it is, it's okay. But you can't have 100% electric cars."

Trump recalled how conversations with Musk, also the founder of SpaceX, usually revolve around the latest rocket engine techonology.

"He's a great guy. He really is," Trump said of Musk. "But, you know, he's never mentioned to me 'why are you hitting the electric cars?' Because he understands. I'm not hitting it. I think it's incredible. I've had them. I've driven them. They're incredible. But they're not for everybody. Some people have to drive long distances And they tend to be more expensive. And, you know, they'll probably be made in China because China has all of that material."

U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers, R-Mich., shared highlights from former President Trump’s rally in Michigan and discussed the demand for answers in the assassination attempt against the former president.

He described the Michigan rally and the Republican National Convention as "electric" and said Trump's agenda is for the working American families. Rogers, a former FBI agent who was previously chairman of the House intelligence committee, said he and Trump had a conversation about a "leadership change" to get politics out of the Department of Justice.

Thomas Matthew Crooks rode a bike through Donald Trump's rally on July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania, law enforcement sources told The New York Post. (The New York Post)

A lone bike cloaked by a tree's shade near a Pennsylvania manufacturing facility is a haunting reminder of a gunman's hail of gunfire that nearly assassinated a former president.

The shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, rode the bicycle to Donald Trump's rally in Butler and ditched it before he opened fire from a roof about 150 yards from where the former president spoke to the crowd of thousands on Saturday, The New York Post reported.

Crooks left the bike behind in plain sight before he climbed to his perch and unfurled a flurry of gunshots that killed a local hero, who shielded his family, nicked Trump's ear and wounded two others. 

A witness first noticed the bicycle around 5:30 p.m. on July 13 – about 42 minutes before the shooting – according to The Post. The security misstep has at least one expert believing "someone was asleep at the switch."

Paul Mauro, an attorney and retired NYPD inspector who has been involved in several multi-agency security coordination efforts during his career, said a "flying squad" should have nabbed Crooks well before he pulled the trigger. 

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News Digital's Chris Eberhart.

Bethel Park High School said it wanted to correct the record on Thomas Matthew Crooks, who allegedly attempted to assassinate former President Trump during a July 13 rally in Butler, Pa.

The Pennsylvania high school released a statement Saturday saying it had no record of Crooks, who graduated in 2022, having been on or having tried out for the rifle team. The school also said it had no record of Crooks being bullied, despite reports claiming he had been.

"It has been reported that Thomas Crooks was a member of the Bethel Park High School rifle team or tried out for it but was dismissed due to poor performance or because the coach had character concerns," Bethel Park High School said. "Thomas Crooks was never a member of the school's rifle team and we have no record of him trying out. The coach does not recall meeting him. However, it is possible that Crooks informally attended a practice, took a shot, and never returned. We don't have any record of that happening."

Bethel Park High School also said there is "a painful misconception that Thomas Crooks was relentlessly bullied in school, which may have led to the assassination attempt on former President Trump." The school district "maintains detailed records, including academic performance, attendance, disciplinary history, and health records," the online statement said. "According to our records, Mr. Crooks excelled academically, regularly attended school, and had no disciplinary incidents, including those related to bullying or threats."

The high school said "Crooks was known as a quiet, bright young man who generally got along with his teachers and classmates," and since graduating, he earned an associate's degree in engineering science from the Community College of Allegheny County and worked as a dietary aide at Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.

"It would be wildly irresponsible for us to speculate on his state of mind in the two years since we last saw Thomas Crooks," the high school said.

The statement also acknowledged there "is a false claim that Thomas Crooks once threatened violence against the school." In 2019, the school said there was "an unfortunate incident involving threats made by a different student against specific school administrators," but that had "no connection whatsoever to Thomas Crooks."

Fox News' Pilar Arias contributed to this report.

Trump speaks at a campaign rally, Saturday, July 20, 2024, in Grand Rapids, Mich.

Former President Donald Trump paid tribute to Corey Comperatore in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Saturday during his first campaign rally since the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, a week earlier.

The funeral for Comperatore, an ex-fire chief who was fatally struck shielding his wife and daughters from gunfire, was held Friday at Cabot Methodist Church in small town Pennsylvania.

Trump was not in attendance because of Secret Service concerns, the Associated Press reported, citing a source familiar with the matter.

"Corey, as you know, Corey Comperatore was a brave firefighter who died, funeral yesterday, Trump said Saturday in Michigan. "Shielding his wife and daughters from bullets, who shielded them from the bullets of this... this horrendous person. Corey was a hero. And we will carry his memory in our hearts for all time."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The U.S. Secret Service responded Saturday night to a bombshell report that top officials repeatedly denied past pleas to beef up former President Trump's security detail, saying in a statement that it depends on "state or local partners" to fill in gaps when it can't accommodate such requests.

The report from the Washington Post came exactly a week after Trump was shot in Butler, Pennsylvania, while speaking at a rally, prior to his 2024 presidential nomination at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

The gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, had been observed by attendees before the shooting began. The Post reported that, before the July 13 assassination attempt on Trump, top Secret Service officials "repeatedly" denied requests for tighter security measures from Trump's detail. An official granted the interview to the media outlet on the condition of anonymity.

According to the report, agents tasked with protecting Trump requested additional security resources in the past. These requests involved things such as magnetometers or a larger number of personnel to screen guests. Additional snipers had also reportedly been requested in the past.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Andrea Vacchiano, CB Cotton and David Spunt.

Trump pulled an auto worker on stage in Michigan during his first campaign rally after the assassination attempt.

Former President Trump pulled a union worker that he recognized on stage during a campaign rally on Saturday.

Trump was speaking about electric cars when he suddenly recognized an audience member.

"Are you the same guy? Yes? No kidding," Trump said. "Pretty good memory, right? Unlike somebody else that I happen to be running against."

The Republican then encouraged the worker to get up on stage and joked around with him.

"He's a serious union guy, a United Auto Workers [worker]," Trump said. "He does not carry guns. Come on up here, look at him. Look at the shape he's in."

"I'm glad to see this guy," the union worker said energetically at the podium. "I told you, we're gonna get 85 million of us out there to vote for him. So let's go home from this rally and do our part."

Former President Trump survived an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Fox News host Jesse Watters recently conducted a sit-down interview with former President Trump to discuss last week's failed assassination attempt.

The interview, which will premiere on "Jesse Watters Primetime" on Monday night at 8 p.m. ET, featured both Trump and his vice presidential candidate JD Vance. Vance currently serves as a U.S. Senator representing Ohio.

The three men discussed the assassination attempt against the former president last week. Gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks shot at Trump from a roof in the middle of a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, wounding the presidential candidate on his right ear.

Trump revealed during the interview that he was not warned about Crooks by the U.S. Secret Service.

"Nobody mentioned it," the former president replied. "Nobody said it was a problem."

"[They] could've said, 'Let's wait for 15, 20 minutes, 5 minutes.' Nobody said…I think that was a mistake," he added.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News Digital's Andrea Vacchiano.