Melania Trump criticises police for not seizing Donald’s shooter sooner and says there is ‘definitely more’ to the case

10 September 2024, 21:05 | Updated: 10 September 2024, 21:10

Melania Trump has urged for an investigation to take place into the police responses to the attempted assasination of former President Donald Trump.

In a video posted to X, the former first lady hit out at the "silence" around the investigation and vowed to uncover the truth.

In a powerful video, she tells viewers:"The attempt to end my husband's life was a horrible distressing experience.

"Now, the silence around it feels heavy. I can't help but wonder why didn't law enforcement officials arrest the shooter before the speech.

"There is definitely more to this story and we need to uncover the truth."

In the clip, the former first lady wore all black and had a black background with half of her body cast in darkness.

At the end of the video, there is a shot of her new memoir, an all-white book featuring the title, Melania, written on the front, alongside details of how to preorder.

When Trump was shot in the ear on July 13, the Secret Service and law enforcement were strongly critiqued during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

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The gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks was able to shoot at the former president from a roof approximately 400 to 450 feet away from the stage.

An inquiry into the shooting showed that countersnipers were aware of Crook's presence for more than 100 minutes before the shooting.

Footage from the rally also reveals spectators pointing out the man before shots were heard.

Following the shooting, a haunting image was revealed of Crooks scrolling his phone mere minutes before the attack.

In the photos, the 20-year appeared relaxed, but the bodycam footage from police offices who confronted him on the roof, which was later unearthed, detailed the chaos unfolding.

In an additional bodycam video, officers seemed to be confused as to why the roof where Crooks shot from was unmanned.

One office could be heard saying: "I thought you were on the roof?"

There was also a lot of confusion regarding whether Crooks had been taken out and why it wasn't done before he opened fire.

"If you’d all had a gun up there … I’d have shot him," one officer said.

"He wouldn’t have ripped out a gun up there."

With more details emerging, and further critique, Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned from her post after demands for her to step down from multiple House lawmakers.

In he resignation letter she said: "The Secret Service's solemn mission is to protect our nation's leaders and financial infrastructure. On July 13th, we fell short on that mission.

"The scrutiny over the last week has been intense and will continue to remain as our operational tempo increases.

"As your Director, I take full responsibility for the security lapse."