‘Abysmal Failure’: Ex-NYPD Cop John Cardillo Hammers Secret Service Over Trump Shooting

AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar

John Cardillo , a former NYPD officer who worked alongside the Secret Service before retiring and gaining prominence as a pro-Trump influencer, decried law enforcement’s handling of the apparent assassination attempt on the former president’s life.

In Cardillo’s view, the chaotic scene at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania was the result of “a complete abysmal failure on the part of the Secret Service.”

There is “no way to explain it,” Cardillo said. “It defies every security protocol.”

Soon after the shooting, the Secret Service came under scrutiny for failing to thwart the gunman, who was somehow able to climb to a rooftop just 400 feet from the stage from which Trump spoke and open fire on the crowd, grazing Trump and killing one rally attendee before being shot dead by snipers.

The Secret Service announced on Saturday it will conduct an investigation into the shooting. James Comer , the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, has already contacted the Secret Service for a briefing and sent a formal invitation to Kimberly Cheatle , the director of the Secret Service, to voluntarily testify on July 22.

Cardillo said it is “unheard of to not have law enforcement personnel on the rooftop.”

“For every agent you see, typically there are several you don’t,” he said. “The shooter had direct access to Trump from the roof. An easy straight shot from an elevated position. The shooter was in the most advantageous position and Trump was in the most vulnerable. It’s particularly troubling because this rooftop had a direct line in sight to Trump and it was an easy shot that was about 140 yards which is an easy shot with a rifle.”

The gunfire grazed Trump’s ear, leaving him bloodied but not seriously wounded. He was rushed to the hospital and released soon after, taking to Truth Social to thank the Secret Service for their response.

“If he didn’t turn his head, that shot would have been fatal,” Cardillo said. “He is the luckiest unluckiest person alive. He turned his head at that split second. That’s what saved his life or from serious injury. That round could have torn into his skull.”

After Trump went down under the protection of several Secret Service agents, he was lifted up and taken off the stage. But not before stopping for several moments to put his shoes on and raise his fist to the crowd in defiance of the attack. That moment created photos of Trump that will no doubt go down in history, but it is another failure of the Secret Service, Cardillo said.

“The photo of Trump with blood on his face and pumping his fist should not have happened,” Cardillo said. “He was left exposed by his security. He should have been off the stage by then. No one in law enforcement thinks this was handled well. While it will be an iconic photo in history it should not have happened. They should not have let him get his shoes, they should have never let him stop to reassure the crowd. It’s mind-blowing how poorly it was handled. Basic protocol even if you had to pick him up and throw him into the car. You didn’t know if this was a coordinated attack. The thing you do is get your principal the hell out of there and into that secure vehicle. They had no idea if there were other shooters in the crowd or a lonewolf to allow him to expose was horribly wrong.”

Cardillo pointed to the 1981 assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan and remarked: “We learned a lot since then. There has been forty years of training. This should not have happened.”

The FBI’s latest statement on the shooting identified the gunman as 20-year-old Pennsylvania resident Thomas Matthew Crooks . Their investigation is ongoing.