Two men who were shot and injured during the assassination attempt on Republican candidate Donald Trump this summer in Pennsylvania denounce the “negligence” of the secret services there.
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During an interview with the American media NBC News, Jim Copenhaver, 74, and David Dutch, 57, indicated that they were very happy to have been chosen to be behind the former American president during his rally before being shot and wounded by the shooter.
Donald Trump was hit in the ear in the process and one person died.
Mr. Copenhaver was hit in the triceps and abdomen, while Mr. Dutch was shot in the liver.
“I turned to a friend, and I said, ‘I think I’ve been shot,’ and that’s when I got the second shot and fell down,” he said. 74 year old man.
The shooter, Thomas Matthew Cook, was killed by authorities at the scene before he could cause any more casualties.
Mr. Copenhaven and Mr. Dutch survived, but the latter says he has lost 30 pounds and has had to walk with a cane since the event.
They both denounce the work of the secret services during this event, which, according to them, could have been avoided.
“I think there was 100% negligence on the part of the secret services and probably everyone involved in security, right down to internal communications,” says David Dutch, in an interview with NBCNews. It was terrible.”
For his part, Mr. Dutch considers that the secret services have failed him.
“All the security was bad,” he said. I am angry that this situation happened. It should never have happened.”
The director of the American secret service, Kimberly Cheatle, resigned following this incident this summer.
A first internal investigation by the secret services also detected numerous flaws in the planning of the event by its teams upstream before the Trump rally.
The American army subsequently announced that it would lend a hand to the secret services in the protection of presidential candidates.
