SACHA PFEIFFER, HOST:
The U.S. Secret Service is under intense scrutiny because of last weekend's attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania, a rally at which he was under Secret Service protection. One bystander was killed, two were injured and Trump's right ear was hit by a bullet. Alejandro Mayorkas is secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. The Secret Service is a component agency of DHS, and Mayorkas joins me now. Good morning.
ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS: Good morning, Sacha.
PFEIFFER: Can you share your understanding of why and how a shooter ended up with a direct line of sight to former President Trump?
MAYORKAS: Sacha, let me begin by saying that we are incredibly grateful that former President Trump is OK. There indeed was a failure on Saturday. But the matter is the subject of a criminal investigation by the FBI, as well as the subject of an independent review that the president has commissioned, so I cannot speak to the facts of Saturday's event.
PFEIFFER: At President Biden's direction, the Secret Service will now provide protection to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the independent presidential candidate. We had a guest on the air this week who said Secret Service resources are stretched, and this, of course, would stretch them further. How equipped is the Secret Service to handle this extra work and do it well?
MAYORKAS: What the Secret Service has historically done - because it has historically been stretched in resources, and we have called upon Congress to supplement those resources and we will once again renew our calls. What we do is we draw upon other capabilities in the department and across the federal government. And so our Homeland Security investigations personnel, our TSA law enforcement personnel are deployed to assist the Secret Service. Those are just some examples. And we work very closely with state and local law enforcement at events around the country, draw upon their capabilities to secure events and individuals.
PFEIFFER: You've said you don't want to share details about why there was a failure last weekend, but who would have made the call not to have that rooftop covered?
MAYORKAS: I appreciate the importance of the question that you pose, but I'm not in a position to answer that because of the pending criminal investigation, as well as the important matter that an independent review that has the integrity of independence and will instill confidence in the findings and the recommendations will run its course with urgency and communicate the answer to your question.
PFEIFFER: The former New York police commissioner, Bill Bratton, who's also a member of the Homeland Security Advisory Council, made the observation, his words, there's a potential for people to lose their positions as a result of this. Do you anticipate people losing jobs over last weekend?
MAYORKAS: As I articulated yesterday from the podium at the White House, I have 100% confidence in the director of the United States Secret Service, a dedicated, career-long law enforcement officer.
PFEIFFER: That's Kimberly Cheatle.
MAYORKAS: Yes, it is.
PFEIFFER: But other people might have been responsible. Can you see other people losing their jobs?
MAYORKAS: We are focused on learning from the event and adopting those lessons to be stronger and better, and that is the focus. And we are now in the midst of the Republican National Convention, and our focus is on making sure that is a successful event that remains safe and secure.
PFEIFFER: That is Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas. Thank you for your time.
MAYORKAS: Thank you, Sacha. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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