Secret Service director gives bizarre reason why an agent wasn't on the roof where gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire on Trump as she rejects calls to resign

Embattled Secret Service caput Kimberly Cheatle has revealed nan fateful logic why her agency grounded to position an supplier connected apical of nan building that a gunman utilized to transportation retired an assassination effort connected Donald Trump. 

Cheatle, who is already facing calls to resign complete what immoderate lawmakers are calling a monolithic information failure, said Secret Service officials readying information for Trump's rally successful Butler, Pennsylvania considered nan storage astir 150 yards distant from wherever Trump said to beryllium a risky position for stationing an agent.

'That building successful peculiar has a sloped tile astatine its highest point. And so, you know, there's a information facet that would beryllium considered location that we wouldn't want to put personification up connected a sloped roof,' she told ABC News successful an question and reply Tuesday.

'And so, you know, nan determination was made to unafraid nan building, from inside.'

What transpired alternatively was a information nightmare: Thomas Matthew Crooks was capable to standard nan building and unafraid his ain position, while rule enforcement struggled to find him moreover amid pressing warnings from members of nan Trump crowd.  But location wasn't capable clip to enactment connected nan tips, she explalined.

'The shooter was really identified arsenic a imaginable personification of suspicion,' Cheatle said. 'Unfortunately, pinch nan accelerated succession of really things unfolded, by nan clip that individual was yet located, they were connected nan rooftop and were capable to occurrence disconnected astatine nan erstwhile president.'

Cheatle told ABC News her first guidance to nan shooting was 'shock.'

She besides said nan Secret Service was alert of nan information vulnerabilities presented by nan building Crooks took a sniper's position connected to purpose astatine Trump. However, a determination was made not to spot immoderate unit connected nan roof.

She besides continues to defy calls that she measurement down complete nan incident, moreover while taking work for her agency.

'The subordinate stops pinch me,' she said. 

'It was unacceptable,' she told ABC. 'And it's thing that shouldn't hap again.' 

President Biden sewage asked by NBC Monday whether he has assurance successful nan Secret Service. 

'I consciousness safe pinch nan Secret Service. But look ... what we did spot was nan Secret Service who responded risked their lives responding. They were fresh to springiness their lives for nan president. The mobility is should they person anticipated what happened. Should they person done what they needed to do to forestall this from happening? That's nan mobility that's an unfastened question.'

He didn't respond straight erstwhile NBC's Lester Holt asked him if nan agency suffered a 'massive information failure.'