Former Secret Service member speaks about response to Trump's assassination attempt, security at RNC
BALTIMORE -- Lawmakers will hold a hearing next week on the assassination attempt on former President Trump amid several promised investigations into what went wrong.
WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren spoke with Barry Donadio, who served in the Secret Service under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, about the response to the shooting that injured Trump and killed a person at his rally in Pennsylvania.
He is now an alternate delegate for Maryland at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
"I saw agents get to the president within literally two seconds," Donadio said. "All of them were there and they did exactly what they were supposed to do."
"I worked hand in hand with agents and other elements of the Secret Service to protect the president of the United States and vice president as well," he added.
Only one to blame
Donadio said no one is to blame for the attempted assassination of Trump except for the 20-year-old who fired shots at the rally.
"There's only one person to blame in this whole thing is the man with the gun. That's it. We quarterback some of the agents, which is very unfair," he said of the assassination attempt.
"Did exactly what they were supposed to do"
Donadio spoke about the dedication of the agents on the protective detail.
"There's a lot that would go through the mind of an agent who is jumping on the president when shots are fired like, 'Am I going to die next?' …They risk their lives," Danadio said. "They did exactly what they were supposed to do. I'm proud of each and every one of them."
Review on the response
The House Judiciary Committee plans to hold a hearing next week.
CNN spoke to the director of the Secret Service.
"We are doing an internal review, and we look forward to the external review as well, and obviously, if there are things we need to change about our policies or our procedures or our methods, we are certainly going to do so," director Kimberly Cheatle said.
Representative Andy Harris, Maryland's only Republican in the U.S. Congress, called for Cheatle to resign.
RNC security
Trump has visibly increased security during the convention.
Authorities still have not determined the gunman's motive at Saturday's rally.
Officers around the country, including from Maryland, are working to keep the RNC safe.
"I see Secret Service everywhere. I see capital police from Washington, DC," Donadio said.
"No room for violence"
Donadio told WJZ he is proud to represent Maryland and support Trump—and said no matter your political affiliation, there is no room for violence.
"It does have to get cooled down. We all just have to get back to basics and remember that we're all Americans and try to get along," he said.
Republican U.S. Senate candidate and former governor Larry Hogan echoed those comments in an interview with CBS News.
"The attempted assassination of the former president kind of brings to a head all that concern about the kind of angry, toxic politics, the divisive rhetoric and about how important it is to lower the temperature," Hogan said.
Hogan told CBS News, "Instead of just mentioning one time we're going to start lowering the temperature and use less angry and less divisive rhetoric, I think that's what we've got to see continuing throughout the rest of this campaign."
A law enforcement source said U.S. Secret Service screened more than 15,000 people at the Pennsylvania rally.