Bette Midler's comments about the Secret Service are taking off online, following the attempted assassination on Donald Trump.
"Head of Secret Service resigns, and out the door reminds her interlocutors that security agents did not deem the shooter a threat [because] the rifle range finder he was carrying was 'not a prohibited item,'" the actress and gun control advocate wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday.
"GET IT?" the Emmy winner continued. "You can't have it both ways. Give them guns and someone will get shot."
Trump was at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13 when gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks open fired with an AR-15-style weapon. The former president was hit in the right ear before being rushed offstage by Secret Service agents.
One rally attendee was killed during the attack, while two more were injured. Crooks was neutralized by a Secret Service sniper at the scene.
Since the shooting occurred, the Secret Service and local law enforcement have been under close scrutiny, with questions raised about how Crooks was able to get as close as he did to Trump.
The 20-year-old kitchen worker from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, fired from a roof roughly 130 yards away from the podium. The building was being used as a staging area by police.
On Tuesday, Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Colonel Christopher Paris said that local law enforcement noticed Crooks behaving strangely outside the rally.
"My understanding was that he was milling about and he stood out to them because he never made his way to a point of ingress to the venue," he said, adding that Crooks was seen with a range finder. The item is used on guns, cameras and other devices where distance needs to be measured.
It's claimed rally attendees spotted Crooks on the roof and attempted to alert the Secret Service. A police officer tried to prevent the shooting, climbing onto the roof, but Crooks pointed a gun at him, forcing him to retreat.
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned on Tuesday after a bipartisan congressional hearing on the assassination attempt. In an email to staff, Cheatle said she takes "full responsibility for the security lapse."
Middler's post caused mixed reactions online, with some users praising the 78-year-old actress and singer. It had amassed 206,000 views within 24 hours of her posting.
"Yes 100 percent," commented user Amber Dawn.
"Sad, that it was people in the stands who were shot," wrote Armand Hamouth.
"Thank you my favorite singer and dancer from the days when politics were not quite so polarizing," said Ray Rip.
"However, others took issue with the post, with user Angela writing: "A range finder isn't a gun."
"That comment is absurd," said Jerry.
"I have numerous guns and no one has been shot by them," wrote Jack Buckles.
"Should we ban all alcohol because of a few drunk drivers?" asked Sabrina Barlow, while Feral Fawcett said: "I love when people who have no tangible knowledge of firearms try to talk about firearms."
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