SEAL Team 6 Sniper Destroys Secret Service's Sloped Roof Claim, Praises Trump's Reaction

A former SEAL Team 6 sniper isn't buying the Secret Service's excuse that sloped roofs can't have security on them.

Donald Trump narrowly left a Pennsylvania rally with his life after a gunman shot him in the ear from an unsecured roof about 130 yards away.

Secret Service snipers quickly returned fire and killed gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks. In the immediate aftermath, one of the first questions people had was how the hell did Crooks get on the roof? Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle claims no security team was on the roof because it had a slight slope to it.

"That building in particular has a sloped roof at its highest point. And so, you know, there's a safety factor that would be considered there that we wouldn't want to put somebody up on a sloped roof. And so, you know, the decision was made to secure the building, from inside," Cheatle told ABC News. Chris Fettes says that's simply not realistic.

SEAL Team 6 sniper dismantles Secret Service sloped roof claim

"No that’s stupid, of course you can. It may be a little more difficult, but you always put them on the highest ground possible," Fettes bluntly told me when I asked about the sloped roof claim. Not only does he say it's possible, but it sounds like it's pretty standard.

"We call those non-standard shooting positions," the former SEAL Team 6 sniper further elaborated. Just how open are the options? If you can see it, you might be able to get set up on it.

"There’s ways to set up on anything. Helicopter, angled roof, hell a f*cking tree if you needed," he explained. The former operator also isn't alone in his opinion.

A former Army operator speaking on background had a very similar reaction, and told me, "You can easily be on a sloped roof to shoot. Based on the pitch of the roof will determine your body position. If needed it’s easy to secure a safety line to one of the structures on the roof to maintain your position."

A third source of mine - a former Delta Force commando - told me that the claim from the Secret Service is "complete bulls*t."

"The counter sniper team that engaged him was on a roof with way more slope. It’s been years since I have worked or trained with USSS but that as a reason is ridiculous. The question everyone should be asking is why Trump was allowed to go up on stage with a potential threat having been identified already. Additionally, he was seen with a Rangefinder hours prior. If they lost contact, they should have delayed until he was re-acquired," the former commando explained.

Former SEAL Team 6 sniper Chris Fettes reacts to the Secret Service's outrageous sloped roof claim. (Photo by Rebecca DROKE / AFP) (Photo by REBECCA DROKE/AFP via Getty Images)

What did Fettes think of Trump's reaction? Both he and the Army operator were very impressed by what they saw. Fettes, who has appeared on American Joyride twice, said it's something that simply can't be taught.

"With Trump; that fist raise with no fear for his own life and care to what the public thinks - that’s something unteachable. Fight or flight. Often SOF (Special Operations Forces) selectees find this out in combat. Some of them have to leave because they didn’t know they always react in ‘flight’ to combat. I was grateful to find out I react in ‘fight’ like Trump did," he explained. That's one hell of an assessment of Trump's defiant response to surviving a sniper's bullet, and the Army operator more or less felt the same.

"Shows a strong leader that is defiant to those threatening the true values of the USA," the former Army commando added in when I asked what he thought about Trump's reaction.

Donald Trump is lucky to be alive after surviving a sniper's bullet. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The Secret Service director's claim about a sloped roof made no sense the moment I heard it, and men with actual experience have now completely dismantled it. The public needs and deserves clear answers about what mistakes were made, and we need accountability. Nobody with experience believes for a second a sniper team can't be on a sloped roof. Let me know what you think at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.