Rachel Vindman, whose husband Alexander Vindman was a key witness in the first impeachment of former President Donald Trump, backpedaled on Monday after facing a virtual tidal wave of backlash for something she said about the second assassination attempt on Trump’s life.

In her initial post, Vindman referenced the first assassination attempt — which took place on July 13th in Pennsylvania — where firefighter Corey Comperatore was killed, two others were seriously injured, and Trump was shot in the ear. Because the shooter on Sunday was apprehended without ever firing a shot at Trump, she said. “No ears were harmed. Carry one with your Sunday afternoon.”

She later doubled down, saying that she was not even a little bit sorry for “triggering” people with her comment. But by Monday, she had changed her tune.

Am I Racist? Is In Theaters NOW — Get Your Tickets Here!

“I have deleted my tweet. It was flippant & political violence is a serious issue,” she said via X. “Whether it’s aimed at a former president, the media, immigrants, or political ‘enemies’ & every incident should be addressed appropriately if we want to change the tenor of our political discourse.”

I have deleted my tweet. It was flippant & political violence is a serious issue. Whether it’s aimed at a former president, the media, immigrants, or political “enemies” & every incident should be addressed appropriately if we want to change the tenor of our political discourse.

— Rachel Vindman 🇺🇸🦅🌻 (@natsechobbyist) September 16, 2024

Vindman continued her thoughts in a brief thread, pivoting immediately from her apology into a justification of her initial comments and the suggestion that she, in fact, was the real victim.

“I have sat awake many nights wondering who might be outside. I have known the instant fear of receiving an unknown package or letter. I have had my child ask me if we were safe and if someone was going to hurt our family,” she said.

With social media it’s easy to say the wrong thing and then walk away, but if words matter for some they should matter for all. I don’t always get it right the first time. I’m grateful to all who have supported us throughout the past five years.

— Rachel Vindman 🇺🇸🦅🌻 (@natsechobbyist) September 16, 2024

“With social media it’s easy to say the wrong thing and then walk away, but if words matter for some they should matter for all. I don’t always get it right the first time. I’m grateful to all who have supported us throughout the past five years.”

Critics were not sure she meant it, however, and responded accordingly.

“I’m normally pretty forgiving about this stuff, but have a hard time believing this. The Vindmans have consistently been supremely narcissistic, they doubled down on her tweet for hours and this is happening only after it’s proven politically damaging,” Mark Hemingway posted.

I’m normally pretty forgiving about this stuff, but have a hard time believing this. The Vindmans have consistently been supremely narcissistic, they doubled down on her tweet for hours and this is happening only after it’s proven politically damaging. https://t.co/8jcZ2wKyqZ

— Mark Hemingway (@Heminator) September 16, 2024

“She went from ‘sorry you’re triggered. I mean no I’m not. I don’t care a little bit’ to ‘political violence is a serious issue,'” Greg Price added.

She went from “sorry you’re triggered. I mean no I’m not. I don’t care a little bit” to “political violence is a serious issue.” https://t.co/G03nZ9OQ1F pic.twitter.com/elEEyAY94Q

— Greg Price (@greg_price11) September 16, 2024

Vindman’s brother-in-law is currently running for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in Virginia.

GOP Sen. Josh Hawley released a detailed 22-page report Monday on security failures surrounding former president Donald Trump’s July 13 Butler, Pennsylvania, rally at which the former president was shot and a rallygoer was killed.

The Missouri senator’s report called the Butler security failures the “most stunning breakdown in presidential security since the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan.” The results of Hawley’s investigation come a day after Trump survived another assassination attempt, this time at his Mar-a-Lago Florida resort.

🚨🚨 NEW – Following the latest assassination attempt on ⁦⁦@realDonaldTrump⁩, I’m releasing a comprehensive Whistleblower Report on the multiple failures of Secret Service & DHS – including new allegations & numerous unanswered questions due to USSS stonewalling pic.twitter.com/Rxcim9N05U

— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) September 16, 2024

As part of the investigation, Hawley traveled to Butler and the site of the attempt on Trump’s life “to interview whistleblowers, opened up a whistleblower tip line, and encouraged those with relevant information to tell their stories.” The report reveals several previously unknown details about the July 13 assassination attempt.

“The resulting findings are highly damaging to the credibility of the Secret Service and DHS. They reveal a compounding pattern of negligence, sloppiness, and gross incompetence that goes back years, all of which culminated in an assassination attempt that came inches from succeeding,” the report says.

Hawley’s report alleges that the “Secret Service’s Counter Surveillance Division, which performs threat assessments of event sites, did not perform a typical evaluation of the Butler site and was not present on the day of the rally.”

The report also calls the lead site agent responsible for securing the rally “incompetent.” 

“That incompetence led to the placement of items like flags around the Butler stage and catwalk, impairing visibility,” the report states. It added that the “lead agent responsible for the entire Butler visit, including the rally, failed a key examination during their federal law enforcement training to become a Secret Service agent.”

In addition to security problems at the rally site, the hospital that Trump was taken to was also poorly secured in the aftermath of the assassination attempt.

“The hospital site where former President Trump received treatment after the shooting was poorly secured, and the hospital site agent could not answer basic questions about site security,” the report says.

The report comes a day after authorities arrested suspected would-be assassin Ryan Routh, 58, after he allegedly sat in hiding in an attempt to shoot Trump as he played golf on his Mar-a-Lago course on Sunday. Routh allegedly fled the scene after Secret Service agents noticed the barrel of a gun sticking out of a fence and opened fire.

Routh had previously posted about Trump on social media, saying in one comment: “While you were my choice in [2016], I and the world hoped that president Trump would be different and better than the candidate, but we all were greatly disappointment [sic] and it seems you are getting worse and devolving. I will be glad when you gone.”