US lawmakers grilled Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle at a hearing Monday, with members from both parties calling for her resignation following the assassination attempt on Donald Trump earlier this month.
In his opening statement, Cheatle acknowledged that the Secret Service failed on July 13, when a 20-year-old gunman opened fire on the former president from a rooftop near a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump survived but suffered a cut to his ear, and a rally attendee, former fire chief Corey Comperatore, was killed in the attack. Two others were wounded.
“As Director of the U.S. Secret Service, I take full responsibility for any lapses in security in our agency. We are cooperating fully with the ongoing investigation. We must find out what happened, and I will do everything in my power to ensure that an incident like July 13 never happens again,” Cheatle told a House oversight committee, as reported by The GuardianTuesday (23/7).
Cheatle acknowledged that Secret Service agents were alerted to suspicious individuals at Trump rallies between two and five times before the gunman opened fire. The committee’s Republican chairman, James Comer, lamented the assassination attempt as a horrific moment in American history and demanded that Cheatle submit his resignation.
“While we express our deepest gratitude to the Secret Service agents who performed their duties under tremendous pressure, this tragedy was preventable. I strongly believe, Director Cheatle, that you should resign,” Comer said.
Lawmakers repeatedly pressed Cheatle on how the security lapses could have occurred, but the director sidestepped many of their questions, reminding lawmakers that the investigation into the shooting was still in its early stages. Cheatle again told Comer that he could not say how many Secret Service agents were assigned to assist Trump on the day of the incident.
Read also: Biden Asks Americans to Remain Calm After Donald Trump Was Shot
Cheatle denied allegations that the Secret Service denied the Trump campaign’s request for additional security on July 13, telling lawmakers. “The assets requested that day were provided,” he said.
But Cheatle became more cryptic when Republican congressman Jim Jordan pressed him on whether the Secret Service had turned down previous requests for additional security at Trump campaign events. “It seems like you’re not going to answer some basic questions. And you’re cutting corners when it comes to protecting one of the most important individuals, one of the most famous individuals on the planet,” Jordan said.
Several Republicans were openly aggressive in their questioning of Cheatle, with Nancy Mace calling his explanations “full of nonsense.” Democrats joined in the criticism, and at least two of them, Jamie Raskin and Ro Khanna, echoed Republican calls for Cheatle to resign.
Read also: Condemning the Shooting of Donald Trump, DPR: A Reminder to Respect Differences of Opinion
Khanna compared the situation to the aftermath of the 1981 assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan. The Secret Service director at the time, Stuart Knight, resigned a few months after Reagan was shot.
“Do you really believe that the majority of this country believes in you right now?” Khanna asked.
Cheatle responded by saying “I believe this country deserves answers, and I am committed to finding those answers and providing those answers.”
Also read: Trump Shooting Moments: Suspect Was Already Suspected During Security Screening
When asked when further answers would be available, Cheatle said the agency hoped to complete its internal investigation within 60 days, a timeframe that drew criticism from committee members.
“The idea of a report coming out in 60 days when the threat environment is so high in the United States, regardless of party, is unacceptable,” said progressive congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. She added, “This is not a charade. This is not about a power grab. This is about the safety of some of the most targeted and valuable targets internationally and domestically in the United States.”
Raskin, the top Democrat on the oversight committee, agreed with the call for the Secret Service to be held accountable, adding that lawmakers should take into account the broader issue of gun violence in the U.S. He noted that the attack on Trump’s rally wasn’t even the deadliest shooting on July 13, as four people were killed later that day after a gunman opened fire at an Alabama nightclub.
“What happened in Butler, Pennsylvania, was a double whammy: the failure of the Secret Service to properly protect Donald Trump and the failure of Congress to protect our people from criminal gun violence,” Raskin said. “That’s why we must also ask hard questions about whether our laws make it easier for would-be murderers and criminals to acquire firearms in general and AR-15 assault rifles in particular.”
With Republicans in control of the House, it seems unlikely that a gun safety bill will pass Congress anytime soon. And after Cheatle’s performance it seems even less likely that he will be able to stay in office much longer. (P-5)
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