On Monday morning, both Republicans and Democrats united on Capitol Hill to demand the resignation of Secret Service Director, Kimberly Cheatle. This move comes in the wake of the House Oversight Committee’s hearing on the unsuccessful assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
In a rare show of bipartisanship, both Republicans and Democrats gathered on Capitol Hill on Monday morning and demanded the resignation of Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle. This move came after the House Oversight Committee’s hearing on the failed assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
Both parties found themselves in a rare moment of alignment, sharing anger and concern over the security lapse that nearly resulted in harm to the Republican presidential nominee.
Members of Congress expressed their exasperation with the agency’s inadequate responses, prompting Republican Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., and Ranking Member Jamie Raskin, D-Md., to demand the resignation of Cheatle in a letter.
The letter addressed the Director’s inability to answer basic questions about a recent operational failure, causing concern among the American people. It went on to call for the Director’s resignation, citing the need for new leadership to address the crisis and rebuild trust with Congress and the American public.
Instead of providing the American public with answers regarding the cause of the abject failure, she avoided questions by referring to an ongoing investigation.
During the hearing, Raskin posed a question that he believed was on the minds of many Americans: how was it possible for a 20-year-old to climb onto a roof with a direct line of sight to the speaker’s podium, armed with his father’s AR-15 assault weapon, without being stopped by local police or secret service?
Cheatle responded by saying, “Sir, I would like to reiterate that we are currently nine days out from this event and I share your interest in obtaining those answers. That is precisely why we are conducting a thorough investigation to determine the facts.”
On The Hill welcomes Democratic congressman and ranking member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, Glenn Ivey, to shed light on the ongoing investigation of the security lapses during the attempted assassination of former US President, Donald Trump. Secret Service Director, Kimberly Cheatle’s appearance before Congress is also a topic of discussion. It has only been a week since the incident occurred, and the investigation is still ongoing.
During the inquiry, Cheatle was questioned about the absence of agents on the roof from where the shooter targeted the podium. In response, she mentioned that they are currently awaiting the completion of the investigation.
According to her, the agency had prior knowledge of the roof being a weak point a few days before the event, and they had informed the Secret Service about a suspicious individual on multiple occasions, ranging from two to five times, before the shooting occurred.
According to Cheatle, she will be able to provide additional details within the next 60 days, as she informed the lawmakers.
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, expressed her concerns about the timing of the upcoming report release. She stated that the report’s release in 60 days is not acceptable, considering the current high threat environment in the United States. She emphasized that this issue is not a matter of political competition but rather a matter of securing the safety of the most valuable and targeted domestic and international targets.
According to Cheatle, the Secret Service had turned down Donald Trump’s appeals for heightened security measures at his events prior to the assassination attempt. However, Cheatle clarified that the Secret Service did not refuse any assets for the Butler, Pennsylvania event.
