Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has the “100 percent” support of her immediate superior, impeached Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
“I have 100 percent confidence in the director of the National Security Agency,” Mayorkas told reporters at a White House press conference on Monday. He quickly changed the subject, saying:
I have 100% confidence in the United States Secret Service. The men and women we saw on stage Saturday risking their lives to protect others is exactly what Americans should see every day, and that’s exactly what I do. [see].
Cheatle was appointed by President Joe Biden in August 2022, but her agency is part of Mayorkas’s sprawling department.
Under Cheatle’s watch, a sniper took aim at President Donald Trump from less than 200 yards away, with the bullet slicing off his ear.
Mayorkas was impeached by the House of Representatives in February. In April, the Senate’s Democratic majority rejected impeachment in a rushed, partisan process.
Biden’s press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, later told reporters that the president has “confidence” in Cheatle.
President Joe Biden has chosen someone with a sociology degree to head the U.S. Secret Service.https://t.co/NU1uxNecnR
— Neil Munro (@NeilMunroDC) July 16, 2024
Mayorkas told reporters he would soon set up a committee to investigate the failure.
We intend to launch an independent investigation as soon as possible. We will be reaching out very shortly to individuals who would hopefully lead the independent investigation, and we will convey to those leaders the need for swift action, given the fact that we are dealing with security protocols. I will be committed to going outside the ministry, outside the government, to making sure that there is no question about its independence.
When asked about the timeline, he said, “A few days.”
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas speaks to The Associated Press in an interview at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) headquarters in Washington, Friday, June 21, 2024. (Mark Schiefelbein/The Associated Press)
When asked if the Secret Service had too many personnel, Mayorkas said:
In these circumstances, the Secret Service requires additional resources and capabilities in an election campaign of this magnitude, as it is in every presidential election campaign. We are leveraging resources across the federal government, as well as state and local law enforcement, and will be speaking with members of Congress about the resources we need.
“It’s critical that this independent investigation has the public’s confidence,” Mayorkas said.
