Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle acknowledged at the start of a House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing on Monday that the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump was a huge blunder, but said she was still the best person for the job.
“The July 13 assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump was the Secret Service’s largest operational failure in decades, and my thoughts are with Mr. Trump and his family,” Cheatle said. “The Secret Service’s solemn mission is to protect our nation’s leaders. On July 13, we failed. As Director of the United States Secret Service, I take full responsibility for our agency’s security failings.”
“I don’t think this is a partisan thing.”
Cheatle avoided answering many of the questions from Republican and Democratic lawmakers about the assassination attempt, citing the ongoing investigation. When asked why the roof the shooter used was unsecured, Cheatle said it was outside the secured area. There were plans for increased surveillance of the rally, but authorities were still investigating why the roof was unsecured, she said.
Rep. Virginia Foxx, a Republican, pressed Cheatle on whether she was really the best person to lead a key law enforcement agency.
“I believe I am the best person to lead the Secret Service at this time,” Cheatle responded.
The hearing drew bipartisan calls for Cheatle to resign, with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) pressing him to reiterate that Saturday’s shooting was a failure by his agency.
“I don’t think this is a partisan thing. When there’s an assassination attempt on a president, a former president, a candidate, they need to resign,” Khanna said, pointing to Attorney General Stuart Knight, who resigned after the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (New York) Torn Cheatle was criticised for failing to provide “answers” nearly 10 days after the shooting.
“The idea that a report would be completed within 60 days, much less before any actionable decisions can be made, is simply unacceptable. We are 10 days away from an assassination attempt on a former president. We need answers,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censorship and sign up for our newsletter to get stories like this directly to your inbox. Register here!
