Republican lawmakers protested after administration officials ended a brief call discussing security failings that led to the near assassination of President Donald Trump.
“This was a complete deflection brief,” Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) told congressional reporters after the brief briefing on Wednesday. “The head of the Secret Service should resign,” he added.
“The briefing was awful…there was not enough time for questions,” Rep. Randy Weber (R-Texas) said. He told Politico.
The two briefings, aimed at members of the House and Senate, were given by FBI Director Christopher Wray and Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, and ran for the scheduled 30 minutes, with only a few members of Congress allowed to ask questions.
The termination infuriated Republican lawmakers.
In my 13 years as a senator, I have never seen an explanation end after answering just four questions.
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) July 17, 2024
Politico described some of the little information provided to elected politicians:
On July 6, the attacker searched for information about where President Trump would speak on July 13 and where the Democratic National Convention would be held. The attacker’s phone used an encrypted platform linked to Germany, New Zealand and Belgium. The FBI has asked 30 companies for information and is waiting for responses from more than 10.
The briefing did not quell growing Republican criticism of Cheatle, including Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who called on Twitter for Cheatle’s resignation.
“Last week’s near assassination of former President Trump was a grave attack on American democracy. The public deserves accountability and responsibility. New leadership for the Secret Service would be an important step in that direction.”
— Leader McConnell (@LeaderMcConnell) July 17, 2024
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) also called on the director of the Secret Service to resign and called on his boss, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, to go on camera.
Why have we heard so little from Secretary Mayorkas?
Shouldn’t he be keen to point out and address failures within his department?
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) July 17, 2024
Mayorkas is at the center of the scandal because his department includes the Secret Service, and so far he has avoided public questioning while trying to appoint his own panel of experts to investigate the agency’s failings.
In a series of tweets, Lee described the turmoil in the administration.
