Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle is scheduled to testify before the House Oversight Committee on Monday about the circumstances surrounding the assassination attempt on former President Trump, but her leadership has been met with intense criticism and calls for her resignation.
The House Oversight Committee issued a subpoena last week to Cheatle as part of its public investigation into the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, that left Trump shot in the ear, one attendee dead and two others injured.
Secret Service public affairs director Anthony Guglielmi confirmed her attendance Friday in a statement.
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Former President Trump was quickly escorted off the stage during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
“The Secret Service accepts full responsibility for the safety of those it protects. We are committed to better understanding what happened before, during and after the assassination attempt on former President Trump and to ensuring that it never happens again, including working with Congress, the FBI and other relevant law enforcement agencies.”
In the wake of the shooting, Republicans and some Democrats immediately raised questions about the Secret Service’s response, including how the gunman was able to get so close to the former president and fire multiple shots from his gun. In a letter to Cheatle, Commission Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) accused the Secret Service of a lack of transparency in issuing the subpoenas.
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Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle holds a press conference in Chicago on June 4. (Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images)
“The American people are demanding an explanation from Director Kimberly Cheatle for the Secret Service’s historic security failures that led to the assassination attempt on President Trump, the killing of innocent victims, and the harm to others in the crowd. We look forward to Director Cheatle’s testimony on Monday, July 22, to provide the transparency and accountability that the American people deserve,” Comer said following confirmation that Director Cheatle will testify.
In addition to the Oversight Committee hearings, the House Homeland Security Committee has also requested hearings and issued subpoenas for documents to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. In the Senate, Homeland Security Committee Chairman Gary Peters (D-MI) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) have both opened investigations. The Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General is also investigating the Secret Service’s handling of the rally.
In a sign of the pressure Cheatle will face, several Republican senators confronted him at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday.
“This is an assassination attempt. He owes the American people an explanation. He owes President Trump an explanation,” said Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.).
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Mr Cheatle, meanwhile, called the shooting “unacceptable” and said it “should never happen again”.
“The responsibility is mine,” she told ABC News last week. “I am the director of the Secret Service and I have to make sure that we conduct investigations and provide resources to our personnel as needed.”
But after intense criticism from lawmakers, the Secret Service said she had no plans to resign.
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“During any significant incident, continuity of operations is paramount, and Director of the U.S. Secret Service Kimberly Cheatle has no intention of resigning,” Guglielmi said in a statement. “She has deep respect for members of Congress and is committed to leading the Secret Service transparently through our internal investigations and strengthening the agency through lessons learned from these important internal and external investigations.”
