The chairman of a special House committee convened to consider the assassination attempt on President-elect Trump said the Secret Service, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), “stripped them of their identity and monopoly. ” he said.
“They don't have the leadership they need…When they turned them into the Department of Homeland Security in 2001…each time they took away their identity and exclusivity,” said Rep. Mike Kelly, R-S.C. Pennsylvania) told CBS News' Margaret Brennan. Task force ranking member Jason Crow (D-Colorado) was also featured in an interview on “Face the Nation” that aired Sunday.
Previously part of the Treasury Department, the Secret Service became part of DHS in 2003.
“When you're the best of the best, the elite of the elite, and you lose that, all of a sudden you're a part of the team,” Kelly said in an interview with CBS News.
On Thursday, Mr. Kelly's task force held its final meeting to grill the acting Secret Service chief and will soon vote to release its final report.
The Secret Service has recently come under intense scrutiny over the assassination attempt on President-elect Donald Trump, and the current acting Secret Service Director, Ronald Lowe, has resigned following the resignation of his predecessor, who was criticized by lawmakers for a lack of transparency. is holding the position.
“Let me tell you, on July 13, there was a lack of professionalism, a lack of concern, a lack of coordination and communication skills that I will never understand,” Kelly told Brennan. , refers to the day the first Trump assassination attempt occurred.
Back in 2020, the Trump administration was considering options to return the Secret Service to the Treasury Department.
Former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told Fox News at the time: “We think it will be very helpful in combating money laundering and terrorist activity.”
The Hill has reached out to DHS and the Secret Service for comment.
