Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina moved Monday to force an impeachment vote against U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, ratcheting up pressure on the embattled head of the agency following the assassination attempt on former President Trump earlier this month.
Rep. Mace’s effort, which would require leadership to act on the resolution within two days of its enactment, comes just one week after a shooting at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, that injured Trump, killed one rally attendee, and seriously injured two more.
The announcement also came hours after lawmakers from both parties grilled Cheatle at an Oversight Committee hearing, leaving lawmakers frustrated and angry.
Mace harshly criticized Cheatle during the hearing, telling him, “You’re a bunch of lies.”
“You’re being completely dishonest,” she added.
The shooting has drawn intense scrutiny of the Secret Service and especially Cheatle, with lawmakers questioning security lapses at the rally and why the shooter was able to get so close to a former president and a current major party presidential candidate.
Several lawmakers from both parties have called for Cheatle to resign, and that number grew during Monday’s hearing. Cheatle has said he has no plans to resign.
It’s unclear how House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) and his leadership plan to handle the bill accusing Cheatle of dereliction of duty. They could either hold a vote on the resolution, shelve the bill or send it to a committee.
Asked about possible options, including impeachment, if Cheatle doesn’t resign, Johnson, speaking with The Hill at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last week, said he was “considering all options right now.”
