Sen. Marsha Blackburn called for the firing of the director of the Secret Service after he tried to confront Kimberly Cheatle about security failures that led to the assassination attempt on former President Trump.
Rep. Blackburn (R-Tenn.) spoke on “The Faulkner Focus” about his confrontation with Rep. Cheatle at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, and warned that responsibility must be held for the tragic shooting.
House Republican leaders demand accountability for Trump assassination attempt: ‘Too many questions’
“She needs to come forward. She can run, but she can’t hide,” Blackburn told Harris Faulkner on Thursday. “She needs to answer these questions. She should be fired. She should have been fired on Saturday night.”
Blackburn, who was with Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), who was in a private room at Wednesday’s event, confronted Cheatle and questioned his decisions leading up to the shooting at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Deputies decided to follow Cheatle to the event after Blackburn said Cheatle had been on the phone with other lawmakers explaining the events leading up to the shooting. Blackburn said he took action himself after the phone call went off and he realized he was at the convention.
“They said, ‘Oh, no more questions,'” Blackburn said. “And then they hung up the phone. And they all said, ‘We need answers.'”
When asked face-to-face, Cheatle said it wasn’t the appropriate place to have the discussion but was happy to answer questions just before leaving the room.
In a statement responding to questions about the standoff, the Secret Service said Cheatle was committed to transparency.
“During any significant incident, continuity of operations is paramount, and U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has no intention of resigning,” Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement. “She has deep respect for members of Congress and is committed to leading the Secret Service through internal investigations to ensure transparency, and to strengthening the agency through lessons learned from these important internal and external investigations.”
Blackburn argued that Cheatle’s priorities that night were skewed, prioritizing donors over ordinary Americans who are still looking for answers and President Trump.
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“It was amazing to see her so relaxed in a luxury suite having a cocktail party and thanking the people who were helping to pay for her security,” she said. “But Ms. Harris didn’t take five minutes to answer the public while we were trying to get answers over the phone. How could the Secret Service have identified a potential threat at 5:51 and then allowed their protector, President Donald Trump, onto the stage at 6? Alerted guards and snipers at 5:53? And then allowed him onto the stage at 6?”
“She cares more about her donors than she does about the people and the president,” she continued. “I think this speaks to priorities and insensitivity.”
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle holds a press conference in Chicago on June 4. (Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump was shot in the ear on Saturday, while one attendee was killed and two wounded, and lawmakers and other critics have questioned how the gunman was able to get so close and fire multiple shots as details emerge about someone who saw him scale the building.
FBI Director Christopher Wray On Wednesday, he held a briefing for both House and Senate members and for the entire Congress to discuss lawmakers’ questions and concerns. Barrasso previously told Fox News that the meeting was a “totally covered briefing.”
Cheatle agreed to comply with a subpoena from House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, who called the shooting “unacceptable” and “something that should never happen again.”
A video shows gunfire aimed at Republican candidate Donald Trump at a campaign event at the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024, leaving Trump supporters in the stands covered in blood. (Rebecca Droke/AFP via Getty Images)
“The responsibility is mine,” she told ABC News. “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.”
She has also faced criticism for comments about “sloping roofs” posing safety hazards.
“Everybody deserves answers. The taxpayers of this country, President Trump, his team, we all deserve to know what happened,” Blackburn said. “People are astonished that someone was able to enter that building and take aim at President Trump. It’s truly divine providence that spared his life.”
Fox News’ Liz Elkind, Adam Shaw and Aisha Husney contributed to this report.
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