23 Takeaways From Secret Service Director’s Testimony Before House Oversight Panel
Virginia Allen / Fred Lucas / Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell /
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle testified before the House Oversight Committee on Monday, in the wake of the July 13 assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
Numerous lawmakers—from both sides of the aisle—have called for Cheatle to resign after a gunman fired multiple shots at Trump during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, about 33 miles north of Pittsburgh. A former fire chief, Corey Comperatore, 50, died shielding his family from the gunfire, and two other rally attendees were injured.
As expected, lawmakers pressed Cheatle over the security failures during Monday’s hearing, which began at 10 a.m.
- ‘Almost Certain That Violates Some Federal Laws’
Earlier in the hearing, Cheatle had said she didn’t use an encrypted app to communicate with the White House.
Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., followed up on that.
“Have you used any encrypted app to communicate from your personal device?” Burlison asked.
“I do on occasion use encrypted apps to communicate,” Cheatle replied.
The Missouri lawmaker sought to clarify—with whom.
“Many times, it’s with colleagues and associates,” Cheatle said, adding, “There are times when the Secret Service, when we work internationally with some of our partners, that they don’t have the same texting capability.”
Burlison asked, “You’re not able to do that with your government device?”
She replied, “Recently, we’ve been able to install some of those apps on government devices.”
The Missouri Republican said: “I’m actually shocked you are using your personal device, encrypted communications tools. I think that might be the most shocking thing that I’ve heard today.”
Burlison raised the issue of transparency, and said of communicating on an encrypted app on personal devices, “I’m almost certain that violates some federal laws.”
Cheatle sought to clarify.
“You didn’t ask me if my communications were government or work-related, or personally related,” she said.
“You are communicating with colleagues,” he said.
“I don’t communicate government business with colleagues on a personal device. I communicate on my work device.”
2. You Have ‘Made Us a Less Safe Country’
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna said members of Congress don’t feel safe with Cheatle in charge.
“I’ve talked to my colleagues, and we’ve said it to your face, that you’ve been up here basically stonewalling our ability to get answers to the American people,” the Florida Republican said.
Members of Congress are “sitting ducks” with Cheatle in charge, Luna claimed.
“But more importantly, it sends a message to our adversaries that we are not protected, and we are one of the strongest countries in the world,” she said. “So, you have essentially made us a less safe country because of it.”
Luna asked the director to step down.
“I share my same opinions as my Democrat colleagues, and I also think that your efforts to bring forward a full investigation and report in 60 days is unacceptable,” she said, “and as a result of that, I’m going to do everything in my legislative toolkit to ensure that that happens sooner, rather than later.”
Luna said she is “disgusted” by Cheatle’s lack of adequate answers at the hearing.
“I understand that you’re probably in a position where you are being told not to testify, which is why we have to subpoena you,” she said. “I think that goes back to [Attorney General Merrick] Garland. But again, that is part of the flushing that we need to get out of Washington, and I would be happy to assist in that process.”
3. Personal Apology to Trump
Cheatle said she apologized to Trump personally for the security lapse, when asked about that by Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo.
“Yes, I did,” Cheatle said.
“I appreciate that. I appreciate that you recognize that this was your failure,” Boebert said.
The Colorado congresswoman then went forward with an entirely different line of questioning.
“Since the assassination attempt—you are under oath—have you communicated with anyone from the White House on an encrypted messaging app like Signal,” Boebert said.
“No, I have not,” Cheatle replied.
“Are you willing to surrender your personal phone for analysis,” the lawmaker asked.
Cheatle said, “If I’m required to do so.”
“Has the Trump team made a request for additional assets that have been denied?” Boebert asked.
“Denial doesn’t mean vulnerability,” Cheatle said.
Boebert later asked, “Were agents stationed on the water tower?” That was a reference to a water tower near the rally venue that was the subject of conspiracy theories of a purported second gunman.
“No,” Cheatle said. “That is not something that would be included in a security plan.”
4. ‘It Wasn’t Me’ Isn’t an Adequate Answer
Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., urged Cheatle to stop singing the Shaggy reggae-rap song, “It Wasn’t Me,” implying that the Secret Service chief was skirting responsibility, after Cheatle repeatedly dodged questions from House members.
“Although I appreciate your hollow words that ‘The buck stops here,’ I was actually hoping for some answers. Director Cheatle, you must answer to the American people if you want to stay in charge. It’s really, really simple.”
“The best way to keep your job is to answer the question,” McClain said. “Not playing this shell game, not singing the … song ‘It Wasn’t Me.’”
After Cheatle was unable to tell McClain when she started preparing for Monday’s hearing, McClain questioned whether the Secret Service chief was sure of anything.
The Michigan congresswoman asked: “What are you sure of? Are you sure about the color of your hair? Are you sure about the color of your suit?”
Cheatle confirmed she knew how many shell casings were on the roof where the gunman positioned himself, but she declined to share the answer.
“You know the answer to the question,” McClain said. “You just refuse to answer the question from the member of Congress who has subpoenaed you to be here.”
The Michigan representative asked Cheatle what she was hiding from the American people.
“I’m not covering anything,” the Secret Service director said.
“Then why can’t you answer a simple question?” the lawmaker replied.
5. Burchett Calls Cheatle ‘DEI Nightmare’
Rep. Tim Burchett asked Cheatle about how it could be that no Secret Service agents inside the building heard the shooter’s footsteps on the tin roof.
The Tennessee Republican also asked why Trump was allowed on stage 10 minutes after a suspicious individual was identified. Cheatle said suspicious persons are common and don’t always require action.
When Cheatle was explaining the agency’s methodology, Burchett interrupted, saying, “That methodology almost got President Trump killed.”
Burchett asked if Cheatle was waiting for the Biden administration’s OK before sharing information about the investigation publicly.
“No, I am waiting for the results of the investigation,” the Secret Service chief said.
Burchett said Cheatle shouldn’t resign, but rather, should be fired.
“Miss Cheatle, you said that ‘The buck stops with me,’ and I agree,” Burchett said. “I don’t think you should resign. I think she should have been fired. Ma’am, you are a DEI horror story.”
Burchett was likely referring to Cheatle’s commitment to diversity in the Secret Service that she expressed in a CBS interview last year.
CBS noted that Cheatle, 51, was committed to having the Secret Service personnel be 30% women by 2030.
“The incident on [July 13th] has nothing to do with DEI,” Cheatle said in response to a question from the following member of Congress to question her. “The incident on the 13th has to do with a failure or a gap either in planning or communication.”
6. Height of Agents Guarding Protectee
Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., asked whether Secret Service agents were physically prepared to defend the protectee, asking about Trump’s height.
Cheatle said, “I don’t know. He’s over 6 feet.”
“Do you assign agents based on their ability to cover physically, and carry if necessary, the president of the United States, when you assign them to this mission?” Perry asked. “Is that a parameter that is considered?
“I assign agents to work our protectees that are capable and have been trained by the Secret Service, and are trained,” Cheatle replied.
“If somebody is 7 feet tall, and you’re 5 feet tall … that is problematic in protecting the protectee,” the Pennsylvania Republican followed up. “I am asking, is that a consideration when these agents are assigned to the protectee?”
“The agents assigned to our protectees are perfectly capable,” Cheatle said.
Perry said, “The culture is what I’m concerned about, because the primary objective here seems to be something other than securing the site, securing the principal, and securing the people at the site.”
7. Donalds Accuses Cheatle of ‘Gross Incompetence’
Cheatle confirmed to Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., that she has spoken to the countersniper team, those providing overwatch, and the advance team, but refused to directly answer questions about what they told her.
“We are putting together a comprehensive report that I can identify exactly where the gaps are, and the failures,” the Secret Service chief said.
“Director, it’s been nine days,” Donalds said. “Either you have the information or you do not.”
Donalds said he is sure someone from the Secret Service saw the shooter on the roof before he opened fire.
“I do not have all of those details at this time,” Cheatle said.
“If you don’t have those details after nine days, what you’re telling me is that you guys don’t have them,” Donalds said. “Is that correct?”
Donalds accused Cheatle of “gross incompetence.”
“Director, you’re in charge,” he said, “and that’s why you need to go.”
8. ‘Go Back to Guarding Doritos’
“I believe your horrifying ineptitude and your lack of skilled leadership is a disgrace,” Rep. Pat Fallon told the head of the Secret Service.
“Your obfuscating today is shameful,” the Texas Republican continued, “and you should be fired immediately and go back to guarding Doritos.”
Prior to being appointed as director of the Secret Service, Cheatle served as the senior director of Global Security at PepsiCo, the parent company of the snack maker.
“Director Cheatle, in your leadership, your agency got outsmarted by and outmaneuvered by a 20-year-old,” Fallon said, referring to the gunman.
The congressman ripped Cheatle for comments she made during an interview with ABC News in which she said “there were safety concerns in regards to stationing agents on the roof the shooter used because that specifically was “a sloped roof.”
“Does the Secret Service have a written policy you can share with us about sloped roofs?” Fallon asked.
“No,” Cheatle answered.
“So, why did you act like there was one? Because is it your practice to comment on events of enormous national implications when you’re ignoring the facts? That’s rhetorical,” he said.
Fallon called the “sloped roof” explanation a “pathetic” excuse.
9. ‘Nine Days In, You Have No Answers’
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., expressed how upset she was that Cheatle had so few direct answers for Congress, and said she would ask a series of “yes-or-no” questions.
At a number of points, Mace interjected, “bull—-,” to Cheatle’s answers.
Mace asked, “Would you like to use my five minutes to draft your resignation letter?”
Cheatle replied, “No, thank you.”
“Was this tragedy preventable?” Mace asked.
“Yes,” the director replied.
Cheatle answered, “yes,” when asked whether the Secret Service has been transparent.
“Would you say the fact that we had to issue a subpoena today as being transparent?”
“I have always … ,” Cheatle began to say.
“Yes or no: We had to issue a subpoena to get you to show up today. That is not transparent,” Mace said.
The South Carolina lawmaker also talked about the leak to the news media of Cheatle’s opening statement before the committee had it.
Cheatle replied, “I have no idea how my statement got out.”
Mace countered, “Well, that’s bull—-.”
Cheatle said the Secret Service is fully cooperating with the House Oversight Committee.
“On July 15, this committee sent you a list of demands of information that we wanted,” Mace said. “Has the Secret Service provided this committee with a complete list of all law enforcement personnel that were there that day?”
“I’ll have to get back to you on that,” Cheatle said.
“That is a ‘no,’” the South Carolinian said.
Cheatle also said she would have to get back to the committee on other questions.
“That is a ‘no,’” Mace said. “You are full of s— today, You are just being completely dishonest.”
Mace subsequently asked, “How many Secret Service personnel have lost their jobs because of this colossal failure?”
The Secret Service chief replied, “At this time, none.”
Mace went on to ask, “What time did law enforcement become aware that there was an individual on the roof with a clear line of sight to President Trump?”
Cheatle said, “I am still verifying timelines.”
The South Carolina congresswoman replied, “Of course. Nine days in, you have no answers.”
She then asked how many minutes went by between the time law enforcement saw and took photos of the shooter and the shooting.
Cheatle replied, “I am still verifying.”
Mace interrupted with the answer, “57 minutes.”
10. Cheatle Should Resign ‘Today,’ Biggs Says
“Your agency has a no-fail mission, and on Saturday, July 13, your agency spectacularly failed,” Rep. Andy Biggs told Cheatle.
The Arizona Republican said it is “unfathomable that a 20-year-old on the radar of Secret Service and local law enforcement” was able to climb to the roof of a building and shoot the former president.
Cheatle refused to speak to “specifics of the event” when Biggs questioned her about the protective perimeter of the rally.
“This is a specific that you ought to know,” Biggs said. “As someone who said, ‘The buck stops with me. I’m going to stay at my job. I’m going to give the answers to the American people, and I know what happened’—except for you’re not going to tell the American people, and you yourself said in an interview that that foments this notion of conspiracy theories.”
Cheatle’s delays in answering questions “undermine your credibility,” Biggs told the director, who repeatedly said she didn’t have information at this time about the perimeter and when the last sweep of the roof was conducted before the July 13 rally.
Biggs called for Cheatle to resign immediately.
“You should have come today ready to give us answers,” the Arizona lawmaker said. “I call upon you to resign today. Today.”
11. AOC: Why Was Secure Perimeter Within AR-15 Range?
It has been more than a week since the assassination attempt was made on Trump, and “there need to be answers,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said.
The building the gunman crawled onto the roof of, and targeted Trump from, was outside the Secret Service’s secured perimeter at the Butler rally.
Ocasio-Cortez pressed Cheatle as to why that was, given that the building was about 200 yards from the stage where Trump was speaking, well within range of an AR-15, a weapon that ordinarily has a range of 400 to 600 yards. (Other news reports said the shooter was 130 to150 yards from the rally stage.)
“The determination of the perimeter, I’m not going to speak to specifics,” Cheatle said, noting that factors such as the terrain, buildings, and available resources go into making the decision on the security perimeter.
“What I’m hearing is that a perimeter was not established outdoors, in an outdoor venue, that would prevent an AR-15, which is one of the most common weapons used in mass shootings, from being able to be within the range of Secret Service protection,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
A perimeter was established, the Secret Service director said, adding that there was “overwatch” to “help mitigate [the threat from] some of those buildings.”
12. Comparison to Reagan Shooting in 1981
“Would you agree that this is the most serious security lapse since President [Ronald] Reagan was shot in 1981, of the Secret Service?” Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., asked.
“Yes, sir, I would,” Cheatle replied.
“Do you know what Stuart Knight did? He was in charge of the Secret Service. Do you know what he did afterward?” Khanna asked.
Cheatle said, “He remained on duty.”
Khanna corrected her, “He resigned.”
Reagan was shot in March 1981 in a failed assassination attempt in Washington, D.C. Knight, who had been head of the Secret Service since 1973, resigned in November of 1981.
“I just don’t think this is partisan,” Khanna said. “If you have an assassination attempt on a president or a former president or a candidate, you need to resign. That’s what Stuart Knight did. … You cannot go on leading a Secret Service agency when there is an assassination attempt on a presidential candidate.”
He asked what was the difference between her and Knight.
“I am dedicated to finding the answers to what happened,” Cheatle responded. “Like every Secret Service agent, we don’t shirk from our responsibilities. I will remain on and be responsible to the agency, to this committee, to the former president and to the American public.”
13. Sessions Presses Cheatle for ‘Credible Answers’
“How long do we have to wait before you give us credible answers,” Rep. Pete Sessions asked Cheatle.
The Texas Republican said he doesn’t think Cheatle understands what happened.
“I’m not going to ask you to resign, but I am going to say that you have not given us confidence that you have the ability to understand what happened, to take the responsibility in terms of understanding,” he said.
Cheatle confirmed that no employees have been disciplined for the agency’s failure to protect Trump from the assassination attempt.
Sessions pressed Cheatle as to whether she has the ability to understand what went wrong and whether she knows what she’s doing. The congressman said her 28 years of experience with the Secret Service should have prepared her to explain what happened, adding that yet she dodges questions.
“If you’ve got this experience, then you should be able to say to us, ‘We know what we did wrong,’” he said. “‘It was a failure in our system, and we’re immediately making these corrections.’ That’s why you’re having a difficult time with this group of members of Congress, because we saw it, too. We’ve seen the things, but you are the 28-year expert.”
“That is why we think what you’re doing, the answers you’re giving us, are not correct,” the Texas lawmaker continued, “and you’re not using your professional expertise.”
Cheatle said the internal investigation should be completed in 60 days.
14. ‘Very Troubling’: Cloud Questions Lack of Answers on Unprotected Roof
Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas, said it’s “very, very troubling” that Cheatle came to the hearing with no answers on how the Secret Service allowed the shooter to get on the roof.
“I think it’s troubling for a lot of us that the No. 1 question everyone in America is wondering is, why was the roof left open? And after nine days, we should at least, maybe, have a little bit of that information,” Cloud said. “And when you come to this committee hearing, and you don’t have anything to say about that, it’s very, very troubling.”
Cloud asked Cheatle whether the assassination attempt occurring on her watch warrants her resignation.
“The thing that you’ve said so far is that you want to make sure that this never happens again,” Cloud said. “The thing is, everyone in America knows that’s not the job description that you’re tasked with. The job description you’re tasked with is to make sure it never happens, period.”
Cheatle did not directly answer Cloud’s question about whether Trump’s team was notified of a suspicious person on the roof.
“We are going back and looking to make sure that we have the exact information of when those notifications were made and who those notifications were made to,” Cheatle replied.
The director said she doesn’t personally review security plans for events across the country.
Cloud said Cheatle gave a “lame excuse” about the sloped roof preventing an agent from guarding it.
“You said that local law enforcement’s job was to cover up the building before backtracking on that,” he said. “We were told that President Trump’s team did not ask for security before you backtracked on that. You haven’t provided the audio recording that this committee chairman requested that was due Thursday. You didn’t give us an advanced copy of your opening statement, but yet, there was reporting on it somewhere else.”
“And it begs the question to anyone: You’re in charge of the investigation of your own failure,” he asked. “So, how is anybody in America supposed to be able to trust the results of that investigation as being anything transparent and genuine?”
Cheatle defended herself, saying she follows the Secret Service’s values of “duty, justice, honor, loyalty, and courage.”
15. Suspicious Behavior or Threat? Questions on Timeline
“Director Cheatle, as you know, the shooter began shooting at 6:11 p.m. [Eastern Time] on July 13th. NBC reported that at 5:51 p.m., 20 minutes before the shooting began, the state police informed the Secret Service of their concern, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., “Now the rally was not paused at that point. Correct?”
“No,” Cheatle answered.
“And according to NBC, just two minutes later, at 5:53 p.m., the Secret Service notified its snipers about the gunman. The rally wasn’t paused at that point, either, correct?” the Illinois lawmaker asked.
“No,” the head of the Secret Service responded.
Krishnamoorthi then played a short video of a man seen on the roof close to the rally and a woman who can be heard shouting “on the roof!” Krishnamoorthi said the video was taken two minutes before the assassination attempt.
“Ma’am, that doesn’t look like suspicious behavior. That looks like threatening behavior to me,” Krishnamoorthi said in reference to the video. “And the rally wasn’t paused at that point either, correct?”
“I can tell you … that the moment that the shift surrounding the president were aware of an actual threat,” Cheatle began before the Illinois Democrat cut her off.
“That’s a threat right there,” Krishnamoorthi said. “The guy’s on the roof, and everybody’s yelling at him.”
“The rally was not paused at that point, correct?” the congressman asked.
“We are currently still combing through communications and when communications were passed,” she said.
16. ‘Best Person to Lead the Secret Service’
When talking about herself, Cheatle gave the most specific responses of the hearing.
Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., referenced news reports that Cheatle was promoted by first lady Jill Biden’s top adviser Anthony Bernal, and others in the Biden orbit.
“I would like to explore how you got the job as director of the United States Secret Service,” Foxx asked. “Is it typical for the director of the Secret Service to be recommended for the role at the behest of a president’s family and senior staff? Perhaps at the behest of Jill Biden or Anthony Bernal?”
The director defended her status.
“I got the job as director of the Secret Service because I spent 27 years at an agency with a mission that I absolutely love,” she said. “I started my career in Detroit. I worked my way up through investigations and protection.”
Foxx followed, “Was there competition for the position?”
Cheatle said, “You would have to ask those who were involved in the interview process.”
After Foxx asked if she was the right person, Cheatle replied, “I think I am the best person to lead the Secret Service at this time.”
17. Ohio Lawmaker Calls for Biden to Fire Cheatle
Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, called for Biden to fire Cheatle for failing to protect Trump from threats.
“Not only should you resign, [but] if you refuse to do so,” Turner said, “President Biden needs to fire you, because his life, Donald Trump’s life, and all the other people which you protect are at risk because you have no concept of the aspect that the security footprint needs to be correlated to the threat.”
Because Trump is alive, Cheatle looks “incompetent,” Turner said.
“If Donald Trump had been killed, you would have looked culpable,” the Ohio lawmaker said. “There is no aspect of this that indicates that there has been any protection of Donald Trump.”
Turner pressed Cheatle about whether the Secret Service responded to the threats on Trump’s life from Iran.
When the Secret Service director said she thinks the agency sufficiently responded to the
Iranian threat, Turner asked, “Is an Iranian assassin more capable than a 20-year-old?”
18. Jordan Accuses Cheatle of ‘Cutting Corners’
Rep. Jim Jordan accused Cheatle of “cutting corners” when it came to Trump’s security detail. The Ohio Republican pressed her on whether the Secret Service had denied requests from the Trump campaign for additional security personnel.
Cheatle told Jordan that “when details make a request, there are times that there are alternate ways to cover off on that threat or that risk.”
On July 14, the day after the shooting, Anthony Guglielmi, the Secret Service chief of communications, said it was “an untrue assertion that a member of the former president’s team requested additional security resources and that those were rebuffed.”
Cheatle also told Jordan that there were no denied requests for the Butler, Pa., rally.
“Well, maybe they got tired of asking,” Jordan responded. “Maybe you turned them down so darn much they said, ‘not worth asking.’ How many times did you turn them down ahead of that?
The director did not answer Jordan directly.
“It looks like you got a 9% raise, and you cut corners when it came to protecting one of the most important individuals, most well-known individuals on the planet, a former president, likely the guy who’s going to be the next president. Looks like you guys were cutting corners. That’s what it looks like to me,” Jordan said.
“Is that true?”
“I am here today because I want to answer questions,” Cheatle responded, “but I also want to be cautious.”
“You might want to, but you have not answered. I don’t think you’ve answered one question from the chairman, the ranking member, or me,” Jordan shot back.
19. No Requests From Trump Team Denied for Rally
The Secret Service is investigating how a shooter could get past the Secret Service to shoot a former president and presidential candidate, Cheatle said.
“How can a 20-year-old with his father’s AR-15 assault weapon climb onto a roof with a direct 150-yard line of sight to the speaker’s podium without the Secret Service or local police stopping him?” Rep. Jamie Raskin asked.
“So, again, sir, I will say, we are nine days out from this event,” Cheatle told the Maryland Democrat, “and I would like to know those answers as well, which is why we are going through these investigations, to be able to determine that fully.”
Cheatle again accepted responsibility for the “tragedy.”
“We are going to look into how this happened,” she said, “and we are going to take corrective action to ensure that it never happens again.”
Raskin, the ranking member of the committee, asked Cheatle if she denied the Trump campaign’s request for additional protective resources.
“There were no assets denied for that event in Butler on the 13th,” Cheatle responded.
She said requests from Trump’s campaign staff “were granted.”
The Secret Service did not know the gunman had a weapon before Trump took the stage, Cheatle confirmed.
20. Comer Grills Cheatle About Why No Secret Service on the Roof
Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., said, “There had been reports that agents were supposed to be on the roof, but it was hot that day, and they didn’t want to be on the roof.”
Cheatle replied, “What I can tell you is that there was a plan in place to provide overwatch, and we are still looking into responsibilities and who was going to provide overwatch. The Secret Service in general—not speaking specifically to this incident—when we are providing overwatch, whether that be through countersnipers or other technology, prefer to have sterile rooftops.”
Comer followed up, asking if the Secret Service used any drones.
“I’m not going to get into specifics of that day,” the director responded. “There are times during a security plan when the Secret Service does deploy an asset like a drone.”
Comer noted reports that the gunman deployed a drone before the rally.
“I am waiting for the final report,” Cheatle said.
“Do you know—I’m not asking yes or no—but do you know if the shooter used a drone before the shooting?” Comer asked.
Still inconclusive, Cheatle replied, “That information has been passed to us from the FBI.”
She did not “get into specifics” when asked how many agents were assigned to Trump’s detail at the rally.
“We feel there was a sufficient number of agents assigned,” she said.
“There were reports that several agents assigned to the rally on July 13 were temporary agents, agents not normally assigned to President Trump. Is that accurate?” Comer asked.
“The agents that were assigned to President Trump are Secret Service agents that provide close protection to him,” she said.
Comer went on to ask, “Before July 13, had the Trump detail requested additional resources?”
“For the event on July 13, the detail, the assets that were requested for that day, were given,” she said.
21. ‘We Will Leave No Stone Unturned’
The assassination attempt on Trump was the “most significant operational failure of the Secret Service in decades,” Cheatle said during her opening remarks.
“The Secret Service’s solemn mission is to protect our nation’s leaders. On July 13th, we failed,” Cheatle said, adding, “I take full responsibility for any security lapse of our agency.”
Cheatle also offered her condolences to the family of Corey Comperatore, a former fire chief who died shielding his wife and daughter from sniper fire.
“We must learn what happened, and I will move heaven and earth to ensure that an incident like July 13th does not happen again,” the Secret Service director told lawmakers.
Cheatle defended the law enforcement on the ground at the rally the day of the assassination attempt on the former president, noting that the Secret Service can’t do “our job without them.” She also praised the Secret Service agents who shielded Trump “with their own bodies” while shots were being fired.
“We will not rest until we have explored every option, and we will leave no stone unturned,” Cheatle said, referring to the investigation into the security failures that led to the assassination attempt on Trump.
22. Secret Service Now ‘Face of Incompetence’
The Secret Service has become the “face of incompetence” after failing to protect former President Donald Trump from an assassination attempt, said Rep. James Comer, R-Ky.
“The Secret Service’s protective mission is to protect us and visiting world leaders and safeguard U.S. elections through protection of candidates and nominees,” said Comer, chairman of the House Oversight Committee. “The Secret Service has a zero-fail mission, but it failed on July 13, and in the days leading up to the rally. The Secret Service has thousands of employees and a significant budget, but it has now become the face of incompetence.”
The assassination attempt was preventable, according to Comer.
“While we give overwhelming thanks to the individual Secret Service agents who did their jobs under immense pressure,” Comer said, “this tragedy was preventable.”
Comer said the committee is concerned the Secret Service “lacks the proper management to keep protectees safe from bad actors.”
“Americans demand accountability,” he said, “but no one is yet to be fired for this historic failure.”
The hearing will provide the American public with answers about the assassination attempt, Comer said.
“We will ask these questions because the Secret Service and its parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security, have been unwilling to provide answers to the American people,” the Kentucky lawamker said.
He called for Cheatle to resign. Comer said the Secret Service and the Department of Homeland Security has dodged the committee’s questions on the assassination attempt.
“The DHS has sought to push this hearing to a different time,” he said. “The Secret Service has suggested the hearing occur without media presence, and both agencies have provided only shallow explanations to Congress about what happened on July 13.”
“It shouldn’t take this much time or preparation for Director Cheatle to tell the truth and to be transparent with the American people,” he continued.
23. Raskin Pushes Gun Control, Takes Aim at AR-15
Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., made a push for gun control during his opening remarks, as Democrat lawmakers frequently do after a high-profile shooting.
Raskin, the ranking member of the committee, specifically went after the AR-15, which the would-be assassin used from the rooftop.
“Some are calling it a miracle that President Trump escaped this AR-15 attack unlike so many thousands of citizens who have been killed or seriously wounded in other AR-15 shootings,” he said.
Raskin said that in 2023, America had 655 mass shootings, which are defined as at least four people being shot in a given incident.
“What happened in Butler, Pennsylvania, was a double failure, the failure of the Secret Service to properly protect President Trump, and the failure of Congress to properly protect our people from criminal gun violence,” the Maryland Democrat said.
“We must therefore ask hard questions about whether our laws are making it too easy for potential assassins to obtain firearms generally and the AR-15 specifically,” he said.