Director of the U.S. Secret Service Kimberly Cheatle appeared before the House Oversight Committee on Monday to provide testimony about the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania last week.
In her opening statement to the Committee, Director Cheatle acknowledged that the agency “failed” in their mission to protect the former president, and that she takes “full responsibility for any security lapse.”
However, Cheatle, who appeared at the hearing under subpoena just nine days since Trump was nearly killed, doubled down on her decision not to resign from her role as director of the Secret Service, despite bipartisan pressure to do so.
Florida Democratic Congressman Jared Moskowitz asked Cheatle whether she would have tendered her resignation if the gunman had been successful in assassinating the former president — a question to which Cheatle could not provide a yes or no answer.
“If Trump had been assassinated that day, if the gunman had succeeded, would you have come and tendered your resignation?” Rep. Moskowitz asked.
“I would still be sitting here, because I would want to ensure the integrity of the investigation,” Cheatle responded.
When the Florida Democrat pressed Cheatle to answer whether not she would have resigned if the assassination plot were successful, Cheatle said “I think that I’ve admitted that I’ve taken accountability, and will take responsibility.”
WATCH:
Cheatle REFUSES to say whether she would’ve tendered her resignation if the gunman was successful in assassinating former President Trump. pic.twitter.com/e8few0aKBj
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) July 22, 2024
Additionally, Cheatle told the House Committee on Monday that no Secret Service personnel have been disciplined in relation to the assassination attempt.
Over the course of the hearing, both Democratic and Republican lawmakers became increasingly frustrated with Cheatle’s reluctance and inability to answer questions regarding what exactly went wrong on Saturday, July 13, that led to 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks being able to open fire at Trump from a rooftop about 130 yards from the rally.
Questions from the House Committee centered around why Secret Service agents were not stationed on the nearby roof from which the shooter opened fire, why the building was not within the agency’s secure event perimeter, and how law enforcement was unable to locate and stop Crooks from climbing onto the roof after being identified as a suspicious person long before Trump took the stage.
When lawmakers asked her for specifics, Cheatle repeatedly deferred to both the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the agency leading the investigation into the assassination attempt, as well as to an ongoing internal investigation by the Secret Service, which Cheatle said is expected to deliver a final report in about two months.
House Oversight Chairman Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) pressed Director Cheatle on her explanation in an ABC News interview last week that Secret Service agents were not put on the building because its “sloped roof” was a “safety factor.”
Cheatle told Rep. Comer that she “should have been more clear” in her interview with ABC about where Secret Service personnel were placed.
The Secret Service director added that the agency had a plan to provide “overwatch” – which includes “counter snipers or other technology” — for the roof from which the gunman shot at the former president, but that Secret Service typically “prefers sterile rooftops.”
WATCH:
Kim Cheatle is pressed on the “sloped roof” excuse she gave as to why there were no Secret Service agents on the roof where the would-be Trump assassin carried out his attack. pic.twitter.com/9OtSlm7fiW
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) July 22, 2024
Democratic ranking member on the House Oversight Committee Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) took advantage of his opening remarks to push for increased gun control, referring to the assassination attempt as an “AR-15 attack.”
“Millions of Americans don’t feel safe with all the AR-15s out there,” Rep. Raskin said. “We thought at least the president of the United States or the former president of the United States would be safe, but now that’s not even clear.”
WATCH:
Raskin can’t stop talking about gun control and AR-15s at a hearing that is supposed to be about the Secret Services’ failures.
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) July 22, 2024
“Millions of Americans don’t feel safe with all the AR-15s out there. We thought at least the president of the United States or the former president… pic.twitter.com/zww3yu5J4q
When Rep. Raskin asked Cheatle why Trump was allowed to take the stage at the rally after Crooks was identified as a suspicious person, Cheatle said that there is a difference between a suspicious person and a threat, and that if the Secret Service detail had been passed information regarding a threat, Trump would not have been brought out onto the stage.
In another bewildering moment, Cheatle was unable to answer whether would-be assassin Crooks was acting alone.
“Was Mr. Crooks acting alone?” Arizona Republican Rep. Andy Biggs asked, saying it was “unfathomable” that the 20-year-old was able to evade law enforcement to climb up onto the nearby roof and fire several shots at the former president before being neutralized by counter snipers.
“Again, I would have to refer you to the FBI’s investigation,” Cheatle said.
“Was he a lone gunman?” Rep. Biggs asked again.
“I would have to refer to the FBI’s investigation for motive,” Cheatle repeated.
WATCH:
BIGGS: “Was Mr. Crooks acting alone?
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) July 22, 2024
CHEATLE: “I would have to refer you to the FBI’s investigation.”
BIGGS: “Was he just a lone gunman?”
CHEATLE: “I would have to refer you to the FBI’s investigation for motive.” pic.twitter.com/BBzwaKnj5C
Several of the lawmakers used their question time to call for Cheatle to resign, including a heated exchange with Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), who accused the Secret Service director of being “full of sh–.”
“Both sides of the aisle today have asked for your resignation. Would you like to use my five minutes to draft your resignation letter, yes or no?” Rep. Mace asked.
“No thank you,” Cheatle said.
WATCH:
MACE: “Both sides of the aisle today have asked for your resignation. Would you like to use my five minutes to draft your resignation letter, yes or no?”
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) July 22, 2024
CHEATLE: “No, thank you.” pic.twitter.com/l149GzAuzp
Rep. Mace slammed Cheatle for claiming that the Secret Service has been transparent with the House Oversight Committee, despite not providing the lawmakers with information they requested and only appearing at the Monday hearing under a subpoena.
The requested information included a complete list of all law enforcement personnel at the Butler rally, and all audio and video recordings from the rally.
When pressed by Mace on why the Secret Service has not provided the requested information to the Committee, Cheatle repeatedly answered “I will have to get back to you on that.”
“You’re full of sh– t today! You’re just being completely dishonest!” Rep. Mace snapped.
WATCH:
MACE: “Is the Secret Service fully ‘cooperating’ with our committee?”
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) July 22, 2024
CHEATLE: “Yes”
MACE: *lists all the ways the Secret Service director has NOT complied with the committee’s demands*
“You’re full of sh*t today! You’re just being completely dishonest!” pic.twitter.com/5rkRXjBLit
The full hearing of the House Oversight Committee can be watched here.
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