United States Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, on Monday, July 22, 2024, admitted to Congress that she and her agency failed when a would-be assassin wounded Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on July 13.
“We failed. As the director of the United States Secret Service, I take full responsibility for any security lapse,” Cheatle, who faces Republican calls for her removal, said in testimony before the House of Representatives Oversight Committee.
“The assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump on July 13th is the most significant operational failure at the Secret Service in decades,” Cheatle added.
In the face of Republican claims that the Secret Service denied resources to protect Trump, she said security for the former president had grown ahead of the shooting.
Cheatle said: “The level of security provided for the former president increased well before the campaign and has been steadily increasing as threats evolve.
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“Our mission is not political. It is literally a matter of life and death.”
Monday’s hearing marked the first round of congressional oversight of the attempted assassination.
On Wednesday, FBI Director Christopher Wray will appear before the House Judiciary Committee. House Speaker Mike Johnson is also due to unveil a bipartisan task force to serve as a nexus point for House investigations.
Cheatle has resisted calls for her resignation from top Republicans, including Johnson and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Republican House Oversight Committee James Comer echoed those calls at the hearing, Reuters reports.
“It is my firm belief, Director Cheatle, that you should resign. The Secret Service has thousands of employees and a significant budget. But it has now become the face of incompetence,” the Kentucky Republican said.
Democratic Representative Gerry Connolly said: “Unacceptable incidents like this one highlight the fact that we are an increasingly polarized nation experiencing heightened political tensions.”
The shooting at an outdoor campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, wounded Trump in the ear, killed one rally attendee and injured another.
The suspected shooter, 20-year-old nursing home aide Thomas Crooks, was killed by law enforcement. It is not clear what his motive was for the shooting.
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