U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle testified for hours on Capitol Hill Monday, facing a grilling from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle over the agency’s lapse in security that enabled the assassination attempt on former President Trump.
Cheatle testified before the House Oversight Committee, led by Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., after he subpoenaed her to appear.
REP. MACE CALLS ‘BULLS—‘ ON RESPONSE FROM SECRET SERVICE DIRECTOR CHEATLE
Cheatle testified before the House Oversight Committee Monday, just over a week after a would-be assassin Thomas Crooks attempted to take the life of Trump at his rally in Butler, Pa. on July 13.
Trump, during his rally, ever-so-slightly turned his head—narrowly missing the bullet shot by 20-year-old suspect Crooks’ AR-15-style rifle by just a quarter of an inch. The bullet hit him, instead, in his upper right ear.
United States Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle testifies before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee during a hearing at the Rayburn House Office Building on July 22, 2024 in Washington, DC. Cheatle has vowed cooperation with all investigations into the agency following the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
The bullet killed firefighter, father and husband Corey Comperatore as he protected his family from the shots, and severely injured two others.
Cheatle admitted under oath that the Secret Service “on July 13th, we failed.”
Here are the top five moments from the highly-anticipated hearing:
Cheatle admits Secret Service ‘failed’ on July 13
Cheatle told the House Oversight Committee that “on July 13th, we failed” when it came to her agency’s handling of the assassination attempt on the former president and the shooting at his Butler, Pa. rally.
“As the director of the United States Secret Service, I take full responsibility for any security lapse of our agency,” she continued.
“We must learn what happened, and I will move heaven and earth to ensure that an incident like July 13th does not happen again,” Cheatle also said. “Our agents, officers and support personnel understand that every day we are expected to sacrifice our lives to execute a no fail mission.”
Democrats and Republicans call on Cheatle to resign
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., called on Cheatle to resign, along with other Republican lawmakers.
But Democrats called for her resignation as well, including Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., who said, “If you have an assassination attempt on a president or a former president or a candidate, you need to resign.”
Cheatle has maintained that she will not resign, and said she is committed to getting answers on the massive security failure for the American people.
TIMELINE: TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT
Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., says he plans to introduce articles of impeachment against her.
“In light of Kimberly Cheatle’s unacceptable handling of the Trump assassination attempt, her disastrous appearance before the House Oversight committee today, and her refusal to resign, we have no choice but to impeach,” Steube said in a post on X. “I will be filing articles of impeachment against Kimberly Cheatle this afternoon.”
Kimberly Cheatle, Director, U.S. Secret Service, departs after testifying during a House Committee on Oversight and Accountability hearing on Oversight of the U.S. Secret Service and the Attempted Assassination of President Donald J. Trump, on Capitol Hill, Monday, July 22, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
And Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., accused Cheatle of perjuring herself and stonewalling members of the House Oversight Committee, telling her protectees are “sitting ducks” with her in charge.
GOP Rep. Nancy Mace calls ‘bulls—’ on Cheatle response
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., told Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle on Monday that her response that she had “no idea” how her opening statement for today’s House Oversight Committee hearing on the Trump rally shooting got leaked to media agencies is “bulls—.”
The fiery remark from the South Carolina lawmaker came after Cheatle was directed by Mace to answer a series of yes or no questions on the Secret Service’s response to the attempted assassination of former President Trump in Pennsylvania, in which Cheatle said “yes” to it being a “colossal failure,” and a tragedy that could have been prevented.
“Would you say leaking your opening statement to Punchbowl News, Politico’s Playbook and Washington Post several hours before you sent it to this committee as being political? Yes or no?” Mace asked Cheatle.
“I have no idea how my statement got out,” Cheatle responded.
Rep. Nancy Mace said Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle was “full of s—” at a Monday, July 22, 2024, House hearing. (Associated Press)
Mace fired back: “Well that’s bulls—.”
Mace started mentioning news articles published between 5 and 7 a.m. ET, about three to four hours before she said the House Oversight Committee received Cheatle’s statement.
Mace then asked Cheatle, “Have you provided all audio and video recordings in your possession to this committee, as we asked on July 15? Yes or no?”
SECRET SERVICE DIRECTOR OPENS TESTIMONY WITH FRANK ADMISSION: ‘WE FAILED’ — BUT WON’T RESIGN
“I would have to get back to you,” Cheatle said.
“That is a no. You’re full of s– today. You’re just being completely dishonest,” Mace told Cheatle, before being interrupted with a call for decorum inside the hearing room at the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill.
Cheatle unable to answer how many times Trump team made extra security requests
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle on Monday said that “for the event in Butler, there were no requests that were denied” from former President Trump’s team.
“They asked for additional help in some form or another. You told them no. How many times did you tell them no? And what’d you tell them no to?” Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, asked Cheatle, referencing comments made by Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi.
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is moved from the stage at a campaign rally, Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
“What I can tell you is that in generic terms, when people when details make a request, there are times that there are alternate ways to cover off on that threat or that report,” Cheatle responded.
Cheatle tells House Oversight Committee she called Trump after shooting to apologize
Cheatle testified Monday that she called former President Trump after the shooting to apologize.
She also attempted to explain to the committee that her agency was unaware of a suspicious threat during the rally, despite the public pointing to a man on a roof minutes before former President Trump was shot.
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She stressed, though, that the Secret Service and “the people that are in charge of protecting the president on that day would never bring the former president out if there was a threat that had been identified.”
Trump told “Jesse Watters Primetime” in an interview that aired Monday night that Cheatle came to see him in the days following the assassination attempt.
“It went very nicely. She was very nice, I thought. But, you know, somebody should have made sure there was nobody on that roof,” he said.
Fox News’ Ashley Carnahan contributed to this report.
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