Secret Service Director Faces Congressional Grilling Over Trump Assassination Attempt

In testimony before Congress, Kimberly A. Cheatle called the assassination attempt on former President Donald J. Trump a “failure” of her agency, but she angered members of both parties by refusing to answer specific questions.

Frustration from Lawmakers

Secret Service Director Kimberly A. Cheatle angered members of Congress on Monday by repeatedly refusing to answer specific questions about security failures that led to the attempted assassination of former President Donald J. Trump. This prompted calls from both parties for her resignation.

Ms. Cheatle, appearing before the House Oversight Committee, labeled the shooting at the Trump rally in Butler, PA, as her agency’s “most significant operational failure” in decades. She cited the ongoing investigation when declining to answer questions about how the would-be assassin accessed the warehouse roof, brought a firearm to the event, and why Mr. Trump was allowed to come onstage despite warnings.

A spectator at the rally was killed, and the former president and two attendees were injured in the July 13 shooting. In the days since, congressional committees have been investigating law enforcement missteps before, during, and after the attack.

Pressure to Resign

Representative Mike Turner, Republican of Ohio, criticized Ms. Cheatle harshly: “Thank God Donald Trump is alive. Because of that, you look incompetent. If Donald Trump had been killed, you would have looked culpable.” Representative Ro Khanna, Democrat of California, joined many of his Republican colleagues in pushing for Ms. Cheatle to step down. James R. Comer, Republican of Kentucky and the committee chairman, said her agency had become the “face of incompetence.” Representative Jim Jordan, Republican of Ohio, accused the Secret Service of “cutting corners.”

Rebuffed Requests

The Secret Service acknowledged on Saturday that it had turned down requests for additional federal resources sought by Mr. Trump’s security detail in the two years leading up to the attempted assassination. Ms. Cheatle told Congress, “For the event in Butler, there were no requests that were denied.”

Breakdown in Protection

The Secret Service faces questions over why the warehouse used by the shooter to fire at Mr. Trump was not included in the security perimeter zone. Additionally, the agency did not assign more local law enforcement officers to work outside the perimeter.

Homeland Security Review

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas announced on Sunday that members of a panel would conduct an independent 45-day review of the security breakdown at the Trump rally. President Biden had called for an independent investigation.

Unanswered Questions

During the hearing, several lawmakers expressed frustration with Ms. Cheatle over the number of questions she could not answer. Many times, Ms. Cheatle said she was waiting for reports to arrive to give the requested information — nine days after the shooting.

Key questions included:

Why did the Secret Service not station an agent on the warehouse roof that the gunman used as a sniper’s perch?
How many Secret Service agents were assigned to protect President Trump in Butler, PA?
Who decided that the warehouse roof should be outside the Secret Service’s security perimeter for Mr. Trump’s rally?
Why did the Secret Service allow former President Trump to take the stage despite warnings?
Ms. Cheatle provided vague answers, often citing ongoing investigations or lack of specific information at the time.

Response to Iranian Threat

Ms. Cheatle acknowledged awareness of an Iranian threat to the former president but did not reveal specific security measures taken. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Michael R. Turner criticized the omission of Iranian threat warnings in the Secret Service threat assessment for the Butler rally.

Conclusion

Representative Tim Burchett, Republican of Tennessee, concluded his questioning by saying, “You are a D.E.I. horror story,” echoing sexist attacks from others blaming efforts to increase gender diversity at the Secret Service for the assassination attempt. No evidence has surfaced showing that agents acted improperly based on gender.

The Secret Service continues to face intense scrutiny as investigations into the assassination attempt proceed.