Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle plans to tell lawmakers on Monday that the agency “failed” in its mission to protect the president after former President Trump was injured earlier this month during a campaign rally.
“The Secret Service’s solemn mission is to protect our nation’s leaders. On July 13th, we failed. As director of the United States Secret Service, I take full responsibility for any security breaches,” Chatle said in prepared opening remarks as she was scheduled to appear before the House Oversight Committee.
“We need to know what happened and I will move heaven and earth to ensure that an incident like the one on July 13th does not happen again. Thinking about what we should have done differently is never far from my thoughts.”
Cheatle’s appearance comes as several Republican lawmakers demand his resignation after Trump was hit in the ear by a sniper.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) demanded she resign, and House Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green (R-Tenn. .), joined that chorus on Monday morning.
Cheatle said in an interview with ABC News last week that he will not resign and on Monday plans to emphasize the agency’s plans to cooperate with a series of investigations into how the agency failed to stop the shooter.
In addition to injuring Trump’s ear, the attack left one rally attendee in Butler, Pennsylvania, dead and two others seriously injured.
Other inflamed tensions are the Secret Service’s acknowledgment over the weekend that it had alreadydenied some requests from the Trump campaignto bolster security, walking back a previous statement that such claims were “absolutely false.”
Cheatle’s remarks point to accusations of political bias within the agency.
“Our mission is not political. It is literally a matter of life and death, as the tragic events of July 13 remind us. I have full confidence in the men and women of the Secret Service. They are worthy of our support in carrying out our protective mission,” she wrote.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
