Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle was skewered by a visibly frustrated House Oversight Committee on Monday after saying she took responsibility for the security failures that led to the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, but avoided several important issues.
Cheatle, who was subpoenaed to testify, did not give clear answers when panel members asked whether the Secret Service had secured the building from which the shooter fired and how he gained access to the roof.
“I’m not going to go into the details of the day,” she said, citing an ongoing investigation. “There was a plan in place to provide surveillance and we are still reviewing the responsibilities.”
This led committee members from both parties to tell him to resign due to his “incompetence”, his “lame excuses” and his lack of answers to what they called basic questions.
“You are full of shit today!” Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., said, criticizing Cheatle for dodging questions and being “completely dishonest” about her cooperation with the committee.
“We have repeatedly asked you to answer our questions,” Mace said.
Mace announced on the House floor Monday night that he plans to introduce articles to charge Cheatle with high crimes and misdemeanors and for failing to faithfully perform his duties.
Mace referenced Monday’s hearing on the legislation and said he was classifying the resolution as privileged, meaning a vote on the measure must happen within two legislative days.
Regardless, Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fl., wrote on X that he planned to introduce articles of impeachment against Cheatle, saying that after Monday’s “disastrous” appearance before the oversight committee and Cheatle’s refusal to resign, “we have no choice but to impeach.”
Although impeachment has historically been brought against presidents or federal judges, the clause applies to all federal officials.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., also told reporters Monday that she planned to draft a resolution to hold Cheatle liable for inherent contempt, meaning Cheatle could be fined or taken into custody by the House sergeant-at-arms.
Luna attempted to introduce a similar resolution against Attorney General Merrick Garland earlier this month, which did not pass the House floor.
The exasperation of some committee members during the hearing was revealed about an hour into the hearing when Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., asked Cheatle whether guns made his job easier or harder. Cheatle did not answer yes or no, angering Connolly.
“Please answer the question. You are the head of the Secret Service,” Connolly said. “And now I think you are avoiding the answer, which is not difficult.”
Later, Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, raised his voice and repeatedly pointed his finger as he demanded clear answers. “Tell us what went wrong!” he said.
Because Trump survived, Rep. Michael Turner, R-Ohio, said Cheatle just seemed “incompetent.” But if the former president had been killed, Turner told Cheatle, “you would have looked guilty.”
In his opening remarks, Cheatle called the shooting “the Secret Service’s most significant operational failure in decades.” She said she was determined to find out what went wrong at Trump’s campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, when a gunman opened fire from the roof of a nearby building, hitting Trump in the ear, killing a rally attendee. rally and injuring another.
“I accept responsibility for this tragedy,” Cheatle said. “We will look into how this happened and take corrective action to ensure this never happens again.”
She declined to provide specific numbers when other committee members asked how many agents were assigned to protect Trump that day, as well as the number of times the Secret Service denied Trump’s request for additional security resources.
Cheatle said the agency provided the requested goods for the July 13 rally and that he felt “there were a sufficient number of agents assigned” to Trump that day.
Cheatle told the committee that the shooter was “identified as a suspect” before Trump took the stage. She said Trump was still allowed to stand at the podium, where he was shot, because the shooter had not yet been identified as a “threat.”
Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, Democrat of Illinois, said the shooter should have been seen as a “threat” and that the rally should have been stopped before Trump began speaking, when onlookers began shouting that there was a gunman on the roof. .
“That’s a threat right there,” said Krishnamoorthi.
Cheatle said the agency was “still combing through the communications and when the communications were passed along.”
Cheatle said the shooter, who she believes acted alone, went from suspicious person to threat “seconds” before the shooting began.
Counter-snipers do not “need to ask permission” to fire threats, Cheatle said, adding that there was no order to hold fire.
Responding to questions about how she communicates, Cheatle said she occasionally uses encrypted apps to communicate with colleagues but does not use them on her work device.
Despite calls for her resignation, Cheatle remained steadfast in her decision to remain director and praised her nearly three-decade career at the agency.
“I led with integrity,” Cheatle said. “I assure this committee that I will provide answers when we have a full and complete report.”
Cheatle said the goal is to have a complete report within 60 days, which lawmakers called unacceptable and too long.
“It’s been nine days,” said Rep. James Comer, R-Kentucky, who chairs the committee. “Every American wants these questions answered.”
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