'We Failed' During Trump Assassination Attempt: Secret Service's Kimberly Cheatle Grilled By Oversight Committee

Director of the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) Kimberly Cheatle appeared before the House Oversight Committee on Monday following a nationwide call for answers following the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump on July 13.

Hearing Takeaways: Cheatle offered vague commentary on the implications of the attempt. The director said that the USSS “will move heaven and earth” to make sure that an event like the one on July 13 would not happen again.

“We failed,” Cheatle said in her opening statement.

During an aggressive line of questioning by Nancy Mace (R-SC), Cheatle agreed that the attempt was “preventable.”

Several representatives — including committee chair James Comer (R-KY), Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Andy Biggs (R-AZ) and others — called on Cheatle to resign her post.

“I think I am the best person to lead the Secret Service at this time," Cheatle said under questioning by Virginia Foxx (R-VA).

Cheatle repeatedly insisted that she would not comment on specifics until an investigation was concluded.

Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Jim Jordan (R-OH), Summer Lee (D-PA), Gary Palmer (R-AL), Byron Donalds (R-FL) and Moskowitz each expressed incredulity that the Secret Service allowed the gunman to perch on a roof at shooting range to the stage where Trump was speaking.

Cheatle confirmed to Kweisi Mfume (D-MD) that there was “overwatch” on the building on July 13.

Previous reporting indicated that the Secret Service denied requests by the Trump campaign for additional security at campaign events. Cheatle was unable to tell the committee how many times the USSS turned down Trump campaign requests but did say that there are alternate ways to cover requests, whether that be by personnel or technology support. Cheatle told Comer that the assets requested by the Trump campaign for July 13 were given as asked.

Cheatle told Biggs that the USSS identified the perpetrator as suspicious before the attempt and sent agents to interview him but no agents located him. She said that many individuals at rallies are labeled as suspicious, but that doesn't necessarily mean they constitute a threat. When asked by Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D-FL), Cheatle estimated that there were two to five instances of communication to the USSS about the gunman’s presence before the shooting.

William Timmons (R-SC) insinuated that female USSS agents could not adequately protect Trump. Tim Burchett (R-TN) called Cheatle, the second female director of the USSS, a “DEI [Diversity, Equity and Inclusion] horror story.”

“The incident on the 13th has nothing to do with DEI,” Cheatle told Jasmine Crockett (D-TX). “The incident on the 13th has to do with a failure or a gap either with planning or communication.”

Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) accused her Republican colleagues of willfully spreading misinformation and engaging in misogyny and racism.

Ranking member Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and non-voting delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) railed against the AR-15 weapon used by the shooter and pushed for stricter gun laws. Crockett tied the shooting to Pennsylvania’s status as an open-carry state.

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