On Monday, July 22nd, Kimberly Cheatle, the director of the United States Secret Service, testified before the House Oversight Committee regarding the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. She admitted that the Secret Service had “failed” in protecting Trump.
“We failed,” Cheatle told lawmakers at the hearing. “The assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump on July 13th was the most significant operational failure of the Secret Service in decades.”
“We must understand what happened, and I will do everything in my power to ensure that events like what occurred on July 13th do not happen again. I have been contemplating what different approaches we should take,” Cheatle said.
Democratic Congressman Gerry Connolly said that such unacceptable events underscore the escalating political tensions facing the United States.
During a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on July 13th, former President Trump was shot at during his speech, resulting in an injury to his right ear. The incident led to the death of one Trump supporter and left two others seriously injured.
Chairman of the House Oversight Committee, Republican Congressman James Comer, stated in his opening remarks at the hearing with Director Cheatle that lawmakers would request detailed explanations from the Secret Service regarding the security lapses in the attempted assassination of Trump.
“The American people demand answers,” Comer said.
“The assassination attempt on July 13th was one of the darkest days in American political history,” Comer said. “Before we are Republicans or Democrats, we are Americans. If we let our political positions override our responsibility and love for our country, we cannot sustain a nation.”
Cheatle refused to answer specific questions from Republican and Democratic lawmakers regarding the security plan on the day of the assassination attempt on Trump, stating that an internal investigation is underway.
During the hearing, Comer questioned Cheatle on whether former President Trump received the security precautions he requested before the shooting incident. Cheatle responded that the Secret Service had provided the security resources requested for July 13th.
“The level of security provided for the former president had been increased before the campaign and steadily escalated as the threats evolved,” she said.
CNN reported that in previous incidents, the Secret Service had rejected specific requests from Trump and in some cases supplemented them with local law enforcement.
Democratic Congressman Jamie Raskin also pressed on this issue, asking if other events led to the denial of Trump’s security requests.
While Cheatle did not directly answer, she mentioned that once Trump’s campaign team finalized an event or venue, they would collaborate with the Secret Service to discuss security issues. She also refuted allegations of political bias within the Secret Service.
“Our mission is not political. As the tragic events of July 13th reminded us, this is, in fact, a matter of life and death. I have confidence in the Secret Service personnel. They deserve our support in carrying out their protection duties,” she said.