WASHINGTON – Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle faced intense questioning Monday at a House Oversight Committee hearing about the agency’s missteps following the nearly assassination of former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Numerous Republicans and at least one Democrat have called for Cheatle’s resignation. Cheatle suggested Monday he has no plans to step down, saying he is “the best person to lead the Secret Service at this time.”
Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) opened the hearing by praising the efforts of each and every Secret Service agent that day. But he said he was concerned the agency lacked “proper management” and that Cheatle should resign. “We failed,” Cheatle said in prepared remarks. She took “full responsibility” for the security failures that led to 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks firing into a crowd with an AR-15-style rifle and being shot and killed by a Secret Service sniper.
“We will do everything in our power to ensure that an incident like what happened on July 13th never happens again,” Cheatle said.
Was the Secret Service outwitted by a 20-year-old?
Republican Rep. Pat Fallon of Texas said he personally reenacted the Texas shooting a few days later and, while he is not an expert AR-15 shooter, found he could have easily shot Trump at the same distance and angle with a similar gun. Fallon also accused the Secret Service of being outwitted by Crooks, who authorities said used his father’s AR-style rifle in the attack.
“How did a 20-year-old lone wolf with only a week’s notice pick the perfect location to assassinate President Trump when the entire Secret Service missed it?,” Fallon asked. “Director Cheatle, under your leadership, your agency has been outmaneuvered and outsmarted by a 20-year-old. How can we be so confident that we can stop a trainee from a malicious nation state?”
“Those are definitely questions that need to be answered,” Cheatle responded.
“I understand the doubts,” Fallon countered, “but the reality is we can’t be that confident.”
Mace tells Cheatle, “You’re always lying.”
Rep. Nancy Mace, known for her penchant for viral soundbites, pressed Cheatle, calling him “talking nonsense,” sparking complaints from the committee. Mace pressed Cheatle about news reports of his opening statement just hours before the committee released its statement. Cheatle responded by saying he didn’t know how his statement was distributed, sparking further criticism.
The South Carolina Republican also offered to give Cheatle five minutes to draft his resignation letter. “No problem,” Cheatle replied.
Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.) interrupted Mace’s questioning and asked lawmakers to remain civil.
Cheatle acknowledged he did not know if the gunman had hidden a gun on the roof beforehand.
Cheatle acknowledged under questioning that he didn’t know whether the gunman placed an AR-type rifle on the roof before witnesses saw him scale the side of the building, get to the roof and open fire — another potentially significant security lapse.
“Was the gun already on the roof or did the gun come up from the roof?” Republican Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona asked Cheatle.
“We don’t have that information at this time,” Cheatle responded.
“So when was the roof last cleaned before the rally?” Biggs asked.
“We don’t have that information at this time,” Cheatle said.
After asking a few more questions, Biggs said he wasn’t getting the answers he wanted from Cheatle and called for an independent investigation into the shooting. “You should have come here today prepared to give us answers,” Biggs told Cheatle.
Ocasio-Cortez says lack of answers is unacceptable
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) told Cheatle that with 100 days until the election and candidates facing international threats, the 60-day goal to reassess rally plans was “unacceptable.”
“We need answers,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “This is not a theatrical moment. We have to make policy decisions and we have to make them now.”
Cheatle said he would not wait for the report to take action.
“We’ve been analyzing it all this time,” she said, “and we’ve been adding new features to our security detail since the incident occurred.”
In response to Cheatle’s answer, Republican Sen. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia stared at him in disbelief, while Republican Sen. Lisa McClain of Michigan burst out in laughter.
Secret Service was unaware of ‘legitimate threat’ before Trump took the stage
Cheatle said that if Secret Service agents had known that a gunman was threatening Trump’s life at the rally, Trump would never have taken the stage to begin his speech. But Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Illinois, told Cheatle that media reports and video footage show the Secret Service, local and state authorities and even rally attendees were aware of the threat at least 20 minutes before the gunman began shooting.
At that time, “state police conveyed their concerns to the Secret Service,” he said, citing an NBC News report that “the Secret Service notified the shooter at 5:53 p.m.” — 18 minutes before the first shots were fired.
“The rally was not stopped at that point, correct?” asked Krishnamoorthi.
“No,” Cheatle replied.
DHS Review:Commission to investigate Secret Service response to Trump assassination attempt
“Barney Fife could have done a better job of protecting Trump,” Palmer said.
Rep. Gary Palmer (R-Alabama) questioned why the Secret Service did not station personnel on the roof of the building occupied by the shooter, saying a fictional, comical sheriff’s deputy could have done a better job of protecting Trump.
“They could have put Barney Fife on the roof to stop anyone from getting on the roof,” Palmer said, referring to the deputy sheriff character on “The Andy Griffith Show.”
Questions about the one-minute delay in kicking Trump off the stage
Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) questioned the more than minute delay in removing Trump from the stage after he was shot in the ear on July 13. Lynch said the shooter had several rounds of ammunition and fired eight shots before being killed by Secret Service agents.
“It took a significant amount of time from when the shooting began to when they were able to remove the president from the podium,” Lynch said. “He had the ability and the capability to basically mow down not only the president but the entire Secret Service force if he hadn’t been neutralized.”
Cheatle said agents were on top of Trump within three seconds of the shooting starting.
“Our personnel set up a body bunker over the president to protect him,” Cheatle said.
Cheatle isn’t sure if the shooter confronted him.
Lynch asked if anyone confronted the gunman about bringing a distance measuring device to the rally, but Cheatle said people often bring distance measuring devices to outdoor events.
“That would certainly raise my suspicions,” Lynch said. “Has anybody confronted him about it? Has anybody asked him, ‘What are you doing with a rangefinder?'”
Cheatle said he did not have details on whether anyone confronted the shooter, but said rangefinders are not “prohibited items” at outdoor venues.
FBI director ‘shocked’ by Secret Service’s failure to consider Iran threat
Republican Rep. Michael Turner of Ohio criticized Cheatle for not providing heavy security for Trump despite U.S. intelligence warnings that Iran was plotting to assassinate Trump and other U.S. leaders in retaliation for the killing of a top Iranian general. Turner asked Cheatle whether the security plans for the July 13 rally where Trump was shot “were sufficient to address the specific and general threats posed by Iran against the life of Donald Trump.”
“Yes, I think so,” Cheatle said.
Turner said FBI Director Chris Wray briefed lawmakers on the shooting and was “shocked” that the Iranian threat “was not factored into” Secret Service planning for the rally. Wray told lawmakers that Cheatle should resign as a result of this fiasco and that President Joe Biden should fire her if she refuses to resign, Turner said.
Cheatle said requests for extra security for the rally were not denied.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) has had a heated exchange with Cheatle over the Trump campaign’s past requests for additional security from the Secret Service at events. “The Secret Service has requested additional assistance on multiple occasions and you have refused,” Jordan said.
Cheatle told lawmakers that “no requests” were denied for Trump’s July 13 rally, but acknowledged that his agency has previously rejected requests for increased security from the Trump campaign. “Just because we deny a request doesn’t make it defenseless,” Cheatle argued.
Jordan mocked Cheatle’s response, saying, “Maybe they’re tired of listening.”
Cheatle admits mistake for not cleaning the roof
Cheatle acknowledged that the department would have preferred a “sterile rooftop” — a rooftop where no one could shoot anyone they were protecting — but that effort failed.
“The details of who is responsible, who is doing the surveillance, and what the protection against snipers would be from the rooftop are still under investigation,” Cheatle said, “but the Secret Service in general, and not just in this case, likes to have a sterile rooftop when they’re doing surveillance, whether it’s counter-sniper or other techniques.”
Cheatle said the investigation would help answer key questions about the failure.
As Cheatle responded, several Republicans groaned, “No” and “Come on.” Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado shook her head repeatedly and interjected, telling Cheatle to “resign.”
Raskin Says Congress Should Ban AR-15 Sales
Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the Oversight Committee’s top Democrat, said the assassination attempt revealed “astonishing” and “shocking” security failures at the Secret Service and called for reinstating the assault weapons ban to protect all Americans. Congress banned the sale of AR-15s and other semi-automatic rifles used in the July 13 shooting in 1994. But the ban expired in 2004, and Raskin said gun deaths have begun to rise again. There were 655 mass shootings last year, killing 712 people and wounding about 2,700, he said.
Raskin said there have been 10 mass shootings since the assassination attempt on Trump, and the shooting at the rally was not the deadliest incident of the day. A gunman killed four people and injured 10 at a nightclub in Birmingham, Alabama.
“This list is a harsh reminder of the horrific harm and death that assault weapons, especially the AR-15, have caused and taken the lives of our children, parents, coworkers and neighbors,” Raskin said.
Who is Kimberly Cheatle?
According to a biography posted on the U.S. Marshals Service’s website, the 27th Director, Kimberly Cheatle, will be sworn in on September 17, 2022. Cheatle is said to be “responsible for the successful execution of the U.S. Marshals Service’s overall mission” of providing protection to VIPs and conducting investigations with its 7,800 special agents.
Prior to this role, Cheatle served as PepsiCo’s senior director of global security, where he was responsible for directing and implementing security protocols. Prior to joining PepsiCo, Cheatle served “with distinction” for 27 years with the Secret Service, including as deputy director of the Office of Protective Operations, according to his resume. He was also part of the personal security detail for then-Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, and developed close relationships with both of them.
“Jill and I know firsthand Kim’s dedication to the job and to the Secret Service employees and mission,” Biden said when he appointed her on Aug. 24, 2022. “Kim was in charge of my security when I was vice president, and we have come to trust her judgment and counsel. She is an accomplished law enforcement professional with exceptional leadership skills.”