By: James Lynch – nationalreview.com – July 22, 2024

Washington, D.C. – Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle assured lawmakers that she takes full responsibility for the failed assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump at the first congressional hearing on the subject — but mostly refused to provide any details on what exactly went wrong, passing the buck instead to the FBI to provide specific information.

The House Oversight Committee brought in Cheatle on Monday to testify about the major security lapses leading up to the shooting at Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania less than two weeks ago. The hearing comes as the FBI, Department of Justice Inspector General, and the Secret Service itself conduct their own investigations into how Thomas Matthew Crooks, an untrained, 20-year-old local man, managed to climb onto a roof less than 150 yards from where Trump was speaking and fire multiple shots before he was stopped.

“Americans demand answers, but they have not been getting them from the Secret Service. We are instead learning about new facts about the events surrounding the attempted assassination every day from whistleblowers and leaks. Americans demand accountability, but no one has yet to be fired for this historic failure,” Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R., Ky.) said in his opening statement, setting the tone for the fiery hearing.

Behind Comer was a picture of Trump fist pumping after a bullet grazed his right ear and he dropped to the ground momentarily to avoid further gunfire. Trump’s decision to get up and show defiance in the wake of an attempt on his life is already an iconic moment in his political career.

“It is my firm belief, Director Cheatle, that you should resign. However—in complete defiance—Director Cheatle has maintained she will not tender her resignation,” Comer added.

Cheatle began her testimony with an opening statement admitting that the Trump assassination attempt was the Secret Service’s “most significant operational failure” in decades. She said she will “move heaven and earth” to prevent a similar incident from happening again, and vowed to fully cooperate with congressional investigations.

Several lawmakers immediately homed in on why exactly agents had not been stationed on the rooftop used by the shooter. Cheatle refused to provide an explanation, stopping short of offering the rationale she provided in a media interview last week, in which she said that the roof was sloped and therefore would have been too dangerous for agents to stand on.

Cheatle also refused to elaborate on why the Secret Service security perimeter had apparently been drawn to exclude the building Crooks fired from. Asked whether Crooks had placed the weapon he used on the roof ahead of time or walked in with it, Cheatle would not say.

The embattled director did confirm that the shooter was identified before the attack as “suspicious” but distinguished that classification from a “threat” designation.

If they knew Crooks was a “threat,” Cheatle said Trump’s detail would not have let the former president take the stage. In a robotic manner, Cheatle continued to make the distinction between the “suspicious” and “threat” classifications, and multiple lawmakers honed in on the exact language, given the apparent threat Crooks posed before he fired a shot. The Secret Service was notified of the shooter’s presence 2-5 times before he carried out the attack, Cheatle estimated. The roof was identified as a vulnerability beforehand, and Cheatle said local police were inside the building at the time.

Cheatle also wouldn’t comment on the Secret Service’s drone usage or personnel assignments for the Trump rally. On the issue of Trump’s requests for greater security, she only said that his requests for the Butler rally were granted, without discussing whether prior requests were denied, as has been reported.

The Secret Service’s internal investigation and a corresponding report will be completed in 60 days, Cheatle promised, while noting that other investigations are taking place simultaneously. Multiple lawmakers expressed dissatisfaction with the 60 day timeline given the presidential campaign schedule.

Up to this point, no Secret Service employees have been disciplined for the failures at the Trump rally. Cheatle would not commit to firing anybody after the agency’s internal investigation is complete. Cheatle repeatedly defended her hiring practices at the Secret Service and claimed Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives had nothing to do with the security lapses at the Trump rally.

Each time specifics about the gunman’s weaponry came up, Cheatle deferred to the FBI’s ongoing investigation. She confirmed the shooting was not staged or a government plot, but deferred to the FBI when asked about whether Crooks was a lone gunman. Later on, Cheatle expressed confidence that Crooks was the only shooter and acted alone.

Oversight Committee ranking member Jamie Raskin, often Comer’s most vicious opponent, noted the fact that he and Comer found common ground on this issue, and called for further gun restrictions after the shooting at the Trump rally.

“The chairman and I are determined to get to the bottom of this stunning security failure,” Raskin said. “What happened in Butler, Pennsylvania was a double failure, a failure by secret service to protect President Trump and a failure of congress to protect our people from gun violence.”

When Raskin asked about reports that Crooks had been photographed by police after he was identified as a suspicious person, Cheatle refused to explain why the Secret Service didn’t display a similar level of concern about someone who was clearly drawing attention to himself.

Despite the security failures at the Trump rally, Cheatle did not explain why she will not resign, like the Secret Service director did when then-President Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981 and narrowly escaped death. Asked point-blank, Cheatle said she still believes she is the best person to lead the Secret Service.

Since the Trump-assassination attempt, Cheatle said she has not visited the crime scene, nine days after the attack took place. She also admitted to not having specific details listed on her timeline of events leading up to the shooting. But, she did say that she called Trump and apologized after the attempt on his life.

Throughout the hearing, Republicans and Democrats alike criticized Cheatle for not answering questions, even though she was subpoenaed to come before the Oversight Committee. Many lawmakers demanded her resignation and noted the bipartisan agreement on the issue.

Whistleblowers have already begun coming forward to lawmakers with startling allegations of how law enforcement failed to prevent Crooks from carrying out the shooting. Senator Josh Hawley (R., Mo.) said last week that whistleblowers described to him how the Trump rally was a “loose” security event featuring unqualified Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents in lieu of regular Secret Service personnel.

Days earlier, whistleblowers alleged to Representative Jim Jordan (R., Ohio) that Secret Service was understaffed at the Trump rally primarily due to the NATO summit in Washington, D.C., featuring President Joe Biden and many other world leaders.

In addition, Secret Service had to handle first lady Jill Biden’s event in Pittsburgh and Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign stop in Philadelphia on the day of the Trump rally. Whistleblower disclosures obtained by Senator Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa) appear to show Jill Biden had more “post standing” personnel at her event than Trump’s rally, which the Secret Service previously denied.

Cheatle faced questions about the personnel allocation to Jill Biden’s event, and said the Trump rally was given additional Secret Service resources besides the “post standing” personnel. Overall, she said more resources were devoted to the Trump rally than the Jill Biden event.

DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Sunday announced a bipartisan, independent security review of the Trump-assassination attempt to be conducted by a group of law enforcement experts with extensive government experience. The panel is tasked with accomplishing the review in 45 days, Mayorkas said.

Before the attempt on Trump’s life, Secret Service rejected requests from Trump’s team for greater protection, another error the agency previously denied. The law enforcement failures surrounding the Trump rally are among the most consequential in American history, and part of a pattern of mistakes by the Secret Service over the past 15 years.

The FBI is also facing scrutiny over its failure to prevent tragedy at the Trump rally. To that end, FBI director Christopher Wray is set to testify on Wednesday.

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Source: Secret Service Director Stonewalls Lawmakers at Hearing