Washington: The Director of the Secret Service Kimberly Cheatle testified before a Congressional committee on Monday as calls mounted for her to resign over security failures at a rally where a 20-year-old gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks attempted to assassinate the Republican former president Donald Trump on July 13.
Cheatle Fails To Respond?
When Chairman of the House Oversight Committee James Comer asked if there were any Secret Service agents on the roof from where Crooks tried to shoot Trump, Cheatle said, “I’m sure you can imagine we’re just nine days out from this incident and the investigation is still ongoing. So I want to ensure any information we’re providing to you is factually…”
Why No Agent on Roof From Where Trump Was Shot?
When Comer asked why didn’t the Secret Service not place a single agent on the roof, Cheatle responded, “We’re still looking into the advanced process and the decisions that are made…”
Chairman Asks Cheatle If Perimeter Was Secured…
When asked if the building within the perimeter was secured, Chealte said, “The building was outside the perimeter on the day of the visit (by Trump). But again, we want to take a look at it during the investigation and determine if other decisions should have been made.”
Cheatle Under Intense Scrutiny
Cheatle who is under intense scrutiny along with the Secret Service, now faces her most serious challenge – figuring out what went wrong with the agency’s core responsibility to protect Presidents and whether she can maintain the support — or the job itself — to make changes.
‘Trump’s Assassination Attempt ‘Most Significant Failure’ in Decades…’
Cheatle said the assassination attempt on Trump was the ‘most significant operational failure’ in decades.
Cheatle Takes ‘Full Responsibility’ For Lapse
Cheatle told lawmakers, “On July 13, we failed.” Cheatle said she took full responsibility for the agency’s missteps related to the attack at Trump’s Pennsylvania rally earlier this month.
Cheatle To Step Down?
The House Oversight Committee heard Cheatle’s first appearance before lawmakers since the July 13 Pennsylvania rally shooting that left one spectator dead.
Trump was wounded in the ear and two other attendees were injured after Crooks climbed atop the roof of a nearby building and opened fire.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has called what happened a “failure” while several lawmakers have called on Cheatle to resign or for President Joe Biden to fire her.
The Secret Service has said Cheatle does not intend to step down. So far, she retains the support of Biden, a Democrat, and Mayorkas.
Lawmakers Express Anger on Gunman’s Proximity To Trump
Lawmakers have been expressing anger over how the gunman could get so close to the Republican presidential nominee when he was supposed to be carefully guarded.
The Secret Service has acknowledged it denied some requests by Trump’s campaign for increased security at his events in the years before the assassination attempt.
Law Enforcement Noticed Crooks Pacing Around Edges of Rally
Before the shooting, local law enforcement had noticed Crooks pacing around the edges of the rally, peering into the lens of a rangefinder toward the rooftops behind the stage where the president later stood, officials have told The Associated Press.
An image of Crooks was circulated by officers stationed outside the security perimeter.
Witness Saw Crooks Climbing Up
Witnesses later saw him climbing up the side of a squat manufacturing building that was within 135 meters (157 yards) from the stage.
He then set up his AR-style rifle and lay on the rooftop, a detonator in his pocket to set off crude explosive devices that were stashed in his car parked nearby.
Cheatle Applied For Secret Service in College, Was Told To Wait…
Cheatle applied for the Secret Service while she was still in college. She was told to wait until she had graduated and said in the podcast that it ultimately took a little over two years to get hired: “I was pretty persistent.”
After training, she was assigned to the Detroit office where she spent a little over four years. Cheatle transferred to Washington where she served on the Treasury Secretary’s detail and protected Vice President Dick Cheney, including on 9/11.
‘Special Agent’ Cheatle
Other positions during her time with the agency include special agent in charge of the Atlanta field office and special agent in charge of the agency’s training facility in Maryland. She became the first woman to be named assistant director of protective operations, the division that protects the president and other dignitaries where she oversaw a $133.5 million budget. (with AP inputs)
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