Friday, 19 July 2024 09:36 AM EDT
The Secret Service has confirmed that Director Kimberly Cheatle will testify before the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability regarding the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
Cheatle is set to appear on Monday to address questions about the security breakdown at the Pennsylvania rally last Saturday. Secret Service communications chief Anthony Guglielmi verified Cheatle’s participation late Friday morning.
This confirmation follows a bipartisan statement from the committee’s chair and ranking member, pressing Cheatle to testify “without delay.”
“Americans have many serious questions about the historic security failures that occurred at the campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania,” stated Chair James Comer, R-Ky., and Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., on Friday morning.
“Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle must appear before the House Oversight Committee without delay on Monday, July 22, to answer our many questions and provide the transparency and accountability that Americans deserve and that are at the foundation of our government.”
Comer emphasized the need for answers, stating: “Americans demand answers from Director Kimberly Cheatle about the Secret Service’s historic security failures that led to the attempted assassination of President Trump, the murder of an innocent victim, and harm to others in the crowd.”
The suspect, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was identified as suspicious well before the incident. Despite this, Crooks managed to shoot at the president after being spotted on a rooftop.
In a rare moment of unity, Comer and Raskin condemned political violence, saying: “On Saturday, our nation witnessed a grave assault on our democracy when a gunman attempted to assassinate former President Trump, killed an innocent victim, and harmed others. There is no place for political violence of any kind in our great country.”
“Our Founders envisioned robust and spirited political debate in our nation, and we see that debate often in our Committee room. While we often have passionate disagreements about policies and investigative priorities, we are united in condemning all political violence and ensuring that America will prevent such a horrific event from ever happening again.”
Republicans have called for Cheatle’s resignation due to the Secret Service’s failure to prevent the attack on Trump. Several GOP senators confronted Cheatle at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday, seeking answers about the agency’s failure.
A whistleblower, cited by The New York Post, revealed that the Secret Service had “little resources” to cover the rally after the NATO summit in Washington, D.C.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has also demanded Cheatle’s resignation and announced the formation of a bipartisan special task force with subpoena authority to investigate the shooting and the preceding security failures.
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