On Monday, US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle admitted to a significant security failure in the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.
During her testimony before the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, Cheatle acknowledged that the agency did not fulfill its duty to protect Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13.
“The Secret Service’s solemn mission is to protect our nation’s leaders,” Cheatle stated. “On July 13, we failed. As director of the United States Secret Service, I take full responsibility for any security lapse.” Despite accepting responsibility, Cheatle refused to resign amid bipartisan demands for her departure.
The attack occurred when a 20-year-old gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, fired eight shots at Trump using an AR-style rifle from a nearby rooftop. Trump was slightly injured in his right ear, and two rally attendees were seriously wounded.
Additionally, a 50-year-old firefighter, Corey Comperatore, was killed during the incident. A Secret Service sniper neutralized Crooks 26 seconds after he began shooting.
Investigators determined that Crooks acted alone and had no identifiable ideological or political motives. Cheatle described the incident as “the most significant operational failure of the Secret Service in decades” and vowed to prevent such failures in the future.
Committee Chairman James Comer criticized the Secret Service, stating, “This tragedy was preventable. The Secret Service’s protective mission is to protect US and visiting world leaders and safeguard US elections through protection of candidates and nominees. The Secret Service has a zero-fail mission, but it failed on July 13 and in the days leading up to the rally.”
Several lawmakers, including Representative Michael Turner from Ohio, demanded Cheatle’s resignation. Turner remarked, “Not only should you resign but if you refuse to do so, President Biden needs to fire you because his life, Donald Trump’s life, and all the other people who you protect are at risk.”
