
Embattled Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle faced intense bipartisan criticism during her testimony before the House Oversight Committee. Lawmakers condemned her for the agency’s failure to prevent the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Chairman James Comer (R-KY) and Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-MD) both criticized Cheatle’s leadership. Comer called for her resignation, citing the “catastrophic” security lapse, while Raskin used the incident to push for stricter gun control measures.
In her testimony, Cheatle acknowledged the July 13 incident as the “most significant operational failure of the Secret Service in decades” and took “full responsibility.” However, she refused to resign, attributing her lack of detailed responses to the ongoing investigation and the recentness of the event.
Throughout the hearing, Cheatle was unable to provide specific answers regarding security measures and the details of Trump’s protection team, leading to further frustration among committee members. Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) stated that Cheatle’s performance made her appear “incompetent” and suggested that if Trump had been killed, she would have been seen as “culpable.”