Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA) called on Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to resign, citing “unacceptable operational failures” that have come to light since the failed assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
Boyle, who represents a suburban Philadelphia district, became the first congressional Democrat to join numerous voices in the Republican Party who have asked Cheatle to step down since last weekend’s shooting that wounded Trump’s ear, killed one man, and injured two others.
“I am calling on Director Cheatle to resign immediately following last weekend’s shooting of a Presidential candidate in Western Pennsylvania,” Boyle said in a statement. “The evidence coming to light has shown unacceptable operational failures. I have no confidence in the leadership of the United States Secret Service if Director Cheatle chooses to remain in her position.”
The Pennsylvania congressman’s statement came within hours of the Washington Post reporting that the Secret Service had “repeatedly denied requests” from the former president’s security detail for “additional resources and personnel.” Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi told the New York Times in a statement that while the agency did deny some requests, it did not for last weekend’s rally. Another New York Times story indicated that the Secret Service “expected the sizable contingent of officers from local law enforcement agencies to contain any threats outside of the secured zone but assigned almost all those officers to work inside it.”
In the hours after the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, just over 300 miles from his district, Boyle condemned political violence in a post on X in which he expressed gratitude for “everything the men and women in law enforcement do to keep Americans safe” and that Trump was OK.
Boyle joins several elected Republicans, including Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who have called for Cheatle’s resignation. Earlier in the week, she vowed not to step down.
Cheatle and several other senior officials at the Department of Homeland Security issued a joint statement Saturday defending women who work in law enforcement, including the Secret Service.
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“In the days following the attempted assassination of former President Trump, some people have made public statements questioning the presence of women in law enforcement, including in the United States Secret Service,” the statement reads. “These assertions are baseless and insulting.”
The House Oversight and Accountability Committee subpoenaed Cheatle on Wednesday, and she has agreed to comply. She is scheduled to testify before the panel on Monday.
