Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle will testify Monday before the House Oversight Committee in a hearing on the circumstances surrounding the attempted assassination of former President Trump – amid intense criticism of her leadership and calls for her to step down.
The House Oversight Committee subpoenaed Cheatle to appear last week as part of an open investigation into the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump was shot in the ear, while one attendee was killed and two others injured.
In a statement, Anthony Guglielmi, chief of communications for the Secret Service, confirmed her attendance on Friday, and ABC News has since reported excerpts of testimony Cheatle is expected to deliver.
“The Secret Service’s solemn mission is to protect our nation’s leaders. On July 13th, we failed,” Cheatle is expected to tell the committee on Monday. “As the Director of the United States Secret Service, I take full responsibility for any security lapse. As an agency, we are fully cooperating with the FBI’s investigation, the oversight you have initiated here, and conducting our own internal mission assurance review at my direction. Likewise, we will cooperate with the pending external review and the DHS Office of the Inspector General.”
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In the wake of the shooting, Republicans and some Democrats immediately raised questions about the performance of the agency, including about how a gunman was able to get so close to the former president and fire multiple shots. In his letter to Cheatle, Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., had accused the Secret Service of a lack of transparency in issuing the subpoena.
Comer is expected to tell Cheatle Monday that she should resign.
“Americans demand answers from Director Kimberly Cheatle about the Secret Service’s historic security failures that led to the attempted assassination of President Trump, murder of an innocent victim, and harm to others in the crowd. We look forward to Director Cheatle’s testimony on Monday, July 22 to deliver the transparency and accountability that Americans deserve,” Comer said in response to Cheatle confirming she would testify.
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In addition to the Oversight Committee hearing, the House Homeland Security committee has called for a hearing and subpoenaed documents from DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. In the Senate, both Homeland Security Committee Chairman Gary Peters, D-Mich., and ranking member Rand Paul, R-Ky., have launched an investigation. The DHS Office of Inspector General is also reviewing the Secret Service’s handling of the rally.
In a preview of the pressure Cheatle may face, she was confronted by multiple Republican senators at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday.
“This was an assassination attempt, you owe the people answers, you owe President Trump answers,” Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., said.
Cheatle, meanwhile, has called the shooting “unacceptable” and “something that shouldn’t happen again.” She is expected to tell the committee Monday that she will move “heaven and earth” to make sure what happened on July 13 never does again, according to the excerpts obtained by ABC News.
“Our mission is not political. It is literally a matter of life and death, as the tragic events on July 13th remind us. I have full confidence in the men and women of the Secret Service,” she is expected to tell the committee. “They are worthy of our support in executing our protective mission.”
However, in response to the intense criticism from lawmakers, the Secret Service says she does not intend to resign.
“Continuity of operations is paramount during a critical incident and U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has no intentions to step down,” Guglielmi said. “She deeply respects members of Congress and is fiercely committed to transparency in leading the Secret Service through the internal investigation and strengthening the agency through lessons learned in these important internal and external reviews.”
