US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle is facing mounting pressure to resign as she testified on Monday, before a congressional committee investigating the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.
On Wednesday, the Republican chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee issued a subpoena compelling Cheatle to appear before the committee on Monday.
The move came after Cheatle had initially agreed to testify but later indicated she might not appear due to her focus on securing the ongoing Republican National Convention.
The subpoena was accompanied by intensified calls for Cheatle’s resignation from top Republican leaders in both the House and Senate.
House Speaker Mike Johnson announced he would be setting up a task force to investigate security failures during the assassination attempt and called on Cheatle to resign.
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell also joined the chorus of voices calling for her to step down.
“Last week’s near-assassination of former President Trump was a grave attack on American Democracy.
“The nation deserves answers and accountability. New leadership at the Secret Service would be an important step in that direction,” McConnell said on X.
Speaking at a congressional committee on Monday, Cheatle acknowledged that the recent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump was the agency’s “most significant operational failure” in decades.
The attempt, which occurred on July 13, 2024, at a rally in Pennsylvania, left Trump injured and one spectator dead.
Cheatle took full responsibility for the agency’s missteps, stating that the Secret Service had denied requests from Trump’s campaign for increased security at his events in the years leading up to the attack.
Despite the pressure, Cheatle has maintained she has no intention of resigning and has the support of the Biden administration.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas expressed his confidence in Cheatle on Monday, saying he had “100 percent confidence” in her and the Secret Service.
The Secret Service has come under intense scrutiny over how a gunman was able to get so close to the former president, and lawmakers are seeking answers on what security lapses occurred and who is ultimately responsible.
“We must have accountability for this. It was inexcusable. Obviously, there were security lapses. You don’t have to be a special ops expert to understand that. And we’re going to get down to the bottom of it quickly,” Speaker Johnson said.
In addition to the congressional inquiries, the Secret Service is also facing an investigation by the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general and a review of the agency’s Counter Sniper Team’s preparedness and operations.