After cornering the head of the Secret Service with questions at the Republican National Convention last week about the attempted assassination on former President Donald Trump, U.S. Sen. John Barrasso isn’t letting up.
On X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, Barrasso demanded Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resign.
Barrasso’s statement followed a disastrous, hours-long House Committee on Oversight and Accountability hearing in which Cheatle wouldn’t answer basic questions about the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump on July 13. Cheatle refused to give details about the Secret Service’s preparation for the rally where Trump was shot at.
“Kimberly Cheatle has failed as Secret Service Director,” Barrasso said in his post. “She failed to keep President Trump safe. A hero was killed. Today, she failed to answer simple questions and take accountability before Congress and the American people. Director Cheatle must resign now.”
A spokesperson for U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis said she also wants Cheatle to resign.
“The catastrophic failures that led to President Trump being shot at a campaign rally were on full display today during Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle’s testimony in front of House Oversight,” Lummis said in a statement. “I continue to have more questions about how the Secret Service allowed a gunman to get so close to President Trump and have serious concerns over the glaring shortcomings with the security plan for the rally.”
U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman makes it unanimous among Wyoming’s Republican delegation that Cheatle quit.
“I wasn’t able to watch the hearing in its entirely, but the moments I did see appeared to be pure obfuscation from the head of the agency tasked with keeping our leaders safe," she said. "This is unacceptable, and Kimberly Cheatle must resign.”
On X, Lummis also thanked Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin, for the investigation his office conducted into the assassination attempt.
The investigation found that the Secret Service did not attend a security briefing given to local SWAT and sniper teams on the morning of the rally, that local law enforcement said they were not in frequent radio contact directly with the Secret Service, that local law enforcement notified command about the assailant before the shooting. The investigation also found that local law enforcement said Secret Service was initially not planning on sending snipers to the rally.
Unanswered Questions
Cheatle declined to say how many agents were protecting Trump when the gunman shot at him at the rally in Pennsylvania or who decided to leave a nearby rooftop out of the event’s security perimeter.
She also wouldn’t tell members of the committee why Secret Service agents were not aware until the moments before Trump was shot that people had seen a gunman on that roof.
Only Trump’s ear was bloodied during the assault, but he was likely only millimeters away from being killed during the attack. In addition, a rally attendee was killed and two other attendees were hurt. A Secret Service sniper shot and killed the gunman, later identified as 20-year old Thomas Matthew Crooks.
Conservative firebrand U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia, asked for a detailed timeline of events. Cheatle answered that she did not have one.
“I have a timeline that does not have specifics,” she said, a comment that elicited snickering from the audience.
She wouldn’t even answer questions like how many times did Crooks fire or how did he get his rifle on the roof.
“What are you sure of?” asked U.S. Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Michigan. “Are you sure of the color of your hair? Are you sure of the color of your suit?”
When asked if she would commit to firing any of her staff members found to be responsible for security lapses at the Trump event, Cheatle said, “I don’t have an answer.”
When Cheatle said Secret Service agents only became aware of the threat against Trump “seconds before the gunfire started,” U.S. Rep. Russell Fry, R-South Carolina, responded, “My gosh! We actually had a few questions we got answered today.”
Calls For Resignation
Both House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Kentucky, and the committee’s leading Democrat Jamie Raskin of Maryland have called for Cheatle’s resignation.
According to the New York Times, during the hearing, 15 lawmakers — 12 Republicans and three Democrats — suggested Cheatle should resign or be fired.
Barrasso already informally called for Cheatle’s resignation last week when he and other senators followed her through the halls of the Republican National Convention, demanding answers from the director.
Cheatle repeatedly said during Monday’s meeting that she did not intend to resign and is still the best person to run the agency.
“I believe that country deserves answers,” she said. “And I am committed to finding those answers.”
Cheatle spent more than two decades at the Secret Service before leaving in 2019 to take a job with Pepsi. She returned in 2022 when Biden appointed her as director.
Leo Wolfson can be reached at leo@cowboystatedaily.com.
