Secret Service head testifies about Trump’s assassination attempt

House Republicans on Monday grilled Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle about her agency's failure to prevent a gunman from firing on former President Donald Trump. House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., hosted the hearing, which House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., also attended. During his opening statement in Monday’s hearing, Comer said he believed Cheatle should resign.

The Monday hearing was Cheatle’s first public testimony since 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks allegedly tried to kill Trump at a rally in Butler, Pa., on July 13. Crooks only nicked Trump’s ear, but killed one man at the rally and seriously injured two more attendees. Secret Service agents moved Trump offstage and to his motorcade moments after gunshots rang out. A Secret Service counter-sniper team fatally shot Crooks seconds after his first shot.

What did Cheatle say in her opening statement before the committee? Cheatle said the events of July 13 constituted the Secret Service’s biggest failure in decades. She said she might not be able to answer every question lawmakers had because she had to protect an ongoing investigation. She didn’t want to provide inaccurate information to Congress, she said.

What specific questions did lawmakers have for Cheatle? Comer asked whether Secret Service agents used drones during the rally in Butler, Pa. Cheatle did not confirm whether or not they did use drones. Comer asked if federal agents did not take up a position on the roof where the shooter was because that roof was sloped. Cheatle didn’t directly answer the question about the rally, and instead talked about efforts to review Secret Service practices in general.

Oversight Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin, D-Md., asked whether the Secret Service had denied security requests related to the rally in Butler. Cheatle said her agency provided all requested security for that event. Raskin also asked whether Secret Service agents had identified Crooks as a suspicious character well before he began opening fire on Trump. Cheatle said agents oftentimes can’t determine whether someone is genuinely a threat, even when they act suspiciously.

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, asked Cheatle whether she had denied Trump campaign security requests for any events after the agency determined that the Iranian government was considering attempting to assassinate Trump. Cheatle didn’t directly answer the question. Comer accused Cheatle of refusing to answer lawmakers’ questions and failing to provide important information to the American people who pay her salary.

Aren’t other Congressional Committees also investigating this? House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., on Monday said that he was heading to the site of the assassination attempt in Butler. Green, like Comer, has also called on Cheatle to resign. Green has already issued a subpoena to U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for information related to the shooting.

What actions is the Secret Service already taking to investigate this shooting? A new independent, bipartisan review panel will investigate the shooting for 45 days, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Monday. The individuals on the panel include former law enforcement and former national security officials, he said. Cheatle issued a statement last week saying the Secret Service would cooperate with both the executive and legislative branches in their oversight actions and investigations into the attempted assassination.

Dig deeper: Read R. Albert Mohler Jr.’s column in WORLD Opinions about the questions that the Trump shooting raises.