U.S. Secret Service director scheduled to appear before Congress next week

House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., on Wednesday subpoenaed Director Kimberly Cheatle to testify on Monday. The committee requested Cheatle’s testimony over the weekend, but decided to issue a subpoena after actions by Department of Homeland Security officials cast doubt on whether she’d appear, Comer said.

What will be the focus of the hearing? In a statement on Monday, Comer said Americans want answers about how a 20-year-old shooter nearly managed to assassinate former President Donald Trump. Thomas Matthew Crooks used an AR-style rifle to kill one rally attendee and severely injured two others during what appeared to be an attempt on Trump’s life while he was on stage at a campaign event in Butler, Pa.

Specifically, Americans are wondering how Secret Service agents and other law enforcement personnel failed to secure the rooftop near the rally venue where Crooks positioned himself before he began firing on Trump, Comer said. Officials and voters alike also want to know how to prevent similar security lapses in the future, Comer added.

Are House Republicans taking additional steps to investigate the assassination attempt? House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., on Wednesday invited several local and state law enforcement officials from Pennsylvania to testify before lawmakers. Green on Tuesday requested testimony from Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle as well. Green over the weekend asked Mayorkas to provide his committee with the security plan for Trump’s rally in Butler.

Dig deeper: Read Leo Briceno’s report in The Stew about whether the Secret Service could have prevented Crooks from even firing on the president in the first place.