Washington — Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle faced harsh criticism from both Republicans and Democrats during her first testimony regarding the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. Lawmakers were angry about her reluctance to address questions about the security failures at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Cheatle informed the House Oversight Committee that the attack represented the “most significant operational failure” for the Secret Service in decades, and she repeatedly accepted full responsibility for the security lapses.
However, her commitment to accountability did little to appease the calls for her resignation. Several Democrats on the committee, including ranking member Jamie Raskin of Maryland, joined Republicans in urging her to step down.
“This relationship is irreparable at this point, and I believe the director has lost the confidence of Congress at a very critical and delicate moment in the nation’s history. We need to quickly move beyond this,” Raskin said.
