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Comer Officially Subpoenas Secret Service Director for Hearing on Trump Assassination

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  July 17, 2024 4:45 PM

On Wednesday afternoon, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) officially sent a subpoena to U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle. Former and potentially future President Donald Trump was nearly assassinated on Saturday during his rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania. Not only are there plenty of questions, but damning reports continue to come in about security concerns from that day.

Early on, Comer's letter accompanying the subpoena emphasizes the serious failures involved with such an incident.

"The protective mission of the Secret Service is to 'play a critical role in protecting U.S. and visiting world leaders, safeguarding U.S. elections through protection of candidates and nominees, and ensuring the security of key facilities and major, national-level events,'" the letter read, quoting the Secret Service's own website. 

"The assassination attempt of the former President and current Republican nominee for president represents a total failure of the agency’s core mission and demands Congressional oversight. Despite allowing you to speak with the media, both the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Secret Service have failed to provide assurances regarding your appearance at the Oversight Committee’s scheduled hearing, thereby necessitating the attached subpoena," Comer went on to mention, making clear why the subpoena is necessary. 

Katie covered earlier on Wednesday how DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayrokas is attempting to block Cheatle from testifying, and that the DHS has also opened up an investigation. 

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Comer's letter also mentions such concerns, pointing to how the Committee contacted Cheatle on Saturday asking for her "voluntary attendance," as well as again on Tuesday. "Initially, the Secret Service committed to your attendance. Subsequently, however, DHS officials appear to have intervened and your attendance is now in question. In addition, since DHS’s intervention, there have been no meaningful updates or information shared with the Committee. The lack of transparency and failure to cooperate with the Committee on this pressing matter by both DHS and the Secret Service further calls into question your ability to lead the Secret Service and necessitates the attached subpoena compelling your appearance before the Oversight Committee," it goes on to read.

A copy of the subpoena is attached to Comer's letter.

Comer had already revealed on Monday that his Committee would be holding a hearing on the following Monday, July 22, at 10:00am. The hearing is titled "Oversight of the U.S. Secret Service and the Attempted Assassination of President Donald J. Trump."

The details we know at this time about the assassination attempt against the former president do not look to reflect well on the Secret Service. 

Among the articles compiled in our live updates piece put together by Spencer include how law enforcement actually interacted with the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks. Bystanders had also been indicating to law enforcement that they saw someone on the roof. That roof where Crooks scaled was a vulnerable location, a vulnerability the Secret Service knew about. Speaking of Crooks, his parents contacted police hours before he went on his shooting spree. 

It gets worse from there, though, as Cheatle claimed it would be too dangerous to put snipers on the roof, since it was "sloped."

Despite all of these excuses, Cheatle, who looks to have been the pick of First Lady Jill Biden, hasn't accepted any accountability. Mayorkas has said he has "100 percent" support for the Secret Service, making it even more suspect that Cheatle doesn't seem to be willing to testify voluntarily. 

President Joe Biden, meanwhile, doesn't even seem to know that the Secret Service director is a woman. 

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has also set up a "special task force" to investigate "serious security lapses," a matter he discussed with The Daily Signal's Mary Margaret Olohan at the RNC on Wednesday. Johnson has also said he will call for Cheatle to resign.

Lawmakers received briefings on Wednesday about the shooting as well.