I’ll make this quick because Spencer already covered most of this trainwreck hearing by Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, who surprisingly showed up for what she could only imagine would be a charbroiling before House Oversight. As of writing this post, Congress is still shredding Ms. Cheatle on both sides of the aisle, perhaps for different reasons—Democrats reiterated their gun control antics—but even they were getting frustrated with her refusal to answer simple questions about the security failures that were revealed in the aftermath of the failed assassination attempt against Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13.
Even @AOC has had enough w/ @SecretService's excuses: "The notion of a report [on the Trump assassination attempt] coming out in 60 days, when the threat environment is so high in the United States, irrespective of party, is not acceptable" pic.twitter.com/KNRR2ItVmm
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) July 22, 2024
This hearing is an absolute catastrophe for the Secret Service, who limped into this room with damaged credibility, and Ms. Cheatle opted to make it worse by stonewalling. The woman is offering zero answers to basic questions whose answers we already know—it’s been reported in the media. The answer for why the rooftop remained unprotected and unguarded remains lost in the Bermuda Triangle, but three things were disturbing regarding this hearing: Cheatle wouldn’t definitively say that the would-be assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, was the lone gunman. She wouldn’t disclose how many spent shell casings were found on the roof. And Ms. Cheatle said no one at the agency had been disciplined for this staggering security failure:
BIGGS: "Was Mr. Crooks acting alone?
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) July 22, 2024
CHEATLE: "I would have to refer you to the FBI's investigation."
BIGGS: "Was he just a lone gunman?"
CHEATLE: "I would have to refer you to the FBI's investigation for motive." pic.twitter.com/BBzwaKnj5C
Director Cheatle won't confirm that the AGR building was a known vulnerability to Secret Service
— Benjamin Weingarten (@bhweingarten) July 22, 2024
Director Cheatle won't say how many spent shell casings were on AGR roof
— Benjamin Weingarten (@bhweingarten) July 22, 2024
GOP TX Rep Sessions: Have any employees been disciplined for their role in Butler, PA incident?
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) July 22, 2024
Cheatle: No, sir, not at this time.
She's also refusing to step down, claiming she is the best person to lead the agency.
What a total disaster.
FALLON: "Have you visited the site?"
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) July 22, 2024
CHEATLE: "No, I have not."
FALLON: "NINE days and you have not visited the site?!" pic.twitter.com/ZBFBpn8FED