House Speaker Mike Johnson called for the removal of Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle following the security lapse that led to an attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump during a Pennsylvania rally. He stated that both Cheatle and FBI Director Christopher Wray did not provide satisfactory answers to important questions during a call with all House members. Johnson expressed his frustration by stating, “We almost lost the life of a former president. And I think there has to be accountability and it begins at the top. This is ridiculous.
The incident involved a 20-year-old Pennsylvania man named Thomas Matthew Crooks who managed to scale a neighboring rooftop and start shooting at Trump with an AR-style rifle before being apprehended by the Secret Service. Although Trump survived, his right ear was shot through. In addition, two rallygoers were wounded, and one more was killed. The gunman was later shot dead by a Secret Service counter-sniper from a different building while others rushed to shield and take Trump off the stage.
In response to the situation, Cheatle stated that she has no intentions to step down and that she deeply respects members of Congress, is committed to transparency, and is leading the Secret Service through an internal investigation. However, Johnson criticized her lack of intention to resign despite the oversight and mistakes that led to the incident.
The House Oversight Chairman James Comer subpoenaed Cheatle to appear at a public hearing next Monday. The House Homeland Committee is also planning its own hearing with Pennsylvania state and local police. Johnson spoke with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas “within hours” of the shooting, but noted that he did not have a lot of information or important facts available during their conversation.
The task force established by Johnson aims to get answers from everyone involved in the incident. Many lawmakers and law enforcement officials are frustrated with the lack of answers provided so far, and they believe accountability is necessary to prevent future incidents like this one.
