UPDATE: Cheatle has stepped down.

The recent information about the Secret Service’s handling of the assassination attempt on former President Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, has raised serious concerns. Earlier, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) highlighted troubling issues in his report, such as poor communication and the Secret Service’s failure to attend a morning meeting with local law enforcement. Johnson also questioned the possibility of another shooter and the distribution of photos of the dead shooter. Additionally, questions arose about the discrepancy in security measures for Jill Biden’s Pittsburgh event, which had 12 post-standers, compared to Trump’s much larger outdoor event, which had only three.

On Monday, the head of the Secret Service, Kim Cheatle, testified before a bipartisan House Oversight Committee. Cheatle’s responses were largely deflective, with her repeating that they were still investigating. Despite it being nine days since the incident, there has yet to be a comprehensive briefing, a standard procedure for such high-profile cases.

Some Democrats seemed to deflect attention toward unrelated topics like gun control, with Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton being a notable example. However, others, such as Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), asked incisive questions that caused Cheatle to meltdown. It was so bad she would have done herself a favor is she just resigned right then and there.

Krishnamoorthi’s questioning was particularly revealing. He pointed out that the shooter began firing at 6:11 PM on July 13th. NBC had reported that at 5:51 PM, 20 minutes before the shooting, the state police had informed the Secret Service of their concerns. Despite this, the rally was not paused. When asked, Cheatle confirmed that no action was taken at that point.

Krishnamoorthi further pressed Cheatle on why the rally wasn’t paused when rallygoers were shouting about a shooter on the roof. Cheatle’s response that the shift wasn’t aware of an actual threat until much later was met with disbelief from Krishnamoorthi, who pointed to the video showing the communication from the crowd two minutes before the shots were fired.

Rep. Krishnamoorthi: “The shooter began shooting at 6:1PM on July 13th. NBC reported at 5:51 PM, 20 minutes before the shooting the state police informed the Secret Service of their concern. The rally was not paused at that point, correct?”

Cheatle: “No.” pic.twitter.com/Cpgoa2fhDN

— ForAmerica (@ForAmerica) July 22, 2024