US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to testify before Congress after Trump's assassination attempt

Even as the investigators scramble to understand the motive behind the attempt on Donald Trump’s life last week, US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has been summoned to testify before a Congressional committee.

The Secret Service, the agency in charge of the security of president and former presidents, is under severe criticism for the failures and lapses that led to the shooting of Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania last week.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Secret Service Anthony Guglielmi Chief of Communications said that Cheatle will testify before the Oversight Committee of the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the US Congress, on Monday. He said that the Secret Service remains committed to cooperating with the various entities investigating the incident and is committed to understanding what happened.

“We are committed to better understanding what happened before, during, and after the assassination attempt of former President Trump to ensure it never happens again. That includes complete cooperation with Congress, the FBI, and other relevant investigations,” said Guglielmi.

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Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle will appear before the House Oversight Committee on Monday. pic.twitter.com/A5d7mNpHRK

— U.S. Secret Service Office of Communications (@SecretSvcSpox) July 19, 2024

In the run-up to the assassination, onlookers had alerted the authorities regarding the man on the rooftop with a building with a rifle but no action was taken. Minutes later, the man, later identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, fired at Trump. Moments later, Secret Service counter-snipers shot him dead as they located him after he had fired the shots and given up his position.

The bullet grazed Trump’s ears and as Secret Services scrambled to cover him, he rose with his pumped fist and the photo has since been flashed all over the world and has become a symbol of Trump’s defiance in the face of death. As President Joe Biden continues to lose support among the voters and among his own Democratic Party over concerns of mental and physical fitness to see through a second term, Trump’s support has soared in the wake of the failed attempt on his life.

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Following the shooting, Representative James Comer, the Republican Chairman of the House Oversight Committee, announced that the panel has issued a subpoena for Cheatle to testify in what would be the first congressional hearing into Trump’s attempted assassination. He further said that “lack of transparency and failure to cooperate” with the committee called into question Cheatle’s ability to lead the Secret Service and necessitated the subpoena, as per The Associated Press.

The Republicans have also called for Cheatle to resign from her post but she has said that she will continue to run the agency.