Secret Service Director Takes 'Responsibility' for Security Failure in Assassination Attempt on Trump

The head of the Secret Service has called the shooting of former President Donald Trump the agency's biggest failure in decades. Kimberly Cheatle, the Secret Service Director, spoke to lawmakers on Monday. She took "full responsibility" for not protecting Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. On July 13, a man named Thomas Matthew Crooks shot at Trump during an outdoor event. Trump was hurt in the ear. One person at the rally died, and two others were badly injured. Crooks was killed by police at the scene.

Cheatle told the House Oversight Committee, "The Secret Service's solemn mission is to protect our nation's leaders. On July 13th, we failed. As the Director of the United States Secret Service, I take full responsibility for any security lapse. Let me state unequivocally that nothing I have said should be interpreted to place blame for this failure on our federal, state, or local law enforcement partners who supported the Secret Service in Butler." The shooting has led to several investigations. The Department of Homeland Security is looking into what went wrong. Cheatle said her agency is working with the FBI and doing its own review. 

She also said, "We must learn what happened and I will move heaven and earth to ensure an incident like July 13th does not happen again. Thinking about what we should have done differently is never far from my thoughts," as per Mediaite. Despite the failure, Cheatle said, "Our special agents shielded former President Trump with their own bodies on stage while shots were being fired." She also thanked the team that stopped the gunman. Some Republicans want Cheatle to quit her job. House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell think she should step down, as per AP News. 

Cheatle defended the agency's work. She said, "Our mission is not political. It is literally a matter of life and death, as the tragic events on July 13th remind us." She also noted that security for Trump had increased before the shooting. The Secret Service chief revealed some new details about the incident. She confirmed that the FBI had told them Crooks used a drone in the area before the shooting. Crooks also had a range finder, a tool to measure distance. This item wasn't banned at the event.

Republicans accused the Secret Service of not giving enough resources to protect Trump. Cheatle denied this, saying, "The level of security provided for the former president increased well before the campaign and has been steadily increasing as threats evolve." James Comer, the Republican leading the committee, strongly criticized Cheatle. He said, "The Secret Service has thousands of employees and a significant budget. But it has now become the face of incompetence." He told her directly that she should resign.

Not everyone agreed. Democratic Representative Gerry Connolly saw the incident as a sign of bigger problems. He said, "Unacceptable incidents like this one highlight the fact that we are an increasingly polarised nation experiencing heightened political tensions." The hearing on Monday was just the start of Congress looking into the shooting. On Wednesday, FBI Director Christopher Wray will speak to another committee. House Speaker Johnson is also creating a special group to investigate what happened.