he House Oversight Committee has issued a joint letter calling for the resignation of U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle. The letter, signed by Kentucky Republican James Comer and Maryland Democrat Jamie Raskin, criticizes Cheatle for her handling of the recent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. The incident, which occurred at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, resulted in the death of one rally-goer and injuries to two others.
The lawmakers expressed their dissatisfaction with Cheatle's testimony during a congressional hearing on Monday (July 22). They accused her of failing to provide satisfactory answers to basic questions about the incident and the Secret Service's operational failures. "We call on you to resign as Director as a first step to allowing new leadership to swiftly address this crisis and rebuild the trust of a truly concerned Congress and the American people,” the lawmakers wrote in their letter.
During the hearing, Cheatle acknowledged the assassination attempt as "the most significant operational failure of the Secret Service in decades" and pledged cooperation with all investigations into the incident. However, her responses failed to appease the lawmakers, who criticized her for not providing specific details about the security failures at the rally.
The assassination attempt on Trump has sparked a series of bipartisan investigations. The shooter, a 20-year-old man armed with an AR-15 style rifle, killed one person and injured two others before being killed at the scene. The incident has been described as one of the darkest days in American political history and has led to increased scrutiny of the Secret Service's competence and management.