In a occasional act of bipartisanship, both Republican and Democratic members of Congress called for the resignation of Secret Service Director Kim Cheatle at the House Oversight Committee hearing on “Oversight of the U.S. Secret Service and the Assassination Attempt on President Donald J. Trump.”
While Cheatle maintained a serene, professional demeanor during the very heated questioning, she largely dodged critical questions from Republicans and Democrats and refused to provide concrete answers. The frustration over her apparent inability (or unwillingness) to answer pertinent questions was palpable.
And while Democratic committee members tried to weave the issue of gun control into their questioning, the investigation – unlike many such oversight hearings – focused primarily on relevant details – and demanded answers that most Americans have about what went wrong here.
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Reveals huge intelligence response problem
Of particular note are the direct calls for Cheatle to resign from Democratic committee members. In addition to her brutal questioning by Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Cheatle was also called on to resign by Reps. Kwame Mfume (D-MD) and Ro Khanna (D-CA).
Democratic MP Kweisi Mfume: “People just assume that whoever is in charge will take full responsibility, even though there has never been such a failure.”
Uh, yes, the person in charge is responsible for everything that happens under him. pic.twitter.com/EVWSZsmhRj
— Media Research Centre (@theMRC) July 22, 2024
During his questioning, Mfume noted:
People just assume that whoever is in charge will take full responsibility, even though there has never been a failure like this – at least not on this scale and scope. So when members ask you, “Are you going to resign?” and you say you don’t intend to, they, like many other people watching what’s going on, are baffled.
Later, Khanna became even more direct in his call for Cheatle to resign, comparing the July 13 assassination attempt on Trump to the assassination of Ronald Reagan in 1981.
KHANNA: “Do you know what Stuart Knight [who was in charge of the Secret Service when Reagan was shot] Do you know what he did after that?”
CHEATLE: “He remained on duty.”
KHANNA: “He resigned.” pic.twitter.com/o4B8RSFc5L
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) July 22, 2024
KHANNA: Now, Director Cheatle, do you agree that this is the most stern breach of security by the Secret Service since the assassination of President Reagan in 1981?
CHEATLE: Yes, sir, I would.
KHANNA: And… you know what Stuart Knight did when he ran the Secret Service back then – you know what he did… after that?
CHEATLE: He remained on duty.
KHANNA: He resigned. He resigned. And Stuart Knight was not appointed by the Democrats or the Republicans. Look, I’m not questioning your judgment – I just don’t think this is partisan. When an assassination attempt is made on a president, a former president, or a candidate, you have to resign. That’s what Stuart Knight did. He was appointed by the Republicans and he took responsibility. And I think you have to think. This is not a question about you; it’s a question about the American people. You can’t take over the leadership of an intelligence agency when an assassination attempt is made on a presidential candidate.
Despite Khanna’s obvious opposition to Knight’s appointment (he was appointed In 1973, during the presidency of Richard Nixon, his position was clear. Knight was in charge and took responsibility after the failed assassination attempt on Reagan. Cheatle’s resistance in this case, after admitting that her agency made colossal mistakes, is quite puzzling, although one suspects that after the beating she received at this hearing, she might be inclined to reconsider her decision.
