Kimberly Cheatle, director of the US Secret Service, says the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump was the agency’s “most significant operational failure” in decades.
Cheatle spoke during a congressional hearing on Monday, adding that she takes full responsibility for the agency’s oversight.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had identified the gunman who opened fire on Trump during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks.
One audience member was killed, and three people, including Trump, were injured.
James Comer, the oversight committee chairman, said the assassination attempt questioned Cheatle’s competence and asked her to resign.
Comer said it is questionable whether the president, first lady, White House, and presidential candidates are safe with Cheatle leading the Secret Service.
“The Secret Service has a zero-fail mission, but it failed on July 13 and in the days leading up to the rally,” Comer said in his opening statement.
“The Secret Service has thousands of employees and a significant budget, but it has now become the face of incompetence.”
Calls have grown for the director to step down, but she has defiantly resisted them.
“We must learn what happened, and I will move heaven and earth to ensure an incident like July 13th does not happen again,” she said.
“Thinking about what we should have done differently is never far from my thoughts.
“As the director of the United States Secret Service, I take full responsibility for any security lapse.”
“As an agency, we are fully cooperating with the FBI’s investigation, the oversight you have initiated here, and conducting our own internal mission assurance review at my direction.
“Likewise, we will cooperate with the pending external review and the DHS office of the inspector general.”
Established in 1865, the Secret Service is one of the oldest US law enforcement agencies.
While the service also investigates financial and counterfeiting crimes and guards diplomatic missions in Washington DC, it is most famous for providing protective services to the president, vice-president and their families, and former first families.
The agency is also mandated to protect visiting foreign heads of state and other prominent dignitaries, as well as major presidential candidates and their spouses, within 120 days of a general election.
Cheatle joined the Secret Service in 1995.
During her time as an agent, she supervised Joe Biden’s protective details when he was vice president before becoming the deputy assistant director of protective operations.
After a short stint in the private sector working for PepsiCo, Cheatle was appointed to her current post of director by Biden in 2022.
