Representative Mark Green (R-TN), Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, sent letters to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray, and Secret Service (USSS) Director Kimberly Cheatle, calling them to testify on July 23.
Green’s demand for answers following the assassination attempt on Donald Trump follows House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) issuing a separate letter to Cheatle, requesting her appearance for a hearing on July 22.
“The American people want answers on what happened Saturday in Pennsylvania. Secretary Mayorkas and Director Cheatle are responsible for the department and the agency charged with securing our homeland and protecting our nation’s chief executives and candidates, while Director Wray leads the agency with the vital responsibility of investigating this attempted assassination,” Green said in a statement.
“It is imperative that we partner to understand what went wrong, and how Congress can work with the departments and agencies to ensure this never happens again. Successful oversight requires Congress to work together with these officials as they testify publicly before the House Committee on Homeland Security. The American people, and the individuals and families who receive protective services, deserve nothing less.”
The letters demand that the three officials “submit a written statement of proposed testimony, which must be filed with the Committee Clerk no less than 48 hours in advance of your appearance before the Committee.”
Despite calls for her resignation, Cheatle does not plan to step down as Secret Service Director.
“The buck stops with me,” she said in an interview with ABC News. “I am the director of the Secret Service, and I need to make sure that we are performing a review and that we are giving resources to our personnel as necessary.”
Representative Lauren Boebert (R-CO) introduced legislation that would hold Cheatle accountable for the security failures of July 13.
“Saturday’s assassination attempt on President Trump’s life was either intentional or the result of gross incompetence by the United States Secret Service. Under Director Cheatle’s failed leadership, the United States Secret Service has prioritized woke DEI policies over the core responsibilities of the Secret Service, including protecting our nation’s leaders,” Boebert said. “This lack of leadership contributed to the first assassination attempt of a President in 43 years. Director Cheatle has got to go!”
The bill, called the “Secret Service Accountability Act,” would “prohibit the use of Federal funds for the salary of the Director of the United States Secret Service.”