2024-07-23 03:40:09
CTK
Updated 9 hours ago
The assassination of former American President Donald Trump was the biggest operational failure of the United States Secret Service in the last decade. Kimberly Cheatle, the head of the service that, among other things, takes care of the security of the American president and other important persons, stated this before one of the committees of the US House of Representatives, according to the AP agency. At the same time, she refused calls to resign.
An assailant tried to shoot Trump on July 13, when the former head of state and current Republican candidate for the upcoming presidential election was speaking to supporters at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The ex-president suffered an ear injury, but the shooter killed one of the participants in the event and injured another.
Cheatle, testifying before the Oversight and Accountability Committee on Monday, said the Secret Service “failed on July 13” and accepted full responsibility for the events of that day.
American lawmakers had previously wondered indignantly how the shooter could get so close to Trump – he was about 150 meters away from the ex-president. Some members of the Republican Party have called for Cheatle’s resignation in connection with the attack, which the Secret Service has refused, and its chief has communicated the same position to lawmakers.
“I think I’m the best person to run the Secret Service right now,” she declared.
Cheatle said Trump was better protected from the shooting, according to Reuters. “The level of security provided to the former president was increased even before the start of the campaign and has continued to increase as threats have increased,” the Secret Service chief said, adding that her agency provided security for the July 13 rally as requested by the Trump team.
“For the event on July 13, we provided the required details, the required details,” said Cheatlová. However, she refused to answer specific questions about the security plans for Trump’s protection in view of the ongoing internal investigation.
The Secret Service admitted over the weekend that it had repeatedly turned down Trump’s security requests for additional resources over the previous two years. “In the case of the event in Butler, we did not reject any requests,” Cheatlová clarified today.
First hearing
The current hearing is only the first that will be held in the US Congress in connection with the assassination. On Wednesday, the head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Christopher Wray, will appear before another of the committees. House Republican Speaker Mike Johnson is also scheduled to introduce a task force to spearhead the House investigation. Both Republicans and Democrats will sit in it.
The House Judiciary Committee said last week that the Secret Service did not have enough people for Trump’s rally because of another campaign event in Pittsburgh with current first lady Jill Biden and a NATO summit held in Washington days before the shooting. According to Cheatle, the Secret Service protects 36 people a day, as well as world leaders who visit the United States.
The current president and former challenger to Trump in the November elections, Joe Biden, withdrew from the race on Sunday. He pledged to serve until the end of his term on January 20, 2025, and endorsed his vice president, Kamala Harris, as the Democratic nominee.