US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle acknowledged the agency’s failure in preventing the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump during his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. Speaking before the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, Cheatle took full responsibility for the security lapse but rejected bipartisan calls for her resignation.
The incident involved 20-year-old gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks, who opened fire on Trump with an AR-style assault rifle from a nearby rooftop. Trump was slightly wounded in the right ear, and two rally attendees were seriously injured. A firefighter, Corey Comperatore, was killed. Crooks was shot dead by a Secret Service sniper 26 seconds after he began shooting. Investigators found no strong ideological or political motivations behind Crooks’ actions.
During the hearing, committee chairman James Comer and Representative Michael Turner criticized Cheatle, calling for her resignation. Cheatle, however, maintained that she was the best person to lead the Secret Service and emphasized ongoing investigations into the attack.
Trump’s former physician, Ronny Jackson, reported that Trump sustained a two-centimetre gunshot wound on his right ear, narrowly avoiding a more serious injury. Cheatle, who has a long tenure with the Secret Service and had a stint as head of security for PepsiCo, was appointed to lead the agency by President Joe Biden in 2022.