Republican senators confronted Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday about the attempted assassination of former President Trump on Saturday, saying they owe the people and the president “answers.”
A video shows Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, and John Barrasso, R-Wyoming, confronting Cheatle in Milwaukee. Sens. James Lankford, R-Oklahoma, and Kevin Cramer, R-North Dakota, were also involved.
“Stonewalling,” Barrasso can be heard yelling at Cheatle as she moves through the convention center.
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Former President Trump survived an assassination attempt Saturday at a rally in Pennsylvania. (Trump campaign office/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“This was an assassination attempt, you owe the people answers, you owe President Trump answers,” Blackburn said.
In a separate longer videoSenators can be seen questioning Cheatle. In response to their questions, she says that this is not an appropriate place to have a discussion, but that she is happy to answer questions, before leaving the suite. It is at this point that she is yelled at by the lawmakers.
The announcement comes as Republicans and some Democrats have sharply criticized the agency for the circumstances surrounding the assassination attempt on Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. The shooter was identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, and the FBI is investigating his precise motive.
Trump was shot in the ear, but one attendee was killed and two others were wounded. Lawmakers are wondering how the gunman was able to get so close and fire multiple shots, as reports surfaced that people saw him climbing into the building.
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This image shows Senators Marsha Blackburn and John Barrasso confronting Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle. (@VoteMarsha/X)
FBI Director Christopher Wray Congress held briefings with members of the House and Senate on Wednesday to discuss lawmakers’ questions and concerns. Barrasso earlier told Fox News that the meeting was a “100 percent briefing.”
Cheatle has agreed to comply with a subpoena from House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer. She called the shooting “unacceptable” and “something that should not happen again.”
“I’m the one in charge,” she told ABC News. “I’m the director of the Secret Service and I have to make sure that we do a review and that we give our people the resources they need.”
But she was criticised for comments about a “sloping roof” which posed a safety issue.
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“This particular building has a sloping roof, at its highest point. So there is a safety factor that has to be taken into account, because we wouldn’t want to put someone on a sloping roof. So we decided to secure the building from the inside,” she said.
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His answers have so far failed to satisfy many people. Republican lawmakersincluding Barrasso and Blackburn.
“It is appalling that the Director of the Secret Service has refused to answer our questions. This is one of the greatest security failures in the history of the agency. She can run, but she cannot hide. She is a failed leader and must immediately resign from her position,” Blackburn said in a statement.
Fox News’ Liz Elkind and Aishah Hasnie contributed to this report.
