Staff Reports
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle is about to be put in the hot seat during a highly anticipated hearing with the House Oversight Committee. Lawmakers are clearly ready to unravel the baffling failures that allowed an assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump. This hearing, combined with FBI Director Christopher Wray’s upcoming testimony, promises to lay bare the incompetency and oversight that led to bullets being fired at a crowd gathered to hear one of the most polarizing figures in American politics.
Cheatle’s performance is bound to be scrutinized as the Oversight Committee, which has been more partisan than a Fox News segment, shifts gears toward some unexpected bipartisanship—perhaps a sign that even those in the swamp can agree when it comes to the threat against Trump. Representatives James Comer and Jamie Raskin have managed to put aside their usual disagreements to address a shared concern: ensuring this kind of dangerous breach of security doesn’t repeat itself. After all, what’s more bipartisan than the collective dread of a former president getting shot at?
Washington Examiner: Dual hearings to test Secret Service and FBI leaders after Trump assassination attempt https://t.co/HZb5PfdUvd
— Ian Hansen 🇺🇸🇺🇸 (@IanHansenFeed) July 22, 2024
The grim details surrounding the incident paint a concerning picture. A 20-year-old named Thomas Crooks took up position on a rooftop and fired several shots into the crowd, resulting in chaos, one death, and injuries to two others. Miraculously, Crooks’s bullet merely grazed Trump’s ear. It’s almost as if he was practicing for an amateur shooting gallery rather than trying to put an end to a political career. The optics of this incompetency lead to very serious questions—mostly focused on just how a clearly unhinged individual armed with a long-range scope was able to get so close.
Lawmakers are expected to grill Cheatle about the intelligence failures that allowed Crooks to go unnoticed, why the Secret Service failed to secure the rooftop location, and how on earth anyone deemed it acceptable to let an active shooter have a vantage point during a Trump rally. Details are emerging that indicate the Pennsylvania State Police warned Cheatle’s office about Crooks just 20 minutes before the shots rang out. Apparently, their response time was reminiscent of the DMV, rather than a federal security agency supposed to protect a former president.
The pressure is mounting on Cheatle as calls for her resignation permeate the atmosphere, with Republicans eager to point fingers and dishing out blame like it’s going out of style. Democrats, meanwhile, seem to be playing a political waiting game—cognizant that it’s often wise to side with accountability, albeit cautiously. The ongoing investigation from the FBI, which seems to be losing its grip faster than a weathervane in a hurricane, adds to the chaos. They have yet to establish a motive for Crooks, leading to speculation that he might simply have been using his shooting skills for personal amusement.
As Cheatle prepares to face the music, the spotlight will also shine on Wray, who must explain how the FBI is addressing the security failures while caught up in its investigations—attached to lingering concerns about whether they dropped the ball by enabling such a precarious situation to unfold. Allegations hint at limited resources due to the NATO summit, leaving the safety of Americans, including Trump, hanging in the balance. If the hearings are anything like the circus they appear to be shaping up to be, viewers can only hope for some entertaining exchanges as tough questions are hurled across the table like candy at a parade.
