Will Secret Service boss Kimberly Cheatle face perjury charges amid calls to resign? ‘We are all sitting ducks with you’

Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle was grilled with tough questions during the House Oversight Committee's meeting following the agency's mishap in preventing an assassination try on Donald Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

The Republicans took charge of questioning Cheatle during a long hearing that lasted almost five hours. Democrats also joined in, asking her many tough questions that they felt she didn't answer well.

The head of the Secret Service is currently under pressure from both Republicans and Democrats to step down due to criticism of her testimony regarding the agency's failure to safeguard Trump at a recent rally.

Many members of the GOP called for Cheatle to step down, including Rep. Jamie Raskin from Maryland, the highest-ranking Democrat on the committee. He requested her resignation after the shooter was able to start shooting at a Trump rally.

A 20-year-old shooter used a rifle similar to an AR-15 to fatally shoot one protester and wound two others at a Trump rally. After the incident, various investigations and measures involving both political parties have been initiated to understand what happened during the shooting, which came close to killing Trump. The bullet left a 2cm hole in Trump's ear. The shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was killed at the scene.

Kimberly Cheatle's Testimony On Trump's Assassination Plot

Congressman James Comer, who leads the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, said, "The Secret Service is expected to never fail, but it fell short on July 13 and before the rally."

He also pointed out that the Secret Service, despite having many employees and a large budget, is now seen as being inefficient.

Cheatle's first statement angered lawmakers when she avoided answering important questions by mentioning ongoing investigations. She described the terrible event as the biggest mistake the Secret Service has made in many years.

The Secret Service's important duty is to keep our country's leaders safe. Cheatle mentioned at the beginning of a congressional hearing that on July 13th, they did not succeed in their mission.

Assuming responsibility for the incident, she stated: "I acknowledge that any security breach within our agency is my responsibility. We are actively collaborating with the ongoing inquiries... I am determined to do everything possible to prevent a repeat of the events on July 13th." She also described herself as "the most suitable individual to guide the Secret Service at present."

Check out: Lara Trump makes strong statement about Secret Service chief after attempted assassination.

Cheatles' Testimony Sparks Anger From Both Sides

Republicans and Democrats were very unhappy with Cheatle's testimony. They both wrote a letter together after the hearing. Comer and Raskin demanded that Cheatle step down from their position.

In the letter, Cheatle did not do enough to make the Americans feel confident that the agency is improving and fixing its major mistakes. They also pointed out that she did not give clear responses to simple questions about the major mistake that was made.

Lawmakers asked Cheatle various questions, such as how the shooter managed to carry out the attack and get to the roof, how Trump was able to go on stage despite concerns about a suspicious person, and why she hasn't stepped down from her position.

GOP Representative Mike Turner of Ohio, who serves as the chairman of the US House Intelligence Committee, said that Director Cheatle would appear incompetent if Donald Trump were still alive. Turner also added that if Trump had been killed, Cheatle would have appeared responsible.

Cheatle stated that she is only able to respond to questions that she can answer with factual information because there are several ongoing investigations.

During a recent interview with Cheatle, GOP Representative Nancy Mace accused her of being untruthful and recommended that she prepare to resign. In response, Cheatle firmly declined the suggestion.

Mace also made a special request to remove Cheatle from his position. She stated that the House has never before voted to impeach a lower-level government official, but these are extraordinary times that require extraordinary actions.

Agreeing with the same opinions shared in her testimony, Representative Melanie Stansbury, a Democratic congresswoman from New Mexico, described the Secret Service chief's responses as "completely unacceptable."

Just like other politicians, Rep. Byron Donalds, who is a Republican from Florida, demanded that Cheatle should step down from their position. He expressed that Cheatle should be terminated right away due to their severe incompetence.

"This is all a funny situation, and Director, as the head honcho, it's up to you to leave," he included.

When Cheatle said it would take 60 days to finish an internal investigation, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez disagreed and said that it was not good enough. She mentioned the security concerns in the United States before the November elections, which are only 100 days away.

Will Secret Service Chief Be Charged With Perjury Or Contempt?

In the meantime, a member of Congress from Florida asked for charges of inherent contempt and perjury to be filed against the director. She stated that she had no knowledge of a group text among law enforcement that discussed suspicions about the shooter.

Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna criticized Cheatle for refusing to answer certain questions.

"You have lied under oath. I demand that we pursue charges of perjury against the Director. We are ready to accuse you of contempt!"

"None of the Congress members feel secure with you leading the Secret Service. I believe we are all vulnerable with you in control."

After criticizing her hearing as "awful", she mentioned: "There have been many calls from both sides for her to step down. To speed up her resignation, I am considering proposing a vote of inherent contempt."