Today has not been a good day for embattled Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle. After the multiple failures that resulted in a very close call for Donald Trump last weekend in Pennsylvania, she showed her face today — thanks to a subpoena — ostensibly to answer questions from members of the ironically named House Oversight and Accountability Committee who were trying to figure out exactly what the hell went so wrong in so many glaring and obvious ways.
As you’d expect, there was much grandstanding and lots of deflection. Many committee Democrats used their time not to ask the Director about what happened, but to rail against…guns. Because of course. For her part, Cheatle frustrated the most direct questioners by bobbing, dodging, and claiming that, while she “accept(s) responsibility for this tragedy,” she’s “not going to get into specifics of the day” due to the ongoing investigation into her agency’s deadly failure.
That, as you might expect, didn’t go over well with the committee members. She was skewered again and again for her “incompetence,” her “lame excuses,” and her lack of answers to even basic questions of fact about what happened that allowed the assassination attempt. Republican Nancy Mace proclaimed Director Cheatle as being “full of shit.”
Perhaps the most devastating exchange, though, came under questioning from California Rep, Ro Khanna, a Democrat. It went like this . . .
Rep. Ro Khanna: Now, director Cheatle, would you agree that this is the most serious security lapse since President Reagan was shot in 1981…of the Secret Service?
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle: Yes sir, I would.
RC: And, you know, do you know what Stuart Knight did when — he was in charge at the time, of the Secret Service. Do you know what he did? Afterwards?
KC: He remained on duty.
RK: He resigned. He resigned. And Stuart Knight was not a Democratic appointee…a Republican appointee. Look, I’m not questioning your judgement, I just don’t think this is partisan. If you have an assassination attempt on a President, a former President, or, uh, a candidate, you need to resign. That’s what Stuart Knight did. He was a Republican appointee and he took responsibility.
And I think you need to reflect. This is not a question of you, this is a question of the American people. You cannot go leading a Secret Service agency when there is an assassination attempt on a presidential candidate. I would say that about anyone who is running. And so I guess my question to you is, what’s the difference between your position and what Stuart Knight did?
KC: What I will tell you sir is that I am dedicated to finding the answers to what happened and like every Secret Service agent, we don’t shirk our responsibilities. I will remain on and be responsible to the agency, to this committee, to the former President, and to the American public.
RK: Is there a reason you wouldn’t just do what Stuart Knight did after the Reagan assassination attempt?
KC: I believe that I provided an answer.
RK: There’s nothing more that you have to say? I mean, do you really believe at this moment, given how divided the country is and the questions asked, that your service in this role is the best for the nation? I mean, I’m not saying you can’t do public service again, you can’t do something else again. Do you really genuinely in your heart believe that you being in this role is what’s right for America at this moment? I mean, do you think there are people who are Trump supporters who have confidence in you?
The one thing that…we’ve gotta have agencies in this country that transcend politics. That have the confidence of independents, Democrats, Republicans, progressives, conservatives. Do you really believe that the majority of this country has confidence in you right now?
KC: I believe that the country deserves answers and that I’m committed to finding those answers and providing those answers.
RK: Well look, I believe, Director Cheatle, that you should resign. I think there are colleagues on both sides of the aisle who believe that, and I hope you’ll consider it.
When you’re not hired for competence, you will not be fired for incompetence.
Got it in one.
Leftists neither feel shame or remorse, nor take responsibility voluntarily.
The sign on her desk reads, “The buck passes here.”
I have no confidence in Cheatle and I suspect I am not the only one. This was an event that should never have happened and it appears the Secret Service leadership hasn’t a clue about how incompetent their leadership appears. Cheatle should be fired if she will not resign, for the good of the Service and the country.
If Trump wore a Pepsi hat maybe she’d take the job seriously.
I can gurantee you that if it had been a leading Democrat candidate instead of Trump she would have had the area for 5 miles locked down do tight a bb could not have gotten through.
The president’s protective service, brought to you by Dewey, Cheatle and Howe.
invoked the three stooges there Paul.
🤣
H. Stuart Knight was USSS Director when two assassination attempts were made against Pres. Gerald Ford. He remained the USSS Director. Knight was Director through the Carter Administration into the Reagon Administration when Hinckley tried to kill Reagon in March 1981. Knight resigned from his post in November 1981 after serving the USSS for 31 years under eight presidents. He did not resign, as implied, for failures of the USSS during his tenure. Knight retired from government service and collected his 30-year pension. After that, he went to work for the private security company Guardsmark.
Cheadle is a failure all by herself.
“I’m incompetent to do normal stuff, but I’m totally good to investigate my own incompetence!! Yay, me!!”
‘Go Back To Guarding Doritos’: Pat Fallon Absolutely Torches Secret Service Director Cheatle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6__1qOefVA
Secret Service Director Humiliated in Congress (Highlights).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1StCXZ1iYk
Congressional hearing are nothing more than Dog & Pony shows. Nothing real or important has ever been resolved in a positive way from one. Politicians use them to score points with their supporters and try out new sound bites for the campaign season. They are one of the Biggest wastes of time and taxpayers $$$ of the 100s of millions of taxpayer $$$ wasted in Washington D.C.
You are exactly right. They all end up the same way, the Republicans make a lot of noise but get stiff armed throughout the process. The perp on the hot seat does the old “ongoing investigation” scam and answers nothing. There has to be a better way.
Catboss,
There IS a ‘better way’, and it’s what they SHOULD be doing – but it deprives them of the opportunity to mug for the cameras. The Committee could have called her in, under subpoena, for a CLOSED hearing (no public, press, etc. permitted, and no cameras), had the Sergeant at Arms of the House standing by, and told her up front to stick her “ongoing investigation” excuse up her bonus hole. If she continued to refuse to answer, despite the House’ Constitutional duty to oversee and supervise (and fund) ALL agencies, they could hold her in contempt of Congress, and jailed her sorry @$$ in the Capitol jail until she was prepared to answer their questions. But then, none of them would get their “moment on TV”, so I leave it to you to estimate the likelihood of that.