Upon getting a subpoena from the head of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, James Comer (R-KY), who is a Republican, U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has consented to appear before the committee on Monday to discuss the recent failed assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
“Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle will testify before the House Committee on Oversight on Monday,” said Secret Service Chief of Communications, Anthony Guglielmi, on Friday. “The Secret Service is fully accountable for the safety of its protectees. We are committed to better understanding what happened before, during, and after the assassination attempt of former President Trump to ensure it never happens again. That includes complete cooperation with Congress, the FBI, and other relevant investigations.”
Following intense scrutiny and public demand for transparency, the decision was made due to the circumstances that allowed for a security lapse during the incident. “Americans demand accountability and transparency about the Secret Service’s failures that led to the attempted assassination of President Trump, but they aren’t getting that from President Biden’s Department of Homeland Security,” Comer said in a statement two days ago when announcing the subpoena.
Reports earlier this week suggested that Cheatle was being told by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas that she should refrain from providing testimony to the GOP-controlled House, but the subpoena appears to have dampened any pressure she was under to remain silent.
Cheatle is expected to tackle important questions regarding the operations of the Secret Service and the particular shortcomings that might have made the assassination attempt on Trump possible. Legislators are expected to delve into the specifics of the security procedures at the time of the event, as well as the actions the agency has implemented to prevent a similar incident in the future.
Investigators have found that Thomas Matthew Crooks, the person who attempted the assassination, had visited the site twice before the incident. He also had images of both Trump and current President Joe Biden stored on his mobile device, although his motives are still unclear. Local Butler, Pa., authorities informed the Secret Service that they did not have enough personnel to properly secure the building from which Crooks launched his attack, reports said.
A Hispanic ex-classmate of shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks said he insinuated he was stupid for supporting former President Donald Trump in an interview with Fox News Digital. Vincent Taormina told the outlet that Crooks, 20, was “passionate” about politics but hated “all” politicians.
“He just did not like politicians, especially with the choices that we’ve had. He did not like our politicians,” Taormina said, adding that in 2020, when Crooks would have been around 16 years old, he “disliked all of them.” Taormina did not specify when he spoke to Crooks about Trump but said, “I brought up the fact that I’m Hispanic and, you know, I’m for Trump. And he said, ‘Well you’re Hispanic, so shouldn’t you hate Trump?’” He said he told Crooks that Trump was a great president, and Crooks “insinuated that I was stupid.”
“He was a know-it-all,” he added. “He acted like he knew everything, especially politics-related. He was real smug, arrogant whenever he was talking…It got under my skin a lot,” Taormina added. He said Crooks was not a loner or bullied and had a friend group who were “definitely the type, and they did make threats to shoot up our school.”
Fox News reported on Wednesday that investigators have not found evidence of a particular ideology Crooks held, but that he had written on a gaming platform called “Steam”: “July 13 will be my premiere, watch as it unfolds.” Authorities have also reportedly found a few internet searches by Crooks in July of “Trump,” “Biden,” “when is DNC convention,” and “July 13 Trump rally.”