US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle admitted on Monday to the agency's failure in preventing the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump during Pennsylvania rally.
"The Secret Service's solemn mission is to protect our nation's leaders," Cheatle said during testimony before the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability.
"On July 13, we failed," she said. "As director of the United States Secret Service, I take full responsibility for any security lapse." But she rejected a wave of bipartisan calls for her resignation.
Cheatle said the attack on Donald Trump, who was slightly wounded in his right ear while speaking at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, was “the most significant operational failure of the Secret Service in decades.”
"There clearly was a mistake and we will make every effort to make sure that this never happens again," she said.
During a campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania, a 20-year-old gunman identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire on former President Donald Trump with an AR-style assault rifle.
The incident occurred just minutes after Trump had begun speaking. Positioned on the roof of a nearby building, Crooks had a clear view of the stage and fired eight shots before being swiftly neutralized by a Secret Service sniper within 26 seconds of the first gunshot.
Two rally attendees were seriously wounded in the shooting and a 50-year-old firefighter, Corey Comperatore, of Freeport, Pennsylvania, was shot dead.
US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle is set to face intense scrutiny on Monday as she prepares to testify before the House of Representatives Oversight and Accountability Committee regarding her agency's failure to prevent the recent assassination attempt on Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
Pressure for her resignation has mounted from prominent Republicans like House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. In a separate hearing on Wednesday, FBI Director Christopher Wray will also testify before the House Judiciary Committee.
