(DailyChive.com) – US Secret Service Chief Kim Cheatle has refused to resign as she faced growing calls to step down after failing to stop an assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump.
Although Cheatle acknowledged that her agency was completely responsible for the security breach that nearly took Trump’s life and that this incident should have been avoided, she announced not to resign from her role.
Multiple top Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, have asked Cheatle to resign and vowed to explore every possible option if she does not comply with the resignation demands. When asked if these options include impeaching Cheatle, Johnson replied that the House is first focusing on finding the real facts about the unfortunate incident.
At least six congressional committees have started to investigate Trump’s assassination attempt, with most of them focusing on the Secret Service and its parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security. In her first House appearance since the shooting, Cheatle will testify in front of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee led by conservative lawmaker James Comer, who has already questioned Cheatle’s ability to lead the Secret Service. After this hearing, she will testify in front of the House Homeland Security Committee.
Speaker Johnson has also announced a bipartisan task force with subpoena powers to reach the bottom of the investigation quickly.
Meanwhile, Cheatle failed to satisfy senators from both sides of the aisle despite acknowledging that her agency was at fault in the shooting incident. Sen. John Barrasso called Cheatle’s Senate hearing a “cover-your-a** briefing” and asked for her resignation.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell also argued that the nation deserves immediate answers about the attack and a new leadership of the Secret Service would be highly beneficial to take the investigation forward.
Apart from Cheatle, the Secret Service, in general, is facing mounting criticism as new details emerge that the agency knew about the presence of a suspicious person in the vicinity of the rally at least 20 minutes before the shooting.
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