Secret Service Chief Concedes, Says 'Most Serious' Security Lapse Since Reagan Was Shot in 1981

Washington: The head of the US Secret Service Kimberly Cheatle, on Monday, conceded to lawmakers that the assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump was the 'most serious' security lapse since the then President Ronald Regan was shot in 1981.

Cheatle said the same during her testimony before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee about the attempted assassination of Trump, wherein she was grilled by lawmakers, including two Indian American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi and Ro Khanna.

Khanna asked Cheatle to resign as the Director of the US Secret Service. “If you have an assassination attempt on a president, a former president or a candidate, you need to resign,” Khanna said, noting that Stewart Knight, the then secret service head in 1981 had resigned.

"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,” he said.

Responding to another question from Khanna, Cheatle said: “Yes, sir, I would,” when asked: "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?" At the same time, she said in response to a question from Congresswoman Virginia Fox: “I have taken accountability, and I will continue to take accountability. I am responsible for leading the agency and I am responsible for finding the answers to how this event occurred and making sure that it doesn't happen again.” Cheatle told Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi that the incident was under investigation.

“According to NBC, just two minutes later, at 5:53 pm, the Secret Service notified its snipers about the gunman. The rally wasn't paused at that point either, correct?” he asked. “No,” she said.

She had no answer when Krishnamoorthi asked if the assassin was on the roof and everybody was yelling at him, but the Secret Service took no action.

“We are currently still combing through communications and when communications were passed," she said.

“I can point you to this communication as two minutes before the shots started ringing out. Director Cheatle, yes or no, was there ever a moment where the Secret Service actually considered pausing the rally?” an angry Krishnamoorthi asked.

"The Secret Service would have paused the rally had they known or been told there was an actual threat," she said.

“The people that are in charge of protecting the president on that day would never bring the former president out if there was a threat that had been identified,” Cheatle said.

In response to a question from Congressman James Cooper about why the Secret Service didn't place a single agent on the roof, she said: "We are still looking into the advanced process and the decisions that were made." The building was outside of the perimeter on the day of the visit, she said. “That is one of the things that during the investigation we want to take a look at and determine whether or not other decisions should have been made,” she added.

The Secret Service has acknowledged it denied some requests by Trump's campaign for increased security at his events in the years before the assassination attempt.

The attack on Trump was the most serious attempt to assassinate a president or presidential candidate since Reagan was shot in 1981. It was the latest in a series of security lapses by the agency that has drawn investigations and public scrutiny over the years.

(with PTI inputs)