Several Republican senators confronted Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday night seeking answers about how the agency failed to protect former President Donald Trump from an assassination attempt.
Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., John Barrasso, R-Wyo., James Lankford, R-Okla., and Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., surrounded Cheatle at the Fiserv Forum and asked about the shooting at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday.
A video posted on X by Blackburn shows the senators asking Cheatle questions. After engaging in brief conversation, the director walks away with the lawmakers following.
Barrasso and Blackburn can be seen yelling at the director for failing to adequately explain what happened on Saturday either at the arena or in earlier briefings between Secret Service and FBI officials and House and Senate members.
"Sen. Blackburn and I just went face to face with the director of the Secret Service asking for specific answers about what happened with President Trump in Pennsylvania and how that shooter was able to get off a clear shot when the FBI and Secret Service knew that there was a suspicious person an hour in advance of when the shooting occurred," Barrasso, standing next to Blackburn, said in a separate video on X.
Blackburn then said Cheatle "would not answer our questions."
"She wanted to say it was not the time or place. This was after we've been through a conference call today where the question queue got cut off," Blackburn said.
"But I have a message for her. She can run but she cannot hide because the American people want to know how an assassination attempt was carried out on former President Donald Trump."
The Washington Post reported that while Cheatle walked away, Blackburn yelled: "This was an assassination attempt. You owe the people answers! You owe President Trump answers!"
Pressure is mounting on Cheatle to resign after reports surfaced saying law enforcement knew of the would-be assassin's presence well before the shooting.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said he will look at all available avenues should Cheatle buck calls for her resignation.
Following the confrontation with the senators, Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement that Cheatle does not intend to step down, the Post reported.
"She deeply respects members of Congress and is fiercely committed to transparency in leading the Secret Service through the internal investigation and strengthening the agency through lessons learned in these important internal and external reviews," Guglielmi said.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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