Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez asked U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle a seemingly obvious question during a Congressional hearing Monday that the director was unable to answer.
Ocasio-Cortez asked Cheatle why the Secret Service perimeter at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, wasn’t outside the range of America’s most popular rifle. Thomas Matthew Crooks shot at Trump from a range of about 150 yards away last Saturday, nicking his ear and coming within centimeters of killing the former president.
“The individual used an AR-15 in order to act out his assassination attempt,” the congresswoman stated. “An AR-15 has a range of about 400 to 600 yards. My question is, why is the Secret Service protective perimeter shorter than one of the most popular semi-automatic weapons in the United States?”
Cheatle responded by saying “there are a number of weapons out there with a number of ranges.” She claimed she could not “speak to specifics” about the determination of the perimeter.
AOC Unexpectedly Asks Secret Service Director a GOOD Question
This is a Matrix-like moment.
“The individual used an AR-15 in order to act out his assassination attempt. An AR-15 has a range of about 400 to 600 yards. My question is, why is the Secret Service protective… pic.twitter.com/oDvzA7yNdh
— The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) July 22, 2024
Members of both parties have called on Cheatle to resign after security failures enabled the near miss on Trump’s life.
Chair of the House Oversight Committee, Republican Kentucky Rep. James Comer, remarked on the rare occurrence of agreement between the committee’s members. (RELATED: ‘Go Back To Guarding Doritos’: GOP Rep Goes Ballistic On Secret Service Director For ‘Shameful’ Answers)
“This committee is not known for its model of bipartisanship, and I think today we came together unanimously in our disappointment,” Comer said. “We don’t have that confidence that you can lead.”
The committee grilled Cheatle on accusations the Secret Service denied Trump’s campaign protective resources. She did not directly answer Republican Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan when he asked if requests for additional security at Trump’s rally were denied.
“I don’t think you’ve answered one question,”@Jim_Jordan tells Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle pic.twitter.com/UqFoxwKy9I
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) July 22, 2024
The hearing lasted for nearly five hours. Cheatle did not seem amicable to calls for her resignation. She maintained that she is “the best person to lead the Secret Service at this time,” though she took “full responsibility” for the security failures at Trump’s campaign event.
Ocasio-Cortez labeled the director’s 60-day goal to review rally planning “unacceptable” with elections just a few months away.
“There need to be answers,” she said.
Cheatle was the Assistant Director of the Office of Protective Operations in the Secret Service before she became Pepsi’s Senior Director in Global Security. She was sworn in as the 27th Secret Service Director in 2022.
