Republican South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace offered Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle her own questioning time to resign on the spot during the House Oversight Committee hearing Monday.
Mace accused Cheatle of lying to the committee about her transparency and cooperation to disclose answers about the lead up and moment of the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump during a July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The South Carolina congresswoman offered Cheatle her entire five-minute questioning time to draft a resignation letter.
“Both sides of the aisle today have asked for your resignation. Would you like to use my five minutes to draft your resignation letter? Yes or no,” Mace asked.
“No thank you,” Cheatle replied.
Cheatle classified the assassination attempt a “colossal failure” and “preventable.” Mace accused Cheatle of lacking transparency and being political by allegedly leaking her opening statement to Punchbowl News, Politico Playbook and The Washington Post before transferring it to the committee, which the director denied.
“I have no idea how my statement got out,” Cheatle said.
“Well, that’s bullshit,” Mace replied.
Mace then challenged Cheatle on her claims that the Secret Service is being cooperative with the committee, asserting the Secret Service director has not provided a list of the personnel present at the rally and recordings in her possession that the committee requested on July 15. (RELATED: ‘Don’t Think You Answered Any Questions’: Jim Jordan Confronts Kimberly Cheatle On Assassination Attempt Details)
“I would have to get back to you on that,” Cheatle said.
“That is a no, you’re full of shit today,” Mace said. “You’re just being completely dishonest.”
Mace also criticized Cheatle over the committee having to issue a subpoena in order for her to testify, and for dodging questions regarding the incident.
“You are being dishonest, or lying. You’re being dishonest here with this committee, these are important questions that the American people want answers to, and you’re just dodging and talking around in generalities and we had to subpoena you to be here and you won’t even answer the questions,” Mace said.
Cheatle later did not directly answer whether “a failure of training or execution” led to the assassination attempt. She said no personnel have been fired and did not confirm the timeline for Secret Service becoming aware of the would-be assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks’, whereabouts.
The Secret Service and the FBI told lawmakers Wednesday that authorities identified Crooks over 50 minutes before the former president took the stage. One source said Crooks was spotted by agents with a range finder, while others said agents saw him standing on the rooftop of a nearby building about 20 minutes before shots were fired.
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