Three House hearings this week signal urgency as Congress probes Trump assassination attempt

Three separate House hearings this week on the security failures surrounding the attempted assassination of GOP nominee Donald Trump put the Secret Service and the FBI in the spotlight as questions still remain unanswered.

The Secret Service Director and FBI Director are both set to testify before several House committees this week as Congress probes the security failures.

The House Oversight Committee is set to hear testimony from Secret Service (USSS) Director Kimberly Cheatle Monday, followed by a planned Homeland Security hearing with both Cheatle and FBI Director Christopher Wray Tuesday. Finally, on Wednesday the Judiciary Committee will again hear testimony from Director Wray.

The testimony of USSS Director Cheatle on Monday at 10:00 AM comes a little over one week after the assassination attempt on the former president at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania shortly before the National Republic Convention that left one rally attendee dead and three injured, including the former president.

So far, Director Cheatle has refused to step down after the disastrous failure, despite stating publicly that the “buck stops” with her, in an interview with ABC News. She said the incident was "obviously a situation that as a Secret Service agent, no one ever wants to occur in their career.”

Though originally denying reports that the USSS refused to accommodate requests from the Trump team for increased resources, the agency later confirmed that in some instances requested resources were not provided. After spokesman Anthony Guglielmi originally said that the contention any resources were denied to Trump was "absolutely false," he later walked back that characterization and admitted that it was possible that some resources were denied.

“In some instances where specific Secret Service specialized units or resources were not provided, the agency made modifications to ensure the security of the protectee,” he wrote in a statement to CNN. “This may include utilizing state or local partners to provide specialized functions or otherwise identifying alternatives to reduce public exposure of a protectee.” 

The House Oversight Committee, where Cheatle is expected to testimony Monday morning, is in bipartisan agreement about the necessity of getting answers to “serious questions” about what happened.

Immediately after attempted assassination, Congress moved to request documents and records from the planning and execution of the security measures by the Secret Service and asked for a briefing on the investigation into the attempt, which is being spearheaded by the FBI.

"Americans have many serious questions about the historic security failures that occurred at the campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania," Chairman Rep. James Comer and top panel Democrat Jamie Raskin said in a statement Friday reiterating the importance of the director’s testimony.

"Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle must appear before the House Oversight Committee without delay on Monday, July 22 to answer our many questions and provide the transparency and accountability that Americans deserve and that are at the foundation of our government,” they added.

Chairman Comer previously subpoenaed Director Cheatle to appear before the committee as part of the probe. Shortly after that statement was released, a spokesman for the Secret Service confirmed that the director would appear as scheduled.

Cheatle is expected to answer questions about the documented security lapses that occurred leading up to the assassination attempt that nearly succeeded. For example, a video from the event shows rally attendees who were watching the speech from outside the fence warned the police that there was a suspicious individual climbing on the roof of the building where the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, later opened fire on the former president.

Security officers at the rally also reportedly spotted Crooks multiple times throughout the day and flagged him as a suspicious individual before he carried out his attack. In one glaring instance, Crooks was found with a rangefinder—a piece of equipment often used by hunters to measure distances to targets. Crooks even attempted to bring the rangefinder through the metal detectors.

As more evidence is uncovered, it is becoming increasingly clear that the Secret Service was spread too thin and may not have been properly prepared for an incident at the rally. According to the Washington Post, the local police assisting the Secret Service with security warned the agency that they did not have enough resources to station a patrol car outside the key building used in Crook’s assassination attempt. Cheatle said last week that " the agency decided not to guard the roof from which Thomas Crooks opened fire on former President Donald Trump because it was too slanted."

Additionally, whistleblowers have told Senate investigators that most of the personnel assigned to cover the rally were “unprepared and inexperienced personnel,” according a letter sent to Secretary Mayorkas from Senate Homeland Security Committee member Josh Hawley.

On Tuesday, Director Cheatle was asked to appear alongside FBI Director Wray and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas at the House Homeland Security Committee for a separate hearing called by Chairman Mark Green.

“The American people want answers on what happened Saturday in Pennsylvania. Secretary Mayorkas and Director Cheatle are responsible for the department and the agency charged with securing our homeland and protecting our nation’s chief executives and candidates, while Director Wray leads the agency with the vital responsibility of investigating this attempted assassination,” Chairman Green said in a statement.

“It is imperative that we partner to understand what went wrong, and how Congress can work with the departments and agencies to ensure this never happens again. Successful oversight requires Congress to work together with these officials as they testify publicly before the House Committee on Homeland Security. The American people, and the individuals and families who receive protective services, deserve nothing less.”

FBI Director Wray is again expected to appear before the House Judiciary Committee for yet another hearing Wednesday about the failures that led to the assassination attempt, Committee Chairman Jim Jordan confirmed in a letter last week.

Wray’s FBI is the primary agency investigating the incident. According to Jordan, whistleblowers told his committee that USSS officials knew they had limited resources to cover the rally during pre-event security briefings.

Several Senators have also launched a parallel investigation of the attempted assassination, though no hearing dates have been set.