Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle will appear before the House Oversight Committee on Monday, the Secret Service said Friday, capping off a back-and-forth with the panel.
“Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle will testify before the House Committee on Oversight on Monday. The Secret Service is fully accountable for the safety of its protectees,” Anthony Guglielmi, a spokesperson for the Secret Service, said in a statement. “We are committed to better understanding what happened before, during and after the assassination attempt of former President Trump to ensure it never happens again. That includes complete cooperation with Congress, the FBI and other relevant investigations.”
Secret Service confirming Cheatle’s appearance on Monday comes after Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) issued a subpoena for her to appear on Monday. The Department of Homeland Security subsequently sent a letter to Comer asking if the hearing could be delayed until later in the week, or the week of July 29, “given her travel and operational commitments.”
Comer, however, rejected that request, vowing to go forward with the hearing on Monday. And Comer and Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), in a rare joint statement Friday, said Cheatle “must appear” on Monday “to answer our many questions and provide the transparency and accountability that Americans deserve and that are at the foundation of our government.”
“While we often have passionate disagreements about policies and investigative priorities, we are united in condemning all political violence and ensuring that America will prevent such a horrific event from ever happening again,” the two said.
Cheatle was part of a team that briefed lawmakers earlier this week, when she acknowledged that Saturday was a “failure.” But Republicans fumed after the virtual meetings that they were given little time for questions and got few new details since the discussion was unclassified.
The House Oversight Committee is one of several panels investigating Saturday’s assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump. House Homeland Security Chair Mark Green (R-Tenn.) has also invited Cheatle to testify before his panel on Tuesday. Speaker Mike Johnson is expected to announce a bipartisan task force Monday to streamline the House’s investigation.
