Immediately after the attack, there was talk of the actions of the Secret Service. Republican politicians in particular expressed outrage that gunman Thomas Crooks was able to climb unhindered onto a roof, more than 100 metres from the stage where Trump was speaking. Videos later emerged showing onlookers warning police about the walking and crawling robbers.
Secret Service chief Cheatle had to provide more clarity about her service’s actions, or lack thereof, during a House hearing on Monday. That questioning ultimately raised more questions than it answered.
About the Author
Joram Bolle is a news reporter for of Volkskrant.
It even led to calls for his resignation from both Republican and Democratic representatives. “As far as our bewilderment and outrage goes, I see no daylight between members of the two parties present in this session today,” said Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House investigative committee.
Cheatle admitted during the hearing that the attack on Trump was “the biggest operational mistake in decades,” but he had no answers to simple questions. For example, he said he could not provide a detailed timeline of the day of the attack. He also did not answer the question of how many Secret Service agents were present at Trump’s speech and why they were unaware of warnings from onlookers about a suspicious man. It later turned out to be the shooter, Crooks.
‘Responsible local police’
Another major question is why the building from which Crooks fired was not within the Secret Service’s security zone. According to the agency, local police were responsible for security at that part of the site. Police investigated “a suspicious person” after reports from spectators, but Trump was allowed on stage. The Secret Service did not detect Crooks until moments before he fired as a “threat,” Cheatle said.
At the hearing, Cheatle repeatedly said she was not thinking of resigning. She believed that “the country deserves answers” and that she was the best person to remain at the helm of the agency. A day later, possibly under pressure from the government, she changed her mind. In an email to her staff on Tuesday, she wrote that she was leaving with great regret. She considers the “security failure” during the attack to be her “full responsibility.”
Cheatle joined the Secret Service in 1995 and served on the security detail for Vice President Dick Cheney, who served under George W. Bush, and Joe Biden, who served under Barack Obama. In 2019, she left the agency to become PepsiCo’s head of security.
Weakened by the ‘awakening’
She returned to the Secret Service three years later, when Biden appointed her chief. She was tasked, among other things, with diversifying the service. After the attack on Trump, this was used against him by right-wing politicians and commentators, who believe that “woke” policies have weakened the agency.
With his resignation, the Secret Service crisis is not over. The service has been under fire since January 6, 2021, because the Capitol rioters managed to get very close to Vice President Mike Pence.
President Biden has said he will quickly name Cheatle’s successor at the agency, which was founded in 1865, when it was tasked with combating counterfeit money. After President William McKinley was assassinated in 1901, the agency was also tasked with providing security for presidents. Duties were later expanded to include protection for presidential candidates and former presidents.