Lawmakers call for Secret Service director to resign following Trump assassination attempt

WASHINGTON - Republicans and Democrats came together on Capitol Hill Monday morning, calling on Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to resign. It comes after the House Oversight Committee’s hearing on the failed assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.

It was a rare moment when both parties were aligned — both angry and concerned by the lapse in security that almost cost the Republican presidential nominee his life. 

Lawmakers appeared frustrated by the agency's lack of answers and calls for Cheatle to resign came quickly from Republican Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., and Ranking Member Jamie Raskin, D-Md., who penned a letter demanding that she step down.

"Today, you failed to provide answers to basic questions regarding that stunning operational failure and to reassure the American people that the Secret Service has learned its lessons and begun to correct its systemic blunders and failures," the letter read. "We call on you to resign as Director as a first step to allowing new leadership to swiftly address this crisis and rebuild the trust of a truly concerned Congress and the American people." 

READ MORE: Cheatle says Trump shooting was 'most significant operational failure' in decades

Cheatle called the failed assassination attempt on July 13 on former President Donald Trump the most significant operation failure at the Secret Service in decades.

But instead of providing the American public answers about what led to the abject failure, she sidestepped questions deferring to an ongoing investigation.

"So can you answer this question which I think is on the minds of most Americans thinking about this: How can a 20-year-old with his father's AR-15 assault weapon climb onto a roof with a direct 150-yard line of sight to the speaker's podium without local police or secret service stopping him?" Raskin asked. 

"Again, sir, I will say we are nine days out from this event and I would like to know those answers as well which is why we are going through an investigation to be able to determine that fully," Cheatle responded. 

Cheatle was pressed on why there were no agents on the roof where the shooter took aim at the podium. She said they are still waiting for the investigation to conclude. 

She did reveal that the agency knew the roof was a vulnerability days before the campaign event and that Secret Service was told about a suspicious person between two and five times before the shooting. 

Cheatle told lawmakers she expects to have more information within 60 days.

"So the notion of a report coming out in 60 days when the threat environment is so high in the United States, irrespective of party, is not acceptable and I think it's important you know that. This is not theater, this is not about jockeying, this is about the safety of some of the most highly targeted and valued targets internationally and domestically," said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. 

Cheatle acknowledged that Secret Service had denied Trump's requests for increased security at events in the years before the assassination attempt but said assets were not denied for the event in Butler, Penn.