Secret Service Director Dodges Questions on Firing Personnel or Tendering Resignation After Donald Trump Assassination Attempt

Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle was grilled by Florida representative Jared Moskowitz about the federal agency's failings on the day of the assassination attempt against Donald Trump.

During a hearing with the House Oversight and Accountability Committee that took place on Monday, July 22, Moskowitz — a Florida Democrat — asked Cheatle whether she was "prepared to fire the people on the ground who made poor decisions" in the hours leading up to the Pennsylvania shooting.

Cheatle said she was ready to take the "actions necessary," to which Moskowitz replied that her answer was "nonsense."

"Accountability — the failure was human," he continued. "That doesn’t mean they’re bad people. It means they failed that day. And a president was almost — a former president was almost assassinated."

The Florida rep added, "Are you prepared to fire the human failure on the ground, yes or no? When you have the names of where those failures were, there people, it’s not like a piece of technology failed. It was people who failed that day. Are you prepared to fire them?"

When Cheatle admitted that she did not have an answer to that question, Moskowitz asked how there could possibly be "accountability" if she refuses to take serious action.

"The reason why your name is going to be the person who’s held accountable, the reason why members in this committee are calling for resignation, and I join in that, or for the president to fire you, is because you’re saying there’s going to be accountability, but you can’t commit that people are going to get fired!"

He then questioned the director on whether she would have immediately tendered her own resignation if Trump had been killed.

Cheatle responded, "That occurred on my watch. And I am accountable for that."

"Okay, but would you have tendered your resignation if he had been killed?" Moskowitz pressed.

The director didn't budge, simply saying, "I think that I’ve admitted that I’ve taken accountability and will take responsibility."

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As OK! previously reported, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks fired multiple rounds at Trump while the ex-prez was speaking at a Pennsylvania campaign rally. One of the gunshots grazed the 78-year-old's ear and another killed an attendee.

Within seconds of the attack, Crooks was shot dead by the Secret Service. Although little is known about Crooks' motivations, it was later revealed he was a registered Republican.

The next day, Trump released a statement confirming he would be continuing his campaign schedule as planned despite the shocking attempt on his life.

"Based on yesterday’s terrible events, I was going to delay my trip to Wisconsin, and The Republican National Convention, by two days, but have just decided that I cannot allow a ‘shooter,’ or a potential assassin, to force change to scheduling, or anything else," he said via Truth Social on Sunday, July 14.