{"id":2299866,"date":"2024-07-18T20:01:02","date_gmt":"2024-07-19T00:01:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/secret-service-director-refuses-to-resign\/"},"modified":"2024-07-18T20:02:40","modified_gmt":"2024-07-19T00:02:40","slug":"secret-service-director-declines-to-step-down-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/secret-service-director-declines-to-step-down-7\/","title":{"rendered":"Secret Service Director declines to step down"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fsecret-service-director-declines-to-step-down-7%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2299866&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Summary:\u200b Secret Service Director\u2064 Kimberly Cheatle has refused to resign following an \u2064assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at a rally \u2064in Pennsylvania.\u2064 Questions have\u200c been \u2063raised about \u200bthe security at the event, with concerns that the \u2062Secret Service failed to adequately\u2063 protect Trump and other\u2062 candidates. Despite calls for her \u2063resignation, Cheatle has avoided \u2064accountability and continues to defend her decision to not step\u2064 down. Republican lawmakers \u200dare \u200bpushing for her removal, citing the need for \u2064change within the Secret Service. The events leading up to and during the assassination attempt have called into question\u200b the effectiveness of the Secret Service&#8217;s procedures.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has no intention to resign, citing the need for a &ldquo;continuity of operations,&rdquo; that allowed former President Donald Trump&rsquo;s would-be assassin to slip through the cracks.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Continuity of operations is paramount during a critical incident and U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has no intentions to step down,&rdquo; Secret Service Spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement Wednesday.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Guglielmi has been peddling the statement to various outlets, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/07\/17\/us\/politics\/rnc-senators-secret-service.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The New York Times<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/campaign\/4778934-kimberly-cheatle-marsha-blackburn-john-barrasso-donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Hill<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/live-news\/trump-rally-shooting-fbi-investigation-attempted-assassination-july-18\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Fox News<\/a>. But he neglected to explain why it is so vital to continue the operations, which left gaping holes in security at Trump&rsquo;s Butler, Pennsylvania, rally July 13. There, a <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/13\/trump-wounded-after-gunshots-ring-out-at-pa-rally-defiantly-pumps-fist-after-apparent-assassination-attempt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">shooter<\/a> wounded the former president and two attendees, killing father and firefighter Corey Comperatore.<\/p>\n<p>If the current operations leave Trump and other candidates vulnerable, it is unclear why they should continue without substantial changes.<\/p>\n<h4>Negligent Security<\/h4>\n<p>Security at Trump&rsquo;s Butler rally raised far more <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/16\/bidens-team-deliberately-kneecapped-trumps-security-to-allow-an-assassination-attempt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">questions<\/a> than the Secret Service has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/senators-confront-secret-service-chief-rnc-you-owe-president-trump-answers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">answered<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats had been pushing to <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/13\/democrats-started-trying-to-strip-trumps-secret-service-protection-just-months-before-shooting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">strip<\/a> Trump&rsquo;s Secret Service protection months before the assassination attempt. His security detail had been asking for increased resources for weeks, only to be denied by the Department of Homeland Security. Guglielmi <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SecretSvcSpox\/status\/1812451649387933912\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">claimed<\/a> this was false.<\/p>\n<p>The DHS also <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/biden-election-rfk-baf2281a888d736a50d78a3ae4188521#:~:text=WASHINGTON%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20President%20Joe,Homeland%20Security%20secretary%20said%20Monday.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">denied<\/a> Secret Service protection to Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. until the attempt on Trump&rsquo;s life.<\/p>\n<p>During the Butler rally, the Secret Service reportedly drew <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/susancrabtree\/status\/1812606597753168329\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">resources<\/a> from Trump&rsquo;s already-limited security team in order to staff a nearby Jill Biden event. Guglielmi <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SecretSvcSpox\/status\/1812676305860645158\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">denied<\/a> this also.<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Officials <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/16\/bidens-team-deliberately-kneecapped-trumps-security-to-allow-an-assassination-attempt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">drew<\/a> the security perimeter to exclude the building that the would-be assassin used, leaving a <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/16\/bidens-team-deliberately-kneecapped-trumps-security-to-allow-an-assassination-attempt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">clear<\/a> line of sight from the rooftop to Trump.<\/p>\n<p>Cheatle, previously in charge of guarding <a href=\"https:\/\/www.secretservice.gov\/about\/leadership\/director\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pepsi<\/a> facilities, said officials did not place snipers on the shooter&rsquo;s roof because it was &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/16\/secret-service-director-we-didnt-put-snipers-on-the-roof-because-it-was-kind-of-sloped\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sloped<\/a>.&rdquo; This excuse drew immediate criticism, with many pointing out that the shooter&rsquo;s roof was nearly flat and that snipers at the rally were stationed on a sloped roof. A former roofer called Cheatle&rsquo;s explanation &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/17\/any-roofer-worth-his-salt-knows-secret-services-sloped-roof-excuse-is-nonsense\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ridiculous<\/a>.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<p>Local police <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/17\/local-police-told-secret-service-they-didnt-have-manpower-to-secure-building-used-by-trumps-would-be-assassin\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">told<\/a> the Secret Service beforehand they did not have enough manpower to secure the shooter&rsquo;s building. Still, a police officer saw the shooter with a rangefinder, and <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/16\/report-three-counter-snipers-were-in-building-trump-shooter-used-took-photos-of-him\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a> this to the command center. He also radioed that the shooter was climbing the building with a backpack.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Secret Service agents <a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/US\/trump-assassination-attempt-investigation-continues-new-details\/story?id=112020474\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">spotted<\/a> the shooter on the roof 20 minutes before the assassination attempt, according to ABC News. Rally attendees noticed the shooter, pointing and <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FunkerActual\/status\/1812652950143086723\/video\/1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">shouting<\/a> to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/subway-vigilantes-arent-the-problem-theyre-a-symptom-of-nycs-crime-catastrophe\/\" title=\"Subway &#039;vigilantes&#039; reflect NYC&#039;s crime catastrophe.\">nearby law enforcement<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Trump continued speaking, uninterrupted. Then shots rang out.<\/p>\n<p>The bullet narrowly <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MarioNawfal\/status\/1813626264957440282\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">missed<\/a> Trump&rsquo;s head, grazing his right ear. The former president ducked. Secret Service agents <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CollinRugg\/status\/1813684681923281094\/video\/1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">dove<\/a> on top of him, stood him up on stage, and ushered him to his vehicle &mdash; his head unprotected.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, one female agent <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CollinRugg\/status\/1813684681923281094\/video\/1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">fumbled<\/a> with her holster, another took time to put her sunglasses back on, and another stumbled back and forth.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s hard not to use the word &lsquo;failure&rsquo; when the person you&rsquo;ve been given the mission and the privilege and the responsibility to protect is whisked off the stage bleeding from a gunshot wound,&rdquo; former Secret Service Agent Ken Valentine <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/17\/mission-fail-perspective-on-the-trump-assassination-attempt-from-a-former-secret-service-agent\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">told<\/a> The Federalist previously.<\/p>\n<p>The courage to jump in front of bullets and place another&rsquo;s safety above one&rsquo;s own is rare. But the events leading up to and during the assassination attempt call into question the Secret Service&rsquo;s procedures.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4>Rebuffing Accountability<\/h4>\n<p>Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson is ready to call for Cheatle&rsquo;s resignation, he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/live-news\/trump-rally-shooting-fbi-investigation-attempted-assassination-july-18\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a> to Fox News on Thursday.<\/p>\n<p>When Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/07\/17\/us-news\/senators-confront-secret-service-director-kimberly-cheatle-at-rnc-you-owe-the-people-answers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">confronted<\/a> Cheatle at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday, the Secret Service director ran away.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This was an assassination attempt,&rdquo; Blackburn <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DonaldJTrumpJr\/status\/1813955200652317167\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a>, following Cheatle. &ldquo;You owe the people answers. You owe President Trump answers.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Guglielmi said in a statement Wednesday that Cheatle &ldquo;deeply respects members of Congress&rdquo; and is &ldquo;fiercely committed to transparency in leading the Secret Service through the internal investigation and strengthening the agency through lessons learned in these important internal and external reviews.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Chair of the House Oversight Committee James Comer, R-Ky., issued a <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-assassination-attempt-inspector-general-secret-service-045449b3e8f3ab7326cb779f416f83fd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">subpoena<\/a> Wednesday to compel Cheatle to show up for a scheduled hearing on the assassination attempt on July 22, according to The AP.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Comer did this to &ldquo;head off any attempt by DHS to backtrack on her appearance,&rdquo; House Oversight Committee Spokeswoman Jessica Collins <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/secret-service-trump-assassination-attempt-congress-panel-hearing\/\">said<\/a> Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, also <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/17\/grassley-launches-probe-into-monumental-security-failure-by-secret-service\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">announced<\/a> an investigation Wednesday into the &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/secret-service-director-declines-to-step-down\/\" title=\"Secret Service Director declines to step down\">monumental security failure&#038;rdquo<\/a>; that allowed the assassination attempt. He sent letters to the Secret Service, DHS, DHS Office of Inspector General, Department of Justice, and FBI requesting &ldquo;records and responses.&rdquo; He called the current lack of information &ldquo;unacceptable.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Logan Washburn is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lawsuit-clark-county-keeps-commercial-addresses-on-voter-rolls\/\" title=\"Lawsuit: Clark County Keeps Commercial Addresses On Voter Rolls\">staff writer covering election integrity<\/a>. He graduated from Hillsdale College, served as Christopher Rufo&#8217;s editorial assistant, and has bylines in The Wall Street Journal, The Tennessean, and The Daily Caller. Logan is originally from Central Oregon but now lives in rural Michigan.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has stated that she will not resign in order to ensure continuity of operations, despite criticism for security failures that allowed an attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. The Secret Service spokesperson has been sharing this message with various news outlets, but has not provided a clear explanation for why operations should continue unchanged. Security at the rally where the assassination attempt occurred raised many questions, including reports of inadequate resources and negligence in securing the area. Calls for accountability and resignations have been made by Republican lawmakers, with investigations being launched to address the security failures<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":507,"featured_media":2299867,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Cheatle.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[6525,6350,34163],"class_list":["post-2299866","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-declines","tag-director","tag-secret-service"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Cheatle.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2299866","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/507"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2299866"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2299866\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2299867"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2299866"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2299866"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2299866"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}