Staff Reports
The House Oversight Committee is diving headfirst into a scandal that should have every American raising an eyebrow, especially those who still prefer their presidents without a side of attempted assassination. This week marks a pivotal hearing where Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle will face the music over a nearly disastrous incident involving the former President Donald Trump, who, let’s be honest, might have an easier time avoiding danger with a clown suit than with this current Secret Service team.
As if the stakes weren’t high enough, Cheatle will be testifying in front of a panel of Republicans who are practically sharpening their pens to draft her resignation letter. James Comer, the Oversight Committee Chair and Kentucky’s own crusader for accountability, is set to tell Cheatle to pack her bags. Yet, despite the mounting pressure, Cheatle seems as stubborn as a mule in a red state, refusing to bow to the clear incompetence displayed during the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The fumbled job of keeping Trump safe offers little solace, especially after the Secret Service had prior knowledge of a possible threat lurking in the shadows.
During the rally, while the Secret Service clumsily missed identifiable warnings, a 20-year-old with a backpack and a rangefinder managed to not just rock up but rooftop surf his way into the attack zone. It’s beyond comical to think that the security team knew about potential threats yet let them slide by like the last turkey at Thanksgiving dinner. The result? A bullet grazed Trump’s ear and turned what should have been a festive campaign event into a tragedy, leaving one dead and two others seriously injured. If they could just wear a “Mission Accomplished” banner after this debacle, they might as well hand out T-shirts while they’re at it.
Comer’s feelings on this are as clear as day. He points out that the Secret Service is funded to the brim—$3.1 billion should buy enough resources for a royal court, let alone a former president. Instead of taking action, the agency appeared to play the role of tightfisted bureaucrats, denying Trump’s team requests for additional security measures, leaving one to wonder if the initials “S.S.” now stand for “Sitting Still.” Maybe they were too busy watching cat videos instead of monitoring an extraordinary threat in their midst.
As the hearing unfolds, the implications for Cheatle could be far-reaching. The House Oversight Committee has already heard whistleblowers highlighting significant lapses in judgment at the rally. Questions are being raised about why cutting-edge technologies, like drones, were left on the shelf instead of deployed to keep tabs on potential mischief-makers—reportedly even one who had been using a drone to survey the scene before the chaos. Apparently, the risk of a heated rooftop mission was just too much for a group that’s supposed to prevent chaos, not participate in it by standing idly by.
The House Oversight Committee on Monday will hold the first public hearing on the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, as lawmakers question how a lone gunman was able to nearly kill the Republican presidential nominee. https://t.co/bBqYzRL2un
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) July 22, 2024
Despite this glaring failure, Democrats on the Oversight Committee seem less eager to demand resignations, revealing a curious sense of disconnect in their urgency for accountability. One Democratic member did mutter something about an investigation, but it’s hard to take them seriously when their benchmark for government performance includes anything outside of a massive catastrophe. To Republicans, the message is clear: under Cheatle’s command, presidential safety hangs by a thread, and if it’s not good enough for Trump, is it really good enough for President Biden or anyone else for that matter? The safety net underneath this administration appears frail, just like the commitment to actual accountability.
