Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle is set to testify before a congressional panel on Monday regarding her agency’s handling of a gunman who fired at former President Donald Trump during a rally on July 13.
Trump was shot in the right ear while speaking to supporters when the gunman opened fire from a rooftop nearby. The incident has raised concerns about how the gunman was able to access the rooftop so close to the rally and target the former president before being fatally shot by Secret Service agents.
House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer and Ranking Member Jamie Raskin issued a joint statement before the hearing, expressing their condemnation of political violence and the need for transparency and accountability in the aftermath of the security breach at the rally.
RELATED STORY | Lawmakers who attended briefings unsatisfied with details about Trump rally shooting
On Saturday, Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi admitted that the agency had denied several requests to increase security at Trump campaign events, contrary to previous claims.
Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas also announced the formation of a panel to conduct an independent review of the Secret Service’s planning and actions surrounding the rally, with the goal of preventing similar incidents in the future.
RELATED STORY | Fact-checking the shattering teleprompter conspiracy theory at Trump rally shooting
The panel includes former DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano, Frances Townsend, Mark Filip, and David Mitchell, who will bring their expertise to the investigation of the security lapse on July 13.
The assassination attempt on July 13 was the most serious on a current or former president since the shooting of President Ronald Reagan in 1981.
