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Secret Service Director Says She Apologized To Trump Following Assassination Attempt

U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle appears before the House Oversight Committee on July 22, 2024. (Screenshot / C-SPAN 2)

Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle said on Monday that she apologized “directly” to former President Donald Trump after the July 13 assassination attempt on his life.

Cheatle came under scrutiny by both sides of the aisle during a House Oversight Committee hearing Monday over her agency’s handling of the assassination attempt at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, that injured Trump and killed another. The director told Republican Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert she called Trump on the phone to apologize for the incident during Monday’s hearing.

“You said you spoke with President Trump after the assassination attempt and I want to know, did you apologize to him directly for nearly having President Trump killed?” Boebert asked.

“Yes, I did,” Cheatle responded.

Secret Service director claims she apologized to Trump directly following the assassination attempt pic.twitter.com/tT23cEdBPK

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) July 22, 2024

“I appreciate that. I appreciate that you recognize that this is your failure,” Boebert replied.

Cheatle refused to directly answer questions about whether the agency denied the Trump campaign’s request for additional resources and personnel ahead of the rally and the reasoning why a list of the personnel present at the rally or any communications between agents and law enforcement has not been provided to the committee. ) 

Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer issued a subpoena for Cheatle to appear before the committee on Wednesday to address “the lack of transparency and failure to cooperate wit the committee” regarding the “security lapses” at the rally. Cheatle told the committee she had been briefed on the number of personnel present at the incident, but did not provide a specific number during questioning.

The Secret Service and the FBI told lawmakers Wednesday that authorities identified the would-be assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks, over 50 minutes before Trump took the stage at the rally. Crooks had reportedly been spotted by agents with a rangefinder, while others said they saw him standing on the rooftop with a firearm about 20 minutes before bullets were fired.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the agency denying the Trump campaign’s requests for personnel is “unequivocally false” during a July 15 interview on CNN. Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said Sunday that specific specialized units and federal resources “were not provided,” leading Republican Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan to press for a direct answer on whether increased personnel was denied to the Trump campaign.

Trump got injured in the upper portion of his right ear after Crooks shot eight rounds into the rally. Photographs and footage show the Republican nominee being escorted by Secret Service agents with blood dripping down the right side of his face, where he notably raised his fist and urged his supporters to “fight.”

Featured image credit: Screenshot/CSPAN 2