Sec. Mayorkas Asked If Biden Will Remove Secret Service Director Following Independent Investigation

3 months ago

During a White House press briefing, Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas was asked about the investigation into the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump and whether or not Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle would be removed as a result.

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Transcript

00:00Thanks so much.

00:01Law enforcement officials tell ABC News that the building where the shooter was on the

00:05roof was actually the staging area for the local police tactical team who was watching

00:09over the crowd.

00:10I understand you can't comment.

00:11You have an independent review, but why would the Secret Service not be tasked with overseeing

00:16that building with a direct line of sight at the former president?

00:19So once again, I will not comment on specific facts or asserted facts with respect to the

00:26subject of the independent investigation, both the review and the FBI's criminal investigation.

00:34But remember something, that local law enforcement with whom we work all across the country,

00:40including for example at national security special events such as the NATO summit that

00:46concluded successfully, that is something that we do all the time.

00:50It's a very well-defined protocol and regime.

00:54Was the local law enforcement in direct communication in real time with the Secret Service or was

00:59there some sort of breakdown there?

01:00Again, I'm not in a position to speak of particular facts of what did and did not occur on Saturday.

01:08Mr. Secretary, would the president dismiss his Secret Service director if this investigation

01:14returns findings of failures by that agency that could have been prevented?

01:19I am not in a position to speculate, nor should I.

01:23How is it that we are now about 48 hours out from this, just shy of that, and we still

01:29don't have any information on a motive?

01:32Is it that the investigators are withholding any information out of sensitivity to this

01:38heightened threat environment that you mentioned or the political events that are happening right now?

01:43So remember something, that the assailant is deceased.

01:49He was shot and killed by the United States Secret Service.

01:52The ability to identify a motive is something that, in this situation, is a result of extensive

02:01and intensive investigation.

02:04And so it is, in fact, only 48 hours after the tragic events of Saturday.

02:13And you will recall, I think, in the very, very tragic shooting in Las Vegas quite a

02:18number of years ago, because of the fact that the assailant then was shot and killed,

02:24a motive was not identified at all.

02:26You still don't have a motive there, Mr. Secretary.

02:27Correct.

02:28Are you suggesting that we might never find one?

02:30I'm not suggesting anything.

02:31I just cited that as an example of the difficulty in identifying a motive.

Sec. Mayorkas Asked If Biden Will Remove Secret Service Director Following Independent Investigation

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