‘Do You Really Plan To Keep Avoiding Questions?’: Summer Lee Lays Into Secret Service Director

3 months ago

During a House Oversight Committee hearing on Monday, Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA) questioned Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle about the event where former President Donald Trump was almost killed.

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Transcript

00:00Chair recognizes Ms. Lee from Pennsylvania. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'd like to thank the

00:05Chair, the Ranking Member, for coming together and holding this hearing, but I

00:09have to say I don't think any of our concerns have been addressed today and

00:13little we've learned has not inspired much confidence. I will just say that we

00:19obviously can't allow the violence we're seeing in this country become the norm

00:23or a commonplace, but that seems to be where we're heading. On this occasion, it

00:27was, you know, very shockingly, a former president and current political

00:32candidate at a rally that we all assume is one of the most secure places we can

00:37be, but the violence we saw last Saturday is the same culture of violence that

00:41makes too many of our kids and our community members feel unsafe to play

00:45outside or to go to class or to simply live their lives each day, but again, this

00:49was a political rally and it is supposed to be one of the most secure places, so

00:53we do have very specific questions about that. Director Chito, I'd like to start by

00:57following up on some of my colleagues' questions. My colleagues, Mr.

01:01Krishnamoorthy and Mr. Frost, highlighted a number of points that showed the

01:04shooter presenting an active threat, so I'd like to ask you, Director Chito, to

01:07clarify what the protocol is for postponing or

01:11canceling an event based on a threat and how the events on July 13 didn't meet

01:15those standards. So again, I think we're talking about the distinction between

01:20suspicious behavior and a threat, and at the time that this individual was

01:26identified, they were displaying suspicious behavior. I'm still waiting

01:30for interviews from the FBI to determine what it was that identified that

01:36individual as suspicious and what those behaviors were. To that question, is

01:40suspicious behavior, does suspicious behavior vary between different events?

01:44For instance, if we have an event with a president, would there not be a

01:48heightened standard for suspicious behavior? I think that there are a number

01:52of ways that someone could be identified as suspicious, and it doesn't matter

01:57whether it's at a rally or an indoor event or who the protectee is. I think

02:02it's up to law enforcement or citizens to identify someone as suspicious. Okay,

02:08thank you. According to the Associated Press, at least six different agencies,

02:12including two sheriff's offices, local police, state police, as well as fire and

02:16emergency rescue officials, were involved in securing the rally in Butler. When

02:20there are so many teams that are collaborating, who takes the lead and how

02:23is that determined? The Secret Service is responsible for the security of the

02:27site and the coordination. And that was the case on July 13th? Correct. Okay.

02:32Changing gears, in 2024's appropriations budget, the Secret Service was given a

02:36little over $3 billion, which was about $78 million above what was requested. For

02:412025's budget, you've requested yet another increase. How much of these funds

02:45goes towards training and improving protection procedures? I would have to

02:50get back to you on the training aspect of it, but about 30% of our budget is for

02:56protection and facilities and training. But clearly the problem can't

03:03be a lack of funding, so what exactly do you see as the core problem that led to

03:07this failure? That led to your agency being outgunned by a 20-year-old using

03:12his father's gun and acting on his own without a particularly sophisticated

03:16plan or technology? I think that we are waiting to determine exactly what those

03:22failures or failure was, so that we can make sure that the Secret Service is

03:26stronger after this. So we've heard a lot today that you can't answer because it's

03:33an ongoing investigation, that you're still figuring out the details and that

03:37you won't answer basic questions. You've said 60 days for the investigation, but I

03:41simply don't think that's acceptable. Do you really plan to keep avoiding

03:45questions and the American people's questions, ours and the American people's

03:49questions, for the next 60 days? I'm not avoiding questions. I want to make sure

03:54that I am providing factual and accurate information. Certainly, but is there no in

03:59between, right, between what is obviously a fact and what you can surmise from the

04:05details that you already have? I assure you when I have a full and complete

04:10report of what took place on that day, I will certainly come back and make that

04:15available. Certainly. Studies indicate that the United States is experiencing

04:19increasing levels of political violence and tension. Does the Secret Service see

04:22increasing political violence as a threat to its work, and if so, how is the

04:26Secret Service adapting its strategies and protocols to account for increasing

04:30political violence? We are constantly evaluating the threats that we receive

04:35and monitoring that, and we make adjustments on a daily basis to our

04:41protectees based on what those threats are and what actions we need to take.

04:46Yes or no, do you believe that stricter controls on the availability of assault

04:49weapons would make it easier for the Secret Service to fulfill its missions

04:52of protecting public officials? I think the Secret Service is tasked with

04:57providing a safe environment, which is why we put into place a number of

05:00mitigation factors. Certainly, but do assault weapons make it easier or harder

05:04for you to do your job? I think that any weapon makes it difficult for us to do

05:08our job. Okay, I yield back. Chair Doe recognizes Mr. Donalds from Florida.

‘Do You Really Plan To Keep Avoiding Questions?’: Summer Lee Lays Into Secret Service Director

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