美国特勤局局长周一告诉国会暗杀未遂针对前总统唐纳德·特朗普是“特勤局几十年来最重大的行动失败”,并对当天的安保失误负全责。
“特勤局的庄严使命是保护我们国家的领导人。7月13日,我们失败了,”特勤局局长金·谢特尔在众议院委员会作证。“作为美国特勤局局长,我对任何安全失误负全部责任。我们全力配合正在进行的调查。我们必须知道发生了什么。”
在国会前的第一次听证会上,持续了4小时40分钟,谢特尔还告诉委员会,她将“竭尽全力”确保发生的事情永远不会再次发生。
“我们的任务不是政治性的。这实际上是一个生死攸关的问题,因为7月13日的悲剧事件提醒了我们这一点,”她说。“我对特勤局的男男女女充满信心。他们在执行保护任务时值得我们的支持。”
对于特勤局来说,这是又一个重要的一周,该局的任务是在以色列总理本雅明·内塔尼亚胡访问华盛顿期间为他提供安全保障——这是局长一直关注的问题,同时也是上周在密尔沃基监督共和党全国代表大会的安全问题。
在众议院监督委员会面前,Cheatle面临着关于她所在的机构如何处理暗杀未遂事件的安全问题的质询法宝.
谢特尔面临辞职的呼声
在这位前总统在宾夕法尼亚州巴特勒的集会上成为目标后,她面临着来自多名共和党人和民主党人的辞职呼吁。众议员约翰·卡莫。众议院监督委员会主席在他的开场白中告诉Cheatle,他和其他人一样认为她应该辞职。
听证会结束时,该委员会的资深成员、众议员杰米·拉斯金(Jamie Raskin)加入了要求谢特尔辞职的行列,他说,局长“在这个国家历史上一个非常紧急和脆弱的时刻失去了国会的信任,我们需要迅速超越这一点。”听证会后,拉斯金和卡莫一起给谢特尔写了一封信,要求她辞职。
“我认为,导演谢特尔,你应该辞职,”众议员罗卡纳,D-加州,也告诉查特在听证会上。卡纳补充说,他在过道两边的同事都希望她下台。
“我希望你能考虑一下,”卡纳说。
在提到暗杀企图两天后接受美国广播公司采访时,卡莫告诉他,“你回答美国广播公司记者的问题比你回答国会议员的问题还多。”
Cheatle有说她不会辞职.
众议员马乔里泰勒格林,R-Ga。,问导演有没有带时间表在听证会上。Cheatle回应说,虽然她有一个时间表,“它没有具体细节。”
“这太令人震惊了,”格林回应道。“那是绝对不能接受的。这意味着你在工作中是个失败者。”
Cheatle问为什么枪手开枪时没有特工在屋顶上
周一,特勤局局长被问及她在2007年的声明美国广播公司新闻的采访关于为什么没有特工在集会安全边界外的建筑屋顶上,嫌疑枪手就是从那里开枪的,因为屋顶是倾斜的。
Cheatle周一说,屋顶上有“看守”,但她没有详细说明。
“当我谈到我们在面试中安排人员的位置时,我应该在回答中说得更清楚一些。我可以告诉你的是,有一个提供看守的计划,我们仍在调查责任和谁将提供看守,但总的来说,特勤局没有具体谈到这一事件,当我们提供看守时,无论是通过反狙击手还是其他技术,都喜欢无菌屋顶。
谢特尔还承认,美国联邦调查局告诉她枪手在集会地点上空驾驶了一架无人机,但她没有透露更多细节。
为什么在存在威胁的情况下允许特朗普上台?
谢特尔说,如果特勤组有对前总统构成威胁的信息,他们就不会让特朗普上台,但她说这些信息没有传递给他们。
她说,“如果这个细节传递了存在威胁的信息,这个细节就永远不会让这位前总统走上舞台。”“那就是我们所做的。这就是我们。我们有责任保护我们所有的被保护者。区分可疑的人和有威胁的人。很多时候,在发现可疑人员的保护性事件中,必须对这些人进行调查,并确定是什么将此人认定为可疑。”
她说,在前总统特朗普上台前,特勤局不知道嫌疑人有武器。
显然是崩溃了
谢特尔说,她已经阅读了有关伊朗对前总统特朗普威胁的情报。伊朗人长期以来一直承诺要对特朗普及其政府成员在2020年1月杀害伊朗军官Qasem Soleimani进行报复。
众议院情报委员会主席、俄亥俄州共和党众议员迈克·特纳(Mike Turner)表示,当美国联邦调查局局长克里斯托弗·雷(Christopher Wray)向国会议员做简报时,他对规划集会时没有考虑这一威胁信息感到“愤怒”。
“那天显然出现了故障或失败,”Cheatle说。
Cheatle还表示,在巴特勒集会上,没有任何人员或资产被拒绝给特朗普。
由于伊朗的威胁,唐纳德·特朗普的特勤局保护在暗杀企图之前已经增加:消息来源
但Cheatle还被问及她的机构是否拒绝了特朗普在周六之前的两年里要求的安全细节资源,这是《华盛顿邮报》首先报道的,她的机构最初否认了这一点,但随后在周末承认了这一点。
特勤局发言人安东尼·古列尔米(Anthony Guglielmi)在给美国广播公司新闻(ABC News)的一份声明中说,“在某些情况下,如果没有提供特定的特勤局专门单位或资源,该机构会做出修改,以确保被保护人的安全。这可能包括利用州或地方合作伙伴提供专门的功能,或以其他方式确定替代方案,以减少受保护动物的公众暴露。”
“在巴特勒的活动中,没有被拒绝的请求,”她说。
Cheatle称赞守卫特朗普的特工冒着生命危险用身体保护他,即使他们的方向仍在开枪。她说,在不到三秒钟的时间里,特朗普身边的特工扑向这位前总统,并帮助保护他。
“我会给无私地扑到总统面前并化解威胁的特工和官员打a分。我认为我们需要调查那天之前发生的事件,”她说。
一枪干掉了枪手
Cheatle说,有一个镜头从特勤局反狙击手中取出了嫌疑人,自暗杀企图以来,她一直与他交谈。
谢特尔说,她“致力于”寻找答案,已经承担责任,并将“继续”承担责任。
“我认为我是目前领导特勤局的最佳人选,”谢特尔说,并吹捧她自2022年担任该机构负责人以来增加了招聘和人员配置。
她还说,如果有人需要承担责任,她会这样做。
“我已经做了近30年的特工。我正直地领导,我遵循我们的核心价值观,即责任、正义、荣誉、忠诚和勇气,我在这个案件中也是这样做的,我向委员会保证,当我们有了一份全面完整的报告时,我会提供答案,此外,我还会配合所有其他正在进行的调查。
该委员会的多名成员对Cheatle拒绝回答他们的许多问题表示失望,该主任说,“这一特定事件的事实仍在发展中”,而且暗杀企图刚刚过去九天。
纽约州民主党众议员亚历山大·奥卡西奥·科尔特斯(Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez)要求谢特尔给出答案,尽管谢特尔表示,暗杀企图的最终报告还需要60天才能最终确定。
奥卡西奥-科尔特斯对谢特尔说:“这关系到国际上和美国国内一些最具针对性和价值的目标的安全。”“因此,在更不用说做出任何可行的决定之前,在60天内完成报告的想法是完全不可接受的。对美国前总统的暗杀企图已经过去10天了,不管是哪个党派,都需要有答案。”
奥卡西奥-科尔特斯表示,由于特朗普的生命受到威胁,国会对他们可能想要制定的任何立法都是“盲目的”。
众议院议长·强森出席
周一的听证室座无虚席,只有站立的空间,由卡莫、拉斯金和谢特尔做开场陈述。众议院议长·迈克·约翰逊也出席了会议。
在听证会开始前,约翰逊短暂会见了谢特尔,并告诉她辞职,一名共和党高级领导人助理告诉美国广播公司新闻。
在一份罕见的两党声明中,拉斯金加入了卡莫的行列,要求谢特尔作证,此前国土安全部要求推迟她的出庭,导致卡莫发出传票。
DHS监察长已经就问题展开了三项独立的调查。美国联邦调查局目前正在领导一项刑事调查,约翰逊承诺国会资源进行单独调查。
作为该机构的负责人,Cheatle说她有责任调查出了什么问题,并确保它不会再次发生。
“责任在我,”她告诉美国广播公司首席司法记者皮埃尔·托马斯专访7月15日。“我是特勤局局长,我需要确保我们正在进行审查,并在必要时向我们的人员提供资源。”
契特尔在里面密尔沃基据知情人士透露,他上周负责共和党全国代表大会的安保工作,并于周二会见了这位前总统。
“特勤局与政治无关,”她告诉ABC新闻。“安全不是政治。人民的安全不是政治。这就是我们作为一个机构所关注的。”
共和党人还表示,他们将质疑Cheatle过去的声明,即促进该机构的多样性是重中之重。
DHS反驳了对特朗普安保团队中女性的批评。
DHS国务卿亚历杭德罗·马约尔卡斯(Alejandro Mayorkas)和其他高级领导人在一份声明中写道,“在试图暗杀前总统川普后的几天里,一些人发表公开声明,质疑执法部门中存在女性,包括美国特勤局。”"这些断言毫无根据,具有侮辱性。"
Secret Service director tells Congress 'we failed' in hearing on Trump assassination attempt
The United States Secret Service director told Congress on Monday that theattempted assassinationagainst former President Donald Trump was the "most significant operational failure at the Secret Service in decades" and took full responsibility for the lapses in security that day.
"The Secret Service's solemn mission is to protect our nation's leaders. On July 13, we failed," Secret Service Director Kim Cheatle testified before the House Committee. "As the director of the United States Secret Service, I take full responsibility for any security lapse. We are fully cooperating with ongoing investigations. We must learn what happened."
In her first hearing before Congress, which lasted for 4 hours and 40 minutes, Cheatle also told the committee that she will move "heaven and Earth" to ensure that what occurred will never happen again.
"Our mission is not political. It is literally a matter of life and death, as the tragic events on July 13 remind us of that," she said. "I have full confidence in the men and women of the Secret Service. They are worthy of our support in executing our protective mission."
This is yet another consequential week for the Secret Service, which is tasked with providing security to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his visit to Washington, D.C. -- something the director has been focused on while also overseeing the security for the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last week.
Cheatle faced a grilling before the House Oversight Committee over how her agency handled security around the attempted assassination ofTrump.
Cheatle faces calls to resign
She has faced calls from multiple Republicans and Democrats to resign after the former president was targeted at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Rep. John Comer, R-Ky., chairman of the House Oversight Committee, told Cheatle in his opening statement that he is among those who believe she should resign.
By the end of the hearing, Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the ranking member of the committee, joined in the calls for Cheatle to resign, saying that the director "has lost the confidence of Congress at a very urgent and tender moment in the history of the country and we need to quickly move beyond this." Following the hearing, Raskin joined Comer in sending Cheatle a letter requesting her resignation.
"I believe, Director Cheatle, that you should resign," Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., also told Chatle during the hearing. Khanna added that his colleagues on both sides of the aisle want her to step down.
"I hope you'll consider it," Khanna said.
Referring to an interview Cheatle had with ABC News two days after the assassination attempt, Comer told Cheatle, "You answered more questions with an ABC reporter than you have with members of Congress."
Cheatle hassaid she will not resign.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., asked if the director broughta timelineof the incident to the hearing. Cheatle responded that while she has a timeline, "it doesn't have specifics."
"That's shocking," Green said in response. "That is absolutely unacceptable. That means you're a failure at your job."
Cheatle asked about why no agent was placed on roof the gunman fired from
The Secret Service director was asked Monday about her statements inan interview with ABC Newsabout why no agents were placed on the roof of a building outside the security perimeter of the rally, where the suspected shooter fired from, because of the roof's sloping nature.
Cheatle said Monday that there was "overwatch" provided for the roof, but she did not elaborate.
"I should have been more clear in my answer when I spoke about where we placed personnel in that interview. What I can tell you is that there was a plan in place to provide overwatch, and we are still looking into responsibilities and who was going to provide overwatch, but the Secret Service in general, not speaking specifically to this incident, when we are providing overwatch, whether that be through counter-snipers or other technology, prefer to have sterile rooftops," Cheatle said.
Cheatle also admitted that the FBI has told her the shooter flew a drone over the rally site, but she did not go into more details.
Why was Trump allowed on stage while there was a threat?
Cheatle said that if the detail had information that there was a threat to the former president, they wouldn't have brought Trump on stage, but she said the information wasn't passed along to them.
"If the detail had been passed information that there was a threat, the detail would never have brought the former president out onto the stage," she said. "That is what we do. That is who we are. We are charged with protecting all of our protectees. Distinguish between someone who is suspicious and someone who's threatening. A number of times, protective events where suspicious people are identified, those individuals have to be investigated and determine what is it that identifies that person as suspicious."
She said the Secret Service did not know the suspect had a weapon before former President Trump took the stage.
'Clearly a breakdown'
Cheatle said she has read the intelligence regarding the threat from Iran against former President Trump. The Iranians have long pledged retribution against Trump and members of his administration for the killing of Iranian military officer Qasem Soleimani in January 2020.
Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, who is the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said that when FBI Director Christopher Wray briefed congressional members, he was "incensed" that this threat information was not taken into account when planning for the rally.
"There was clearly a breakdown or a failure that day," Cheatle said.
Cheatle also said that no personnel or assets were denied to Trump at the Butler rally.
Donald Trump's Secret Service protection had been increased prior to assassination attempt due to Iran threat: Sources
But Cheatle was also grilled about whether her agency denied Trump's security detail resources it requested in the two years before Saturday, as first reported by The Washington Post, something her agency initially denied but then admitted over the weekend.
In a statement to ABC News, Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said, "In some instances where specific Secret Service specialized units or resources were not provided, the agency made modifications to ensure the security of the protectee. This may include utilizing state or local partners to provide specialized functions or otherwise identifying alternatives to reduce public exposure of a protected."
"For the event in Butler, there were no requests that were denied," she said.
Cheatle praised the agents guarding Trump for putting their lives on the line to protect him with their bodies even as shots were still being fired in their direction. She said that in less than three seconds, agents from Trump's detail threw themselves onto the former president and helped to secure him.
"I would grade the agents and officers who selflessly threw themselves in front of the president and neutralized the threat an A. I think that we need to examine the events that led up to and prior to that day," she said.
One shot took out gunman
Cheatle said there was one shot that took out the suspect from the Secret Service counter-sniper, whom she has spoken to since the assassination attempt.
Cheatle said she is "committed" to finding answers and has taken accountability and "will continue" to take accountability.
"I think that I'm the best person to lead the Secret Service at this time," Cheatle said, touting her increase in hiring and staffing since her tenure as head of the agency began in 2022.
She also said that if someone needs to be held accountable, she will do that.
"I've been a Secret Service agent for nearly 30 years. I have led with integrity, and I follow our core values of duty, justice, honor, loyalty and courage, and I am doing that in this case, and I assure this committee that I will provide answers when we have a full and complete report, in addition to cooperating with all of the other investigations that are ongoing," Cheatle said.
Multiple members of the committee expressed frustration that Cheatle declined to answer many of their questions, with the director saying that "the facts of this particular event are still unfolding" and that it's been just nine days since the assassination attempt.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., pressed Cheatle for answers despite Cheatle saying the final report on the assassination attempt won't be finalized for another 60 days.
"This is about the safety of some of the most highly targeted and valued targets internationally and domestically in the United States of America," Ocasio-Cortez told Cheatle. "So the idea that a report will be finalized in 60 days, let alone prior to any actionable decisions that would be made, is simply not acceptable. It has been 10 days since an assassination attempt on a former president of the United States, regardless of party, there needs to be answers."
Ocasio-Cortez said Congress is "flying blind" on any legislation they might want to enact as a result of the attempt on Trump's life.
House Speaker Johnson in attendance
The hearing room on Monday was packed, with standing room only, as opening statements were given by Comer, Raskin and Cheatle. House Speaker Mike Johnson was also in attendance.
Before the hearing started, Johnson briefly met with Cheatle and told her to resign, a senior GOP leadership aide told ABC News.
In a rare bipartisan statement, Raskin had joined Comer in demanding that Cheatle testify after the Department of Homeland Security asked that her appearance be delayed, resulting in Comer issuing a subpoena.
The DHS inspector general has opened three separate investigations into what went wrong. The FBI is currently leading a criminal investigation, and Johnson has pledged congressional resources for a separate investigation.
As the head of the agency, Cheatle said it was her responsibility to investigate what went wrong and ensure that it does not happen again.
"The buck stops with me," she told ABC News Chief Justice Correspondent Pierre Thomas in anexclusive interviewon July 15. "I am the director of the Secret Service, and I need to make sure that we are performing a review and that we are giving resources to our personnel as necessary."
Cheatle was inMilwaukeelast week overseeing security for the Republican National Convention and met with the former president on Tuesday, according to a source familiar with the situation.
"Secret Service is not political," she told ABC News. "Security is not political. People's safety is not political. And that's what we're focused on as an agency."
Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump gestures as he is assisted...Show more
Republicans also signaled they would question Cheatle about past statements that promoting diversity in the agency was a top priority.
The DHS pushed back against criticism of women in Trump's security detail.
"In the days following the attempted assassination of former President Trump, some people have made public statements questioning the presence of women in law enforcement, including in the United States Secret Service," DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and other senior leaders wrote in a statement. "These assertions are baseless and insulting."