Top bipartisan lawmakers call for Secret Service chief to resign following combative hearing. Key takeaways from Cheatle's day on Capitol Hill.

In a rare show of bipartisan unity Monday, members of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee issued a joint letter calling on Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to resign following a tense hearing about the security failures that led to the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania.

The letter issued to Cheatle came immediately after lawmakers expressed intense frustration over her lack of answers following her testimony on Capitol Hill.

Lawmakers on the committee expressed frustration over the lack of substantial answers Cheatle provided about the July 13 shooting, which, she acknowledged in her opening statement, was the “most significant operational failure of the Secret Service in decades.”

Over four-and-a-half hours on Monday, Cheatle — who’d received a subpoena to testify before the committee — repeatedly said she could not answer specific questions about the security failures that allowed a gunman to access a rooftop from which he was able to shoot at the former president.

“This committee is not known for its model of bipartisanship,” committee chairman Rep. James Comer of Kentucky said in his closing statement. “But I think today, we came together unanimously in our disappointment for your lack of answers.”

While many questions remain unanswered, here are the key takeaways from Cheatle’s testimony.

🗓️ Secret Service internal investigation to be completed within ‘60 days’

Cheatle testified that she expects the Secret Service’s internal investigation into Trump’s attempted assassination will be completed in “60 days.”

Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York called the timeline “unacceptable” for the public.

“This is not theater. This is not about jockeying. 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 said. "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."

Cheatle testified that the agency was not waiting on the report to take action. “We have been adding additional features to our security details since this incident has occurred.”

🛡️ Trump had regular Secret Service detail assigned to him on July 13

The Secret Service chief testified that the agents who are typically assigned to protect former President Donald Trump were assigned to him on July 13, the day of the Butler, Pa. rally.

However, Cheatle would not share specifics on the number of Secret Service agents that were present at the rally, saying there were a “sufficient number” of agents assigned. The director also said that any assets that were requested for the Butler, Pa., event were given. "There were no requests that were denied,” Cheatle testified.

❌ Cheatle has not visited the Butler, Pa., shooting site

Cheatle testified that she has not been to the Butler, Pa., site of the campaign rally shooting as her agency is conducting an internal investigation.

"Nine days and you have not visited that site," Republican Rep. Pat Fallon said. "You should have been there that night." Cheatle also told Fallon that she did not speak with the on-site Secret Service agents the night of the shooting.

🗨️ Cheatle apologized to Trump

Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, a staunch Trump ally, asked Cheatle if she apologized to Trump directly following the assassination attempt on the former president.

“Yes, I did,” the director answered.

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

❓ A not-so-detailed timeline of events leading up to the shooting

Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, also a vociferous Trump defender, pressed Cheatle on whether she had a timeline of the events that led up to the shooting.

“I have a timeline that does not have specifics,” Cheatle replied, which garnered laughs from the hearing room. "That's shocking," Greene reacted. "That is absolutely unacceptable. That means that you are a failure at your job."

🧠 What was known by the Secret Service

Throughout the contentious hearing, Cheatle was pressed several times about the communication gaps between local law enforcement and the Secret Service that led to the security failure at the rally. Here’s what Cheatle disclosed at the hearing:

The Secret Service had been notified of a “suspicious person” by local law enforcement “somewhere between two and five times” before the shooting, Cheatle testified.

There was no order given to the Secret Service countersniper at the Trump rally to hold fire once the gunman opened fire. Secret Service agents don’t need to ask for permission to neutralize a threat. "Our agents and officers have the ability to neutralize a threat at the time they see it," Cheatle said.

Cheatle addressed conspiracy theories surrounding the shooting, which left both the gunman and another rallygoer dead and others, including Trump, injured. She testified that the attempted assassination was not staged; it was not carried out by a foreign state or government; nor was it a conspiracy orchestrated by high-ranking U.S. government officials.

The Secret Service did not believe there was a threat to the former president that would have led them to pause the rally. In response to a question from Rep. Russell Fry, Republican of South Carolina, Cheatle said law enforcement on the ground changed its assessment of Crooks from “suspicious” to a “threat” just “seconds before the gunfire started.”

Rep. Tim Burchett, Republican of Tennessee, asked Cheatle if the rooftop where the gunman fired shots from was identified as a potential vulnerability days before the rally. “To my knowledge, yes it was,” Cheatle replied.

🔥 Heated moments

Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina asked Cheatle pointed yes or no questions, in an effort to get direct answers from the chief. Mace asked the director if she supplied the requested audio and video recordings that the committee asked for on July 15.

"I'd have to get back to you on that," Cheatle responded.

"That is a no. You're full of s— today. You're just being completely dishonest," Mace said. Rep. Kweisi Mfume, a Democrat from Maryland, interjected, saying, “We have to maintain decorum in this committee.”

Another heated moment happened when Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia pressed Cheatle several times on how the Secret Service’s job is affected by the presence of guns.

“Does the ubiquity of guns make your job easier or more difficult today?" he asked repeatedly, with Cheatle declining to answer directly each time.

“You're not willing to answer that question and you wonder why we might have a lack of confidence in your continued ability to direct this agency,” Connolly said.

Following a similar line of questioning from Rep. Summer Lee, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, Cheatle said, “I think any weapon makes it difficult to do our job.”

💼 Cheatle maintains she’s the best person for job

Cheatle has so far remained defiant in the face of calls for her resignation. During the hearing, she maintained that stance, saying, “I think that I am the best person to lead the Secret Service at this time.”

🇺🇸 What’s next?

While several investigations are underway related to Trump’s attempted assassination, there’s at least one other public hearing scheduled on Capitol Hill this week. FBI Director Christopher Wray is expected to testify before the Judiciary Committee on Wednesday about the agency’s investigation into the Trump rally shooting.