On Monday, July 22, Congress held an Oversight Committee Hearing to assess the failures in security during the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump during a rally in Butler, Pa. on July 13. At this hearing, the Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle was subpoenaed to appear before Congress and answer questions regarding the assassination attempt under oath.
In her opening statement, she addressed Congress, stating “I will be transparent as possible when I speak with you. Understanding, though, at times that I may be limited in proving a thorough response in this open setting due to associated risk with sharing highly sensitive protective methodologies. I do not want to inadvertently provide you today with inaccurate information.”
This preemptive statement was well placed and certainly adhered to strongly in the process of the hearing, as Director Cheatle failed to answer even simple questions regarding the specifics of the incident that may or may not have contributed to the security failure. Over the course of the hearing, Director Cheatle dodged questions, backpedaled, and even seemingly perjured herself, as pointed out by Florida Representative Anna Luna at approximately four hours and twenty minutes into the hearing, during her time for questioning. Each and every representative present was allowed 5 minutes to make remarks or ask questions, which were expected to be met with answers from Director Cheatle and were often not.
Throughout the hearing, Director Cheatle seemed to be present only as cannon fodder for the Representatives frustrations, as she did not assist in alleviating said frustrations in any way. One of my biggest concerns about the hearing is that it seemed to only be for show. Director Cheatle, under oath, refused to answer questions presented by Congress for various reasons, but will likely not face punishment for her insubordination. In an average court hearing involving everyday citizens, a witness who is subpoenaed to testify before the court but refuses to do so is found in contempt of that court. Contempt of court, under normal circumstances, would involve a punishment of either a set fine or a set jailing sentence. However, I am reminded, these are not normal circumstances. Director Cheatle is a high-ranking official within a government organization, and no mere average citizen, so, of course, she gets special treatment.
Despite the threat of perjury charges from Representative Luna, it is unlikely that any punishment beyond a forced resignation or firing would come from an event like this. Because, quite often in proceedings like these, officials are treated as exempt from punishments that are often handed down to regular citizens.
To further cement my woes, in the “performance” of the hearing I came to realize how deep the division in our government and our representatives goes. Despite many of our Representatives making comments of the hearing and investigation being a “bi-partisan issue,” the clear division was evident in how certain members used their time for questioning to instead push personal or political agendas. Instead of asking questions regarding the investigation, the circumstances surrounding the security failure, or the explicit part agents and supervisors play in the security decision processes, many representatives took their time to either rant or ask pointed questions which pertained to their specific political views. Though not all, some left-leaning members used their time to push a narrative of gun control reforms while some right-leaning members used their time to push a narrative of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policy reforms. Neither of which, in my opinion, had any place in the oversight hearing concerning an assassination attempt on a presidential candidate which left one individual dead and three injured, including the candidate who was expected to be under full competent protection.
With already high tensions in our nation due to the political division, our representatives use this moment of supposed “solidarity” to push even further divisive issues instead of getting answers and getting to the bottom of the issue at hand.
During her time of questioning at approximately three hours and forty-nine minutes into the hearing, Massachusetts Representative Ayanna Pressley brought this divide to clear light in a rather disturbing way, stating that the projected 60-day timeline to the conclusion of the investigation “allows my colleagues across the aisle, Republicans, additional time to spread dangerous misinformation which also puts people in harm's way. Some Republicans have exploited this moment to continue to attack progress towards racial justice and gender equity in America.”
Though members of the committee stressed that it was a bi-partisan matter, and that they were on uniform footing on the failure shown by the Secret Service, members such as Representative Pressley further pushed the narrative of division by using pointed language when addressing specific issues. This is a stark contrast to the supposed united front the committee put forward throughout the hearing.
Throughout the development of information on this subject through leaks and whistleblowers, more has been revealed on the issue through reports of first-hand accounts than what was gained through this highly publicized and televised hearing. The public learned that Director Cheatle revealed little insight into the investigation, refused or simply could not answer questions, and could not even refer representatives to someone who could answer their questions. We also learned that the nation is more divided than ever, and even a matter such as this act of political violence could not unify our congressional representatives. And despite the success in forcing Director Cheatle’s resignation, which was given Tuesday, July 22 (the day following the hearing), very little else resulted from the proceedings.
As expressed by representatives repeatedly throughout the hearing, the American citizens are calling for answers and yet none were received and only further worries of division were mounted. Personally, I expect responsibility. Not just from Director Cheatle in her failures as Secret Service Director, but also from those at the specific incident who failed in securing the perimeter, failed in identifying the “suspicious individual” as a possible threat, failed in administering a safety hold, and failed to communicate and take the necessary precautions to prevent the death of one American citizen and the injuries of three others. In addition, I would expect representatives at this hearing to take responsibility for further pushing the narrative of political divide amongst Americans at a time in which America as a nation is so vulnerable.
