EXCLUSIVE: House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is questioning Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle’s decision to appear at the Republican National Convention (RNC) on Wednesday night, as House Republican leaders push for accountability for security failures that led to the attempted assassination of former President Trump.
“I'm not sure what he was doing here. Why would he be out there when he's under so much scrutiny?” Johnson told Fox News Digital in an interview at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
“I don't understand her decision-making process and I don't think she's fit to lead at this critical time.”
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House Speaker Mike Johnson is demanding accountability from Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle following the shooting at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania. (Fake Images)
The embattled Secret Service director was seen on the RNC floor Wednesday, where she was confronted by several Republican senators who have been dissatisfied with her answers so far about what happened last weekend.
Johnson, meanwhile, is the highest-ranking official so far to call for Cheatle's resignation following the deadly shooting at a protest in Butler, Pennsylvania, last weekend.
He is now tasking a bipartisan task force, armed with subpoena power, with investigating security failures that led to a 20-year-old gunman being able to fire from a rooftop just outside the rally perimeter despite being seen in advance by local police and civilians.
“Their excuses for this just don't make sense,” Johnson said. “I think accountability starts at the top. And I think everyone in this business understands that it's very important, and it's critically important for us to get the answers and accountability quickly so that people don't form an opinion about some conspiracy theory or some sinister plot.”
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Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is seen with blood on his face surrounded by Secret Service agents as he is led off stage at a campaign event at Butler Farm Show Inc. in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024. (Rebecca Droke/AFP via Getty Images)
He warned that “some of these rumours have already started and we need to address them immediately.”
House lawmakers held a call with Cheatle and FBI Director Christopher Wray on Wednesday to address their concerns about the incident. A source familiar with the call told Fox News Digital at the time that it lasted about 45 minutes and offered limited information.
Johnson also said Thursday that he learned “very little” from the call.
“That's the problem,” Johnson said. “They're not giving answers quickly enough and the answers they're giving are not satisfactory.”
The speaker questioned President Biden's decision to appoint Cheatle in the first place, arguing that his focus on diversity efforts within the Secret Service detracted from more critical efforts.
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Trump was shot in the ear during the rally (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
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“She doesn't seem to be the most qualified person and she doesn't seem to have a great understanding of what her primary responsibility is,” he said. “We've all seen and heard the accounts where she suggests that, you know, the number one priority was to have more diversity in the Secret Service and more female agents and so on. That's not the number one priority. The number one priority is the safety of the people that they're supposed to be protecting.”
The president's office told Fox News Digital that it aims to schedule a classified briefing on the shooting next week.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Secret Service for comment.
