A Republican is calling Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle a “DEI horror show” after she came under attack from both sides during a hearing on Capitol Hill on Monday.
When questioned by lawmakers, Cheatle gave few direct answers and often hid behind the ongoing internal investigation of the Secret Service, remaining stubborn amid calls to resign from both Republicans and Democrats.
“Ma’am, you are a DEI horror story,” Rep. Tim Burchett, Republican of Tennessee, said to Cheatle at one point.
“I’ve told my daughter several times, my wife and my daughter, we talk to her all the time about how she’s going to be successful in life. She’s going to be successful in life by achieving,” he continued. “Ma’am, you accomplished nothing today. You disappointed the American public. If it were up to me, you’d be gone.”
A Republican has called Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle a “DEI horror show” as she faced bipartisan attacks during a hearing on Capitol Hill on Monday
Democrats immediately responded strongly to the attack on diversity, equity and inclusion measures.
“The incident on July 13th has nothing to do with DEI,” Cheatle said afterward during questioning by Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas).
Crockett argued that the shooter was not considered suspicious enough to stop Trump’s rally because he was a white man.
“As a civil rights attorney, I’ve learned a lot about how to deal with law enforcement,” she said.
“If it’s a young white male, there’s usually no threat, even if he’s carrying a long gun,” Crockett continued.
‘Often, at least in this country, in law enforcement there is a sense of threat simply because someone has a little bit more melanin in their skin.’
“Republicans are claiming that hiring women and people of color has hampered the response to the shooting,” said Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), “to undermine the contributions of women and people of color, and that is outrageous.
She accused Republicans of using DEI to “ignore gun safety measures.”
“Women have been an integral part of the agency since 1971,” Pressley continued. “It is shameful and dangerously divisive to use them as scapegoats.”
At another point, Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pennsylvania) referenced DEI by asking whether Cheatle took the officers’ height into account when deciding to deploy them to the former president.
To make a point about agents knowing their protégé’s base, Perry asked Cheatle if she knew how tall Donald Trump is. She replied that he’s “over six feet.”
“Don’t you think you should have officers who can arrest him if necessary?” Perry continued.
At one point, an angry Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Republican of Georgia) asked Cheatle a series of questions, which she dodged.
“You’re not doing well, as (Democratic Rep. Jared) Moskowitz told you,” Greene said. “You’ve been sitting here for over three hours, the entire nation is demanding that you resign. You’re not doing well, you need to answer the questions.”
“Was there a standstill order, Ms. Cheatle? Was there a conspiracy to assassinate President Trump?” Greene continued.
“Ma’am, you are a DEI horror story,” Rep. Tim Burchett, Republican of Tennessee, said to Cheatle in a flash.
‘Absolutely not.’
Greene then asked for a tik-tok of the day, featuring the moments leading up to the shooting.
“Do you even have a timeline?” Greene asked.
“I have a timetable, but no details yet,” Cheatle said, as audiences in the hearing room laughed.
“I’ve told my daughter several times, my wife and my daughter, we talk to her all the time about how she’s going to be successful in life. She’s going to be successful in life by achieving,” he continued. “Ma’am, you accomplished nothing today. You disappointed the American public. If it were up to me, you’d be gone.”
Cheatle could not answer questions about how many officers were on the ground, how the shooter got onto the roof, how many shots were fired, how many casings were found, what the shooter’s motive was and other questions from lawmakers.
She could not tell lawmakers how many times the Secret Service security breaches had occurred, nor could she provide a timeline of the day of the shooting and when the Secret Service was notified of the threat.
“I am utterly disgusted by your actions today,” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) told Cheatle, suggesting before the committee that the director had committed perjury.
Luna said she would submit Cheatle’s testimony for consideration on the perjury charge.