NEW: MTG Hints At CRIMINAL Charges For Disgraced USSS Director Kimberly Cheatle

Questions and tensions continue to swirl on Capitol Hill in the wake of the resignation of US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle. Her departure followed a contentious hearing where she faced a barrage of questions from lawmakers of both parties regarding a security lapse that nearly resulted in the assassination of former President Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania. Despite her resignation, the chain of events is far from over.

Monday’s spotlight had intensified on the Secret Service’s operational failures, as critics frequently asked how a gunman managed to get a clear shot at former President Trump. The bipartisan dissatisfaction culminated in a forceful call for Cheatle’s resignation, a demand she conceded to the following day on Tuesday. However, for some, the resignation is merely the starting point of the accountability process.

“[There] needs to be an investigation into Director Cheatle, or former Director Cheatle’s role in the attempted assassination of President Trump,” said Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) on Tuesday. “There may be criminal charges coming in the future. I think she showed up to the oversight committee, refused to answer our questions, did not bring any of the information that we asked her to bring and subpoenaed.”

According to Greene, the responsibility doesn’t end with Cheatle but extends to her superiors, notably hinting at Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’s role in the oversight of the Secret Service. “She came in yesterday, participated in a full cover-up, and then resigned today. I think that speaks a message loud and clear.”

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With both Republican and Democratic leaders united in their criticism, the issue seems to have transcended partisan politics. Cheatle previously declined to resign in an interview she gave just days after Trump was struck by a bullet. The steady drip of revelations about how the Secret Service handled Trump’s presidential campaign may ultimately have contributed to Cheatle’s departure. Last week major outlets reported that the service declined previous requests to staff Trump following death threats he had received, and on Monday Cheatle attempted to deflect when challenged to state how many requests she had denied.

BREAKING: @JuliaEAinsley reports
Two law enforcement sources tell NBC News Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has resigned. And an official announcement is coming later this morning

— Ryan Nobles (@ryanobles) July 23, 2024

The director told Congressman Jim Jordan (R-OH) that the Secret Service often relied on partnerships with local law enforcement to fill gaps in its coverage, especially during election years. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) was the first to report that the Secret Service had staffed Trump with personnel who were not trained agents.

On Monday Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) claimed to have produced evidence from an agency whistleblower showing that the Secret Service assigned three “post” officers to Trump’s Butler, Pennsylvania rally on July 13, or additional detail members responsible for securing a certain segment of the perimeter. In contrast, Jill Biden’s visit to Pittsburgh drew 12 post officers. The disclosure was uncovered as part of Sen. Grassley’s investigation into correspondence within the Secret Service about how to staff both Trump and Jill Biden, who were just 33 miles apart that day.

Specifically under investigation is how the Secret Service partnered with law enforcement organizations in and around Butler to establish a protective presence along the perimeter of the rally. Cheatle and a spokesman for the Secret Service both claimed that the area was under guard by local authorities but said during Monday’s hearing that the building where the gunman fired from was outside that zone, contradicting previous findings. Lawmakers are also seeking to understand why the Secret Service determined that an agent could not be placed on the roof of the building due to its sloped incline, which Cheatle said would have disrupted an agent’s ability to monitor Trump.

Earlier in the day, authorities reported seeing 20-year-old gunman Thomas Crooks canvassing the area where he later took the shot, though was not determined to be suspicious. During the rally, another local officer encountered Crooks crawling along the ground with a rangefinder and reported it to headquarters only for agents to find Crooks missing when they returned. The FBI is also investigating why another officer backed away from Crooks on the roof seconds before he fired at Trump, striking the former president’s ear before agents shot and killed him.