Secret Service Director Cheatle resigns in connection with Trump rally shooting
- Thread starter cigaretteman
- Start date
The investigation is ongoing, many facts to be determined, and thus she needed to be careful not to speculate/guess. She's trying to prevent these same people from coming after her if it's later determined that an answer she provided was inadvertently false.
This hearing was way too soon.
Agreed on both counts. There were better ways on her part to offer non-responses, particularly for ones where they’re still determining what actually happened, but several reps wanted their pound of flesh.
For my money, I think at the heart of what happened were major breakdowns in communication.
To be clear, I did not appreciate the obvious grandstanding by some of the Congressional questioners, but some of that was brought out by her refusal to give clear answers at times. So, yes, there was some political theater...but I think it is a mistake to chalk it all up to political theater. After 9 days of investigation, she should have been able to address much more than she did.
FWIW, the element of the shooting that concerned me the most was that there was no "shut down" of the stage once a very suspicious person was observed laying on a nearby roof with a gun, etc. The protocol has to be that SOMEBODY calls a "Code Red" and they IMMEDIATELY get the prospective target off the stage and/or behind some form of protection.
The "human wall" did put some amount of bravery on display for those SS Agents that placed themselves in harms way due to their duty, but it was far from iron clad. If there was another shooter, they would have had several more "good" chances to take out their target. And yes, Trump contributed to those "openings" too.
Why is there not 3 or 4 Kevlar shields/cloaks on the floor in front of the podium that SS Agents could rapidly employ?
There was political theater, but, citizens and those in congress have the right to be pissed off. A presidential candidate was almost killed and the Secret Service has one task. Wouldn't the director at least know there were threats and that there was a big outdoor rally and make sure everything was in order?
IMO, you are grossly underestimating the political climate.
On July 15th, via a letter, the oversight committee asked for a list of all SS personnel and for all video in SS' possession. One week later, the director is called to testify - under oath.
Nancy Mace: "Have you provided a list of all SS personnel who were on site? Yes or no?"
Cheatle: "I'll have to get back to you with that answer."
Mace: "That's a 'no.'"
Mace: "Have you provided all video in SS' possession? Yes or no?"
Cheatle: "I'll have to get back to you with that answer."
Mace: "That's a 'no.' You're full of shit today."
Nancy Mace demanded absolute answers. Cheatle responded in a fashion as one would expect who could not provide an absolute answer. If she said "yes" and add'l video surfaces, Mace will be calling on her to be charged with perjury. If she answers "no," then Mace will say that the SS is no cooperating.
The idea that, in an investigation into the attempted assassination of a former President, the director of the SS would have absolute answers to those questions is nonsense. Now . . . if Cheatle was my client and I was prepping her for a hostile interrogation, I would have recommended that she respond with "In the week that has transpired since you sent the letter to me, the Secret Service has - in addition to continuing its investigation of this horrendous event - provided Congress with a list of SS personnel whom it believes to be on site. Our inquiries continue and I will have to get back to you with whether the personnel identified is the absolute list of any SS personnel on site that date."
Cheatle did herself no favors but, IMO, she sat there and took the hits. Plenty of areas to push back on the grandstanding but she decided to let the members of Congress create their sound bytes. Hell, now Mace is probably better known for the "you're full of shit" comment as opposed to bragging about her horny boyfriend wanting to f--k her before a Christian prayer breakfast. Mission accomplished.
IMO, our society's thirst for political vengeance and immediate answers is quite troubling.
I acknowledge that there was grandstanding, but there were also plenty of very legitimate and pertinent questions that were asked that she didn't answer and/or couldn't answer. Both things were true.
But my primary rationale as to why she should step down aren't all that related to her testimony yesterday.
A lot of this is silly.
It's been over a week. You should be able to answer basic questions and she avoided them all. If your local police took a week to say anything when someone was murdered, the town would be livid. Sure its worth noting that it isn't final, I think most people get that. But not being able to answer basic questions under oath about the investigation is a failure and unacceptable.
On the list example, why could you not say here it is pending any further development/discovery/investigation. That opens it up is not complete but provides what we know today. But a BS " Our inquiries continue and I will have to get back to you with whether the personnel identified" makes you look like a dope and liar who doesn't know who is working there.
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It wasnt inevitable since one SS chief had two different presidents shot at and one hit, Ford and Reagan. All SS chiefs have kept their jobs after losing their presidents.
Ever since JFK the SS insists that Potus rides in closed cars, which I can contest since I saw lbj ride in an open car in des moines in 1964.
Many SS chiefs have had prez's shot at, hit , or killed and didnt get forced to resign. This was magnified by screaming POLS .
Her very poor performance at the hearing is largely what made it inevitable.
I am aware of all of the things you wrote and I don’t disagree,
When the criticism of her was loud from both sides of the aisle it was almost a foregone conclusion.
