By Steve Neavling
A group of U.S. Senators accosted and then followed U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Wednesday, calling on her to step down or provide detailed information about Saturday’s attempted assassination of Donald Trump.
“Resignation or full explanation to us right now,” Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyoming, demanded in a video of the encounter posted on X.
Cheatle and the Secret Service have been under intense scrutiny over security failures.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn, who joined the cadre of Republicans, asked Cheatle, “Why would anyone allow the president to go onstage when you know you’ve got a potential threat?”
As Cheatle retreated, the senators followed her through the halls of the convention, yelling at her.
“This was an assassination attempt. You owe the people answers. You owe Donald Trump answers,” Blackburn shouts at Cheatle.
In an interview on NBC News Now on Wednesday, Barrasso discussed a conference call that Cheatle participated in with FBI Director Christopher Wray and others.
“I participated in the whole thing. To me it was a ‘cover your ass’ briefing by the Secret Service,” he said. “The director of the Secret Service needs to go.”
“That shooter was identified as a suspect, suspicious character a full one hour before the shooting occurred, had a range finder, a backpack, and then they lost sight of him and never really followed up on that,” he added. “This was an hour before.”
Cheatle has declined to step down and said her agency is investigating the security failures.
