Early this week, GOP Representative William Timmons of South Carolina grilled Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle over alarming reports that the Pittsburgh field office sent four times as many additional agents to an event with First Lady Jill Biden compared to former President Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where Trump was shot. Cheatle, unsurprisingly, didn’t confirm or deny these reports.
Biden’s event at Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh, attended by about 300 people, happened around the same time as Trump’s rally, which drew several thousand, as reported by the Pittsburgh Tribune. Timmons began by asking Cheatle if she agreed that Secret Service resources should be allocated based on the risk profile of events. Reluctantly, Cheatle agreed and affirmed that higher-risk events should receive more resources, especially when they occur simultaneously in the same area.
Timmons pointed out the stark contrast between the two events: Trump’s outdoor rally, targeted by specific threats from Iran, versus Biden’s indoor gathering. He angrily accused Cheatle of avoiding answering questions. Timmons stressed the seriousness of the situation, reminding her that Trump had been shot, several rally attendees were hurt, and one person, Corey Comperatore, was killed. Timmons questioned whether a more substantial Secret Service presence could have changed the outcome.
Cheatle clung to her narrative that the allocated resources were adequate. Timmons, visibly shocked by Cheatle’s claim, argued that the shooting and fatalities indicated otherwise. Cheatle conceded there was a gap but avoided delving into the decision-making process.
Timmons, however, cited reports that 12 additional agents were sent to Biden’s event while only three were sent to Trump’s rally. The director said no resources were taken from the Trump rally to Biden’s event. Timmons interrupted, saying that wasn’t his question. He wanted to know specifically about the increased allocation between the two events and the logic of assigning four times more agents to Jill Biden’s much smaller event. Cheatle didn’t answer that question.
In light of these glaring discrepancies, Timmons demanded the firing of the official responsible for the misallocation and called for Cheatle’s resignation. The pressure worked: Cheatle, having lost the American people’s trust, resigned over this incident.
