CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) has called for the director of the Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle, to resign following the assassination attempt on Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump.
In a congressional hearing on Monday, Cheatle said her agency failed in its mission to protect Trump.
Durbin, who was speaking at an unrelated event on Chicago’s Southwest Side, praised Cheatle's honesty.
“I’ve never heard such a candid admission from someone in a position of strength … but it tells you, I think, the reality of the situation: that Secret Service’s responsibility was not met in Pennsylvania,” he said.
Asked if she needs to resign, Durbin replied:
“Yes, and I think she ultimately will.”
Cheatle remained defiant that she was the “right person” to lead the Secret Service, even as she said she takes full responsibility for the security lapses. When Republican Rep. Nancy Mace suggested Cheatle begin drafting her resignation letter from the hearing room, Cheatle responded: “No, thank you.”
In a rare moment of unity for the often divided committee, the Republican chairman, Rep. James Comer, and its top Democrat, Rep. Jamie Raskin, issued a letter calling on Cheatle to step down.
The rally shooting left one spectator dead. Trump was wounded in the ear.
WBBM’s Terry Keshner and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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