The panel will have 45 days to review the Secret Service actions on July 13
U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has voiced her support for an independent review of the agency’s handling of the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. In a press release on Sunday, Cheatle emphasized the agency’s commitment to cooperating with the review and other ongoing investigations.
“We are eager to cooperate with the independent security review of the U.S. Secret Service’s action related to the July 13 assassination attempt of former President Trump in Butler,” Cheatle stated. “I look forward to the panel examining what happened and providing recommendations to help ensure it will never happen again.”
Cheatle assured that the agency is actively reviewing its actions internally and remains committed to working quickly and transparently with investigations by Congress, the FBI, and the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General.
“The U.S. Secret Service has a no-fail mission, and I will take every necessary step to ensure the safety and security of our protectees,” she added. “Our goal is to ensure that the U.S. Secret Service emerges from this stronger.”
The independent review panel will consist of four experts: Frances Townsend, former Homeland Security adviser to President George W. Bush; Mark Filip, former federal judge under the Bush administration; David Mitchell, former superintendent of the Maryland State Police; and Janet Napolitano, former Secretary of Homeland Security.
The group has 45 days to assess the Secret Service’s policies and procedures before and after the assassination attempt by 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas indicated that additional experts might be added to the panel in the coming days.
“All Americans share a concern about the safety of our public officials,” the panel members said in a joint statement. “We formed this bipartisan group to quickly identify improvements the U.S. Secret Service can implement to enhance their work. We must all work together to ensure events like July 13 do not happen again.”
Director Cheatle is scheduled to testify before the House Oversight Committee on Monday, where she is expected to face intense scrutiny over the Secret Service’s handling of the incident.