CLARIFICATION, July 23, 2024: This article has been updated to specifically reflect the time period between the assassination attempt and Knight’s resignation.
When you’re an official working in our corrupt and bloated administrative state, it’s one thing to be pulled in front of a congressional committee. It’s quite another to then be grilled by both parties.
Many, no doubt thought that Republicans would be grilling Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle after her organization’s failures led to the shooting — and very nearly the death — of the party’s presidential nominee former President Donald Trump on July 13.
Few likely expected Democrats would also take aim at Cheatle, but here we are!
On Monday, the Secret Service director was dragged before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee to answer questions about the July 13 shooting.
Though Cheatle was sweated thoroughly by Republican after Republican, the most important question of the day actually came from a Democrat — Rep. Ro Khanna of California.
KHANNA: “Do you know what Stuart Knight [who was in charge of the Secret Service when Reagan was shot] did? Do you know what he did afterwards?”
CHEATLE: “He remained on duty.”
KHANNA: “He resigned.” pic.twitter.com/o4B8RSFc5L
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) July 22, 2024
After getting Cheatle to agree that July 13 “the most serious security lapse since President Reagan was shot in 1981,” Khanna asked what then-acting Secret Service Director H. Stuart Knight did after the Reagan shooting.
Cheatle incorrectly replied, “He remained on duty,” prompting the Democrat to correct her.
Will Cheatle ever resign from office?
“He resigned,” Khanna said.
“Look, I’m not questioning your judgment. I just don’t think this is partisan. If you have an assassination attempt on a president, a former president or a candidate, you need to resign.”
“You cannot go leading a Secret Service agency when there is an assassination attempt on a presidential candidate.”
Despite the fact that Knight did not immediately resign as Khanna’s response seemed to imply (Reagan was shot in March, 1981 and Knight resigned eight months later in November), this may well have been the most important question asked during all of Monday’s hearing.
Why?
Because, Khanna’s point was so very easy for absolutely anyone watching to understand. There were no distance calculations, no timeline questions, and no gradient incline of a roof questions. Those are all vitally important questions too, but they lack the simple, clean if/then nature of Khanna’s question and response, even if he was somewhat loose with the length of “then.”
It also showed that all of the concern, as Khanna himself made a point to say, was not partisan. It transcended party.
The failures of our federal government’s administrative state are growing and compounding.
Unaccountability breeds corruption and incompetence.
On July 13, the nation got to see firsthand the fruits of those qualities.
Hopefully, our country is able to take a weedwhacker to the deep state before things get even worse.
