Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and John Barrasso (R-WY) on Wednesday confronted U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle on the floor of the Republican National Convention (RNC) over the Secret Service actions that preceded the Saturday assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
The Tennessee Star confirmed the confrontation happened at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where the RNC is being held. Blackburn and Barrasso confronted Cheatle upstairs in a luxury suite just prior to 9 p.m., just minutes before Blackburn uploaded video to the social media platform X with the caption, “[t]he American people deserve answers from the Secret Service.”
In the video, Cheatle is visible briskly walking toward the camera as Blackburn and Barrasso are heard speaking rapidly to the director.
“This is exactly what you were doing today, what we call stonewalling,” said Barrasso, approaching a yell with the final word.
Blackburn added sharply, “This was an assassination attempt. You owe the people answers. You owe President Trump answers.”
Sens. Barrasso and Blackburn confront USSS Director Cheatle at the RNC. Good for them. pic.twitter.com/JDWacOR1Kg
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) July 18, 2024
A longer video has since been posted to X by Blackburn, showing Cheatle was listening to questions from Barrasso and Blackburn at the RNC prior to walking away from them.
“Resignation or full explanation to us right now,” Barrasso ordered. Blackburn interjected, “We kept trying to get our questions asked.”
She added, “Can you give us an explanation why anyone would allow the president to go onstage when you know what you’ve got a potential threat?”
Cheatle argued it was not the “forum to have this conversation,” then ignored Barrasso when he offered to find a private location to take the conversation, before rapidly announcing her departure from their conversation.
“No, we’re going with you,” Barrasso told Cheatle as she turned her back on the senators.
🚨FULL VIDEO: Secret Service Director REFUSES to answer to the American people. pic.twitter.com/MPVOke5zhY
— Marsha Blackburn (@VoteMarsha) July 18, 2024
Just hours earlier, Blackburn was among three senators who The Tennessee Star confirmed were prohibited from asking questions during a conference call with the Secret Service.
It was confirmed by The Star that, in addition to Blackburn, both Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Mike Mike Lee (R-UT) were denied the opportunity to ask questions of Cheatle about the assassination attempt.
Sean Davis, the co-founder of The Federalist who argued Cheatle’s agency “created the conditions” for the assassination attempt to occur, compared her behavior at the RNC to that of a mob boss.
Davis questioned, “You know those scenes in where a movie where the mobster who knows he’s in deep trouble is definitely trying to prove to the boss that he’s not a rat?” He answered, “That’s what’s happening with Cheatle right here.”
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
