Week in a Nutshell, 7/26/24

July 26, 2024

Week in a Nutshell, 7/26/24

Kimberly Cheatle, director of the U.S. Secret service testifies before the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Oversight and Accountability on the Attempted Assassination of former President Donald J. Trump on July 22, 2024 in Washington D.C, USA. (Photo by Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Two federal officials who have been in the news lately announced their resignations this week:

Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned following bipartisan calls for her to leave the agency due to failures surrounding the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.

Cheatle faced scrutiny at a House Oversight Committee hearing on Monday. She resigned the next day after many committee members, including both Republicans and Democrats, called on her to step down. Secret Service Deputy Director Ronald Rowe has been named Acting Director.
At the hearing, Cheatle accepted responsibility for the Secret Service failures that enabled a gunman to target the former President, and admitted that the security lapses were a “colossal failure” and “the most significant operational failure at the Secret Service in decades.” However, many committee members were frustrated by Cheatle’s responses to questions. Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called Cheatle’s refusal to answer some of her questions about the assassination attempt “simply not acceptable,” while Republican Rep. Nancy Mace told Cheatle, “You’re full of sh*t today. You’re just being completely dishonest.”
Meanwhile, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced the panel of law enforcement experts who will conduct an independent investigation into the assassination attempt. The group includes former DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano, former Homeland Security Advisor to President George W. Bush Frances Townsend, former Deputy Attorney General to President George W. Bush Mark Filip, and former Delaware Secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Homeland Security David Mitchell.

New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez announced he would resign after his federal conviction on corruption charges.

In a letter to New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, Menendez wrote he would step down on August 20, in order to allow time for him to “close out [his] Senate affairs,” among other reasons for the delay.
A federal jury in New York recently found Menendez guilty on 16 criminal charges for his involvement in bribery schemes involving the nations of Egypt and Qatar.
Menendez maintains his innocence and vows to continue to appeal his conviction despite his resignation. In his letter, Menendez wrote, “While I fully intend to appeal the jury’s verdict, all the way and including to the Supreme Court, I do not want the Senate to be involved in a lengthy process that will detract from its important work. Furthermore, I cannot preserve my rights upon a successful appeal, because factual matters before the ethics committee are not privileged. This is evidenced by the Committee’s Staff Director and Chief Counsel being called to testify at my trial.”

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