Congress Cannot Ignore Former Secret Service Director Cheatle's Middle Fingers

Over and over again during Monday's House Committee on Oversight and Accountability hearing, members from both sides of the partisan aisle repeatedly asked questions of now-former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle about the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.

Congress and the American people have an unquestionable constitutional right to hear the answers to those questions, but Cheatle repeatedly declined to answer, deferred to the FBI, or claimed not to have the information sought.

Even the Associated Press had to acknowledge Cheatle's unconstitutional refusal to answer even the most basic questions about how a 20-year-old kid with no known military training was able to climb on top of a building with a close-in and clear shot at Trump.

"Cheatle was berated for hours by Republicans and Democrats, repeatedly angering lawmakers by evading questions about the investigation during the first hearing over the July 13 assassination attempt," is how AP summarized the frustrating day.

Cheatle's silence in the face of bipartisan outrage was so bad that after the hearing Rep. Jamie Raskin, the far-Left Maryland Democrat who is the ranking member of the oversight panel, joined with the Republican chairman, Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), in demanding Cheatle's resignation.

She resigned the next morning.

Here are just a few of the key questions Cheatle evaded, according to the oversight panel majority's communications staff:

1. Did the Secret Service deny President Trump’s campaign additional security? If so, when and how many times?
2. Why did Secret Service fail to secure a rooftop in proximity to the rally site and with a clear view of President Trump’s podium?
3. Were agents positioned at the rally site affiliated with Secret Service or another Department?
4. Was there any intelligence gathered by Secret Service on the gunman?
5. How were Secret Service resources deployed at the rally site?
6. Was their advanced planning by Secret Service leading up to the campaign rally?

The bipartisan nature of the outrage on the panel was further indicated by the fact the same statement included "highlights" for both Democrats and Republicans. It is exceedingly rare for that to happen; typically, the majority and minority committee staffs operate independently (and often aiming pointed criticism at members of the opposing party).

As outrageous as Cheatle's disrespectful and disgraceful conduct before the oversight panel was, the far more significant issue it raises is this: Will Congress yet again sit back and refuse to use its constitutionally provided powers to restore respect for the First Branch?

Cheatle was only the latest high-ranking federal official to give a congressional committee the idiot's treatment. The line of executive branch political appointees and career senior executives doing so stretches back decades and includes both political parties.

As I have written before in this and many other spaces over the years, the Founders gave Congress all of the "ultimate weapons" it needs to prevail in any showdown with either the executive or judicial branch.

It's long past time for the House of Representatives to respond to unconstitutional defiance such as Cheatle's insulting display by refusing to fund the positions or pensions of such offenders. It's just going to keep getting worse until the price paid by the individual official is more costly than whatever is the reward for defying the Constitution.

Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly spelled Rep. Jamie Raskin's name as "Rankin." We apologize to our readers for this error.