FIRST ON FOX: A collective of House legislators is advocating for a thorough Senate confirmation process for the next chief of the U.S. Secret Service before they assume leadership of this essential security organization.
As it stands, the director of the Secret Service is appointed by the president without any input from the legislative body, a contrast to Cabinet members and judges who require Senate approval.
However, after last month’s attempted assassination of former President Trump, elected officials have been pushing for greater accountability and enhanced transparency measures for the agency.
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A new House bill proposes that the Secret Service director be confirmed by the Senate following the July 13 Trump rally, which resulted in the removal of Director Kimberly Cheatle. (Getty Images)
Lawmakers have been demanding clarification on how a 20-year-old gunman armed with an AR-15-style rifle was able to fire upon Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, from a rooftop just outside the security perimeter, after having been identified by both law enforcement and civilians prior to the shots being fired.
During the July 13 event, one attendee was killed, and two others were seriously injured but managed to survive. Trump himself was shot in the ear and was quickly evacuated off the stage by his security team.
Following the incident, ex-Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, who was appointed by President Biden in 2022, was compelled to resign. Acting Director Ronald Rowe took over her position.
Should the new legislation, spearheaded by Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, and supported by five additional House Republicans, be enacted, the president’s nominee for the agency’s leadership will likely face a public hearing in the Senate, in addition to undergoing votes from the relevant committee and then the full Senate.
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The legislation was initiated by Rep. August Pfluger from Texas. (Getty Images)
Additionally, it would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to provide presidential and vice-presidential candidates with justifications for any security-related decisions within 14 days of their issuance, based on the text of the bill obtained by Fox News Digital.
“In today’s highly polarized political environment, the DHS Secretary must ensure all presidential candidates receive fair, unbiased, prompt, and transparent security evaluations from the USSS,” Pfluger informed Fox News Digital. “Our nation was mere moments away from a presidential assassination. We need to guarantee sufficient protection for all presidential hopefuls, regardless of their political affiliation.”
He emphasized that making the Secret Service director a Senate-confirmed position would ensure that appointees are both “capable and neutral.”
Reports have suggested that Trump was consistently denied requests for increased Secret Service protection leading up to the July 13 rally. Similarly, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., currently running as a third-party candidate, had his request for Secret Service security refused until President Biden stepped in to reverse the decision days after the rally shooting.
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Fox News Digital reached out to the office of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to inquire about his stance on a confirmation process for the Secret Service director.
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The current co-sponsors of the bill include Reps. Anthony D’Esposito, R-N.Y.; Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla.; Cory Mills, R-Fla.; Michael Guest, R-Miss.; and Brett Guthrie, R-Ky.
Last month, a similar bill was introduced in the Senate on a bipartisan basis by Senators Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa. Aside from requiring Senate confirmation, that bill would impose a 10-year term limit on the director’s position.
