(Ken Silva, Headline USA) While many Democrats took Monday’s congressional hearing into the Trump assassination attempt as an opportunity to push gun control, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY, to her credit, took time to ask some surprisingly trenchant questions to Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle.
AOC began her questioning by criticizing Cheatle for saying that a complete report on the July 13 Trump shooting won’t be finished for about another 60 days. Given the threat environment coming amidst one of the most politically chaotic times in recent U.S. history, she said a report needs to be made public as soon as feasibly possible.
“The idea that a report will be finalized in 60 days prior to any actionable decisions being made is not acceptable,” she said. “It’s been 10 days … There needs to be answers … Without your answers, we’re flying blind.”
AOC then asked about the Secret Service’s protective perimeter—or lack thereof—that was established at the July 13 Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
First, the New York representative asked whether the Secret Service has a standard perimeter, or whether such a perimeter is established on a case-by-case basis. Cheatle said the perimeter is determined separately for each event.
That’s when AOC asked one of the most trenchant questions so far from Monday’s hearing.
“An AR-15 has a range of about 400-600 yards. Why is the Secret Service protective perimeter shorter than one of the most popular semi-automatic weapons in the United States?” she asked.
Cheatle had no good answer.
“An advance was completed, and a number of factors are used to determine the permitter,” she said, giving a non-answer.
Cheatle added that “overwatch was created to help mitigate some of those buildings [within the Secret Service perimeter].”
AOC reiterated her point: “A perimeter wasn’t set at the event to put [Trump] outside of the range of an AR-15,” she said, noting that the rifle is one of the most popular weapons in America.
The congresswoman finished her time by urging Cheatle to answer questions. To that point, she had dodged nearly every substantial question posed to her by both Democrats and Republicans.
“I’d urge you to be more forthright,” AOC said.
Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at twitter.com/jd_cashless.
