Speaker Mike Johnson is demanding accountability from Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle after the Pennsylvania Trump rally shooting. (Getty Images)
The embattled Secret Service director was seen in the RNC venue on Wednesday, where she was confronted by several Republican senators who have been dissatisfied with her answers thus far on what happened last weekend.
Johnson, for his part, is the highest-ranking official so far to call for Cheatle’s resignation in the wake of the deadly rally shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, last weekend.
He’s now commissioning a bipartisan task force, armed with subpoena power, to investigate the security failings that led to a 20-year-old gunman being able to fire shots off a roof just outside of the rally perimeter despite being seen beforehand by local law enforcement and civilians.
"Her excuses for this just make no sense," Johnson said. "I think accountability begins at the top. And I think everybody in this business understands that it's very important, and it’s critically important for us to get the answers and accountability quickly so that people don't make up their minds about some conspiracy theory or some sinister plot."
SECRET SERVICE DIRECTOR AGREES TO TESTIFY AT HOUSE HEARING ON TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT
Trump was shot in the ear during the rally. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
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"She doesn't seem to be the most qualified person, and she doesn't seem to have a great grasp of what her primary responsibility is," he said. "We've all seen and heard the accounts of her suggesting that, you know, that the number one priority was having more diversity in the Secret Service and more female officers, etc. That is not the number one priority. The number one priority is the safety of the persons that they are supposed to be protecting."
The speaker's office told Fox News Digital that he is aiming to schedule a classified briefing on the shooting next week.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Secret Service for comment.
Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.
Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/speaker-johnson-criticizes-secret-service-director-rnc-appearance