Speaker Johnson criticizes Secret Service director for RNC appearance: ‘Why would she?’

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Speaker Johnson talks GOP momentum, Dems’ Biden woes, Trump rally shooting

Speaker Mike Johnson sat down with Fox News Digital for a wide-ranging interview on the sidelines of the Republican National Convention.

EXCLUSIVE: Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is questioning Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle’s decision to appear at the Republican National Convention (RNC) on Wednesday night, as House GOP leaders push for accountability for the security failures that led to the attempted assassination of former President Trump.

"I’m not sure what she was doing here. Why would she walk around when she's under so much scrutiny?" Johnson told Fox News Digital in an interview at the RNC in Milwaukee. 

"I don't understand her decision-making process, and I don't think she's fit to lead at this critical time."

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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."

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Donald Trump, with blood on his face, is surrounded by Secret Service agents after being shot at a campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024. (Rebecca Droke/AFP via Getty Images)

He warned that "some of those rumors have begun already, and we have to address that immediately."

House lawmakers held a call with Cheatle and FBI Director Christopher Wray on Wednesday to address their concerns about the incident. A source familiar with the call told Fox News Digital at the time that it lasted roughly 45 minutes and offered limited insight.

Johnson similarly said on Thursday that he learned "very little" on the call.

"That’s the problem," Johnson said. "They're not providing answers quickly enough and the answers they do provide are not satisfactory."

The speaker questioned President Biden’s decision to appoint Cheatle in the first place, arguing her focus on diversity efforts within the Secret Service took away from more critical efforts.

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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.