From Staff Reports 

GREENVILLE, S.C. — U.S. Rep. William Timmons, R-Greenville, in answer to questions from the Daily Planet on July 26, stated that “my trust in the FBI and the (U.S.) Department of Justice has dwindled significantly in the wake of the attempt on (former) President (Donald) Trump’s life and their failure to provide answers to Congress and to the American people.” 

Timmons was a member of the House Oversight Committee that questioned Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle following the assassination attempt on Trump on July 13. 

After scathing questioning from the panel, Cheatle resigned from her job on July 23.

  Further responding to the Daily Planet’s question: “Have you lost trust in the FBI/Secret Service/DOJ after the assassination attempt on Trump?” Timmons also noted:

 â€œThe FBI beat around the bush and consistently lied about the Russian Collusion hoax, and now the Department of Justice has been weaponized by the current administration to try and prosecute Donald Trump in order to keep him out of the race.”

Further, Timmons stated:

“A special investigation needs to be opened by a third party so we can get the necessary facts. The House of Representatives, with my support, also established a bipartisan task force to investigate the attempted assassination of President Trump.”

The Daily Planet also asked the congressman: “What really happened with the near-assassination of former President Trump, the failure of Secret Service to protect him, and whether you think, because Trump is a Republican, he was given short shrift with the Secret Service protection led by a democratic-led U.S. justice system, perhaps trying to maintain the status quo of Joe Biden as president by eliminating the opposition?”

 In response, Timmons asserted the following:

“The attempted assassination on President Trump’s life was an utter failure by the Secret Service. 

“There was an obvious gap between the attention given to President Trump and the First Lady who held an event that same night at a casino in Pittsburgh, as revealed in my questioning of Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle during our House Oversight Committee hearing. 

“Since that hearing, Cheatle has resigned from her post. 

“Most notably from the hearing, she told me that President Trump was given ‘sufficient resources’ that day, yet an innocent man died, there were multiple injuries, and President Trump was centimeters away from being killed. 

“I cannot think of anyone who would categorize that as ‘sufficient.’”

 On a third (and related) topic, the Daily Planet asked the congressman to share his “latest thoughts on your grilling of the now ex-chief of the Secret Service — and also your thoughts about her qualifications and capabilities and why she even was able to get the job in the first place. Was she, in your view, just a ‘DEI’ (diversity, equity and inclusion) hire?”

 Timmons responded as follows:

“Former Director Cheatle failed the American people. 

“During our Oversight Committee hearing, she failed to answer basic questions and could not offer any sort of timeline or resources that could help the House Oversight Committee learn more about the incident. 

“I asked for her resignation, and I am glad she resigned. But that is not enough. 

“There needs to be accountability. 

“We still have more to do to get to the bottom of where the breakdown was that day, and more importantly, ensure something like this never happens again.”