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Oversight Committee chair to subpoena Secret Service director for testimony on Trump assassination attempt
Washington — The House Oversight and Accountability Committee’s chairman plans to subpoena U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle for testimony on the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump, a spokeswoman for the panel said Tuesday.
Cheatle is set to appear before committee members for an oversight hearing on July 22, Chairman James Comer, a Kentucky Republican, announced Monday. While the Secret Service also agreed to brief lawmakers on Tuesday, the panel’s spokeswoman said, the Department of Homeland Security “took over communications” with the committee and has not confirmed a time for the briefing.
“The Oversight Committee has a long record of bipartisan oversight of the Secret Service and the unprofessionalism we are witnessing from current DHS leadership is unacceptable,” the spokeswoman said. “While the Secret Service confirmed Director Cheatle is expected to appear for the committee’s hearing on July 22, to head off any attempt by DHS to backtrack on her appearance, the chairman will issue a subpoena for her to attend. Director Cheatle must answer to Congress and the American people about the historic failure that occurred on her watch.”
Cheatle’s job at the helm of the Secret Service has come under scrutiny following the shooting at Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, during which the former president was injured when a bullet grazed his ear. One spectator, firefighter Corey Comperatore, was killed in the attack and two others, Marine Corps veteran David Dutch and James Copenhaver, were wounded.
The FBI identified Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as the gunman. He was killed by a Secret Service sniper.
Questions quickly arose in the wake of the assassination attempt about how Crooks was able to gain access to a rooftop so close to where Trump was speaking to the crowd of supporters. President Biden said Sunday that he ordered an independent review of security at the rally and asked the Secret Service to review security measures for this week’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
Cheatle said Monday that the agency will “participate fully” in the review announced by Mr. Biden and is working with federal, state and local agencies to understand what happened at Trump’s rally, how it occurred and how it can be prevented from taking place again.
The Secret Service chief said the agency provided additional security enhancements for Trump’s detail in June and implemented changes to his security detail after the shooting to ensure continued protection for the convention and rest of the campaign.
The House and Senate Homeland Security Committees have said they will also be looking into the shooting. The head of the House Homeland Security Panel, Rep. Mark Green, invited Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, FBI Director Chris Wray and Cheatle to testify before lawmakers next Tuesday to examine the circumstances surrounding the attack.
Michael Kaplan contributed to this report
Tupperware and some of its subsidiaries filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the once-iconic food container maker said in a statement late Tuesday.
The company has suffered from dwindling sales following a surprise surge during the COVID-19 pandemic, when legions of people stuck at home tried their hands at cooking, which increased demand for Tupperware’s colorful plastic containers with flexible airtight seals.
A post-pandemic rise in costs of raw materials and shipping, along with higher wages, also hurt Tupperware’s bottom line.
Last year, it warned of “substantial doubt” about its ability to keep operating in light of its poor financial position.
“Over the last several years, the Company’s financial position has been severely impacted by the challenging macroeconomic environment,” president and CEO Laurie Ann Goldman said in a statement announcing the bankruptcy filing.
“As a result, we explored numerous strategic options and determined this is the best path forward,” Goldman said.
The company said it would seek court approval for a sale process for the business to protect its brand and “further advance Tupperware’s transformation into a digital-first, technology-led company.”
The Orlando, Florida-based firm said it would also seek approval to continue operating during the bankruptcy proceedings and would continue to pay its employees and suppliers.
“We plan to continue serving our valued customers with the high-quality products they love and trust throughout this process,” Goldman said.
The firm’s shares were trading at $0.5099 Monday, well down from $2.55 in December last year.
Tupperware said it had implemented a strategic plan to modernize its operations and drive efficiencies to ignite growth following the appointment of a new management team last year.
“The Company has made significant progress and intends to continue this important transformation work.”
In its filing with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, Tupperware listed assets of between $500 million and $1 billion and liabilities of between $1 billion and $10 billion.
The filing also said it had between 50,000 and 100,000 creditors.
Tupperware lost popularity with consumers in recent years and an initiative to gain distribution through big-box chain Target failed to reverse its fortunes.
The company’s roots date to 1946, when chemist Earl Tupper “had a spark of inspiration while creating molds at a plastics factory shortly after the Great Depression,” according to Tupperware’s website.
“If he could design an airtight seal for plastic storage containers, like those on a paint can, he could help war-weary families save money on costly food waste.”
Over time, Tupper’s containers became popular that many people referred to any plastic food container as Tupperware. And people even threw “Tupperware parties” in their homes to sell the containers to friends and neighbors.
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