Secret Service prepares for new wave of criticism with pending Jan. 6 report release

As the Secret Service grapples with lawmakers for failures resulting in an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, the agency could get more bad news this week.

The Secret Service is bracing for a new report from the Department of Homeland Security on the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

DHS is preparing to release a report detailing the agency’s response to the riot, and the report, completed by investigators in the department’s Office of Inspector General, could be released as soon as this week.

Among the security failures the agency presided over that day included former Vice President Mike Pence’s near-encounter with protesters and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris having to be evacuated from the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee after a bomb was discovered in front of the building.

The agency also caught flak from lawmakers over deleting some text messages its agents sent in connection to the day of the attack, an occurrence it blamed on a routine systems migration.

The release of the report could take longer than anticipated due to its sensitive nature.

The Secret Service is facing several congressional investigations, and its director, Kimberly Cheatle, has received calls for her resignation from Democrats and Republicans alike.

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) questioned Cheatle in a House Oversight Committee hearing Monday, asking her what the Secret Service director did in the wake of former President Ronald Reagan’s attempted assassination in 1981. Cheatle said he stayed on duty. Khanna said he resigned.