Washington, Jul 22 (IANS): US Secret Service Director Kimberly A. Cheatle told lawmakers at a hearing that the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump was the “most significant operational failure” for the agency in decades.

“The Secret Service’s solemn mission is to protect our nation’s leaders. On July 13th, we failed,” Cheatle told members of the House committee Oversight and Accountability.

“As the Director of the United States Secret Service, I take full responsibility for any security lapse,” Cheatle conceded in response to a question from Congressman Ro Khanna whether the attempt on Trump’s life was the single biggest failure of the agency since the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan on March 20, 1981.

However, Cheatle declined to resign as the Secret Service Director.

“I will stay in the job and make the agency stronger. We must learn what happened, and I will move heaven and earth to ensure an incident like July 13th does not happen again,” she testified.

Lawmakers from both the Republican and Democratic Party attacked the Director for her agency’s failure to prevent the assassination attempt in which a lone gunman shot at Trump during an election rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

The bullet hit the former President’s right ear and he dropped to the ground, Secret Service agents had thrown themselves on him to provide him extra cover.

A Secret Service sniper killed the gunman, who was positioned on the roof of a nearby building.

Jame Comar, Chairman of the Committee, opened the hearing, calling for the Director to resign.

“The American people will make their own decisions based on her answers today,” James Comer said, speaking before an oversised photograph of Trump being whisked offstage after the shooting.