Rep. Gerald Connelly Loses It When Secret Service Director Won’t Criticize Private Gun Ownership

Rep. Gerald Connelly (D-VA) lost it during Monday’s House Oversight Committee hearing, when Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle refused to play along and criticize privately owned firearms.

Connelly began by praising “the incredible daily risks” taken by the Secret Service, then said, “Help us understand, however…how could [this assassination attempt] happen and how can we ensure it can’t reoccur?”

He then criticized “AR-15s and access to them by 20-year-olds or anybody for that matter…”

Connelly then asked director Cheatle, “The ubiquity of weapons, guns, in America, especially ‘assault weapons’ or semiautomatic weapons, has helped your job and the mission of your agency? Right, it has made it less complicated, isn’t that true?”

Cheatle responded by saying she did not understand his question and Connelly said, “Real simple, more guns, especially dangerous ones, have made your job protecting people easier. Is that not right?”

Cheatle tried to respond and Connelly cut her off, telling her his question was “simple English.”

He then asked, “More guns, do they make your job more complicated or less complicated in protecting [your clients]?”

Cheatle began responding, “I think the Secret Service needs to take into account…,” but Connelly interrupted, saying, “I didn’t ask that. I’m sorry, I asked a simple question, which deserves a simple answer.”

He then asked if “the ubiquity of guns” makes Secret Service’s job easier or more difficult.

Connelly was never happy with Cheatle’s attempted responses and he eventually accused her of “evading the question.”

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio, a member of Gun Owners of America, and the director of global marketing for Lone Star Hunts. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal in 2010 and has a Ph.D. in Military History. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.