PHOENIX — Three of Arizona's congressional representatives have called upon Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to resign after she testified before lawmakers about the recent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
Democrat Ruben Gallego, who is running for a seat in the U.S. Senate this election year, said Cheatle has "failed" her duties and "refused to answer" basic questions during Monday's congressional hearing.
Gallego is among a growing number of Democrats in Congress who are publicly calling for Cheatle's resignation. Arizona Congressman Greg Stanton has also issued a similar statement calling for Cheatle to step down.
Republican Andy Biggs, who participated in Monday's hearing with Cheatle, said in a social media post that the director ought to "resign immediately."
Director Cheatle said the Secret Service "failed" in its mission to protect the nation's leaders during the violent incident that occurred in Pennsylvania on July 13.
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What is the Valley?:
“The Valley” is what locals call the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is considered the largest metropolitan area in the Southwest.
The Valley is made up of various major cities other than Phoenix, including:
- Mesa
- Chandler
- Scottsdale
- Tempe
- Glendale
- Surprise
- Peoria
- Gilbert
- El Mirage
- Avondale
- Litchfield Park
- Goodyear
- Buckeye
Whether a city is in the “East Valley” or “West Valley” depends on where it is in relation to Phoenix.
The cities of the Valley have a combined population of 4,845,832 people, according to the 2020 United States Census. This makes it the 11th largest metropolitan area in the country right behind the Boston and Atlanta areas.
How big is Maricopa County?
Maricopa County is the United States’ 4th largest county in terms of population with 4,485,414 people, according to the 2020 Census.
The county contains around 63% of Arizona’s population and is 9,224 square miles. That makes the county larger than seven U.S. states (Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New Hampshire).
One of the largest park systems in the nation is also located in Maricopa County. The county has an estimated 120,000 acres of open space parks that includes hundreds of miles of trails, nature centers and campgrounds.
The county’s seat is located in Phoenix, which is also the state capital and the census-designated 5th most populous city in the United States.
The county was named after the Maricopa, or Piipaash, Native American Tribe.
