US Secret Service 'failed' in mission to protect Trump

The head of the US Secret Service Kimberly Cheatle has been forced to defend herself after agents failed to protect former president Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.

She was called before a Congressional committee in Washington on Monday to discuss the assassination attempt. Cheatle called the shooting incident the agency's most significant operational failure in decades. She said the Secret Service's "solemn mission" is to protect the nation's leaders.

She added that, she takes "full responsibility" for any security lapses. She said her organization is fully cooperating with investigations into the shooting. The Homeland Security Secretary has appointed an independent panel to conduct another investigation.