Kimberly Cheatle, United States Secret Service director, resigned in the aftermath of an assassination attempt on former president Trump.
Following an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump that almost took his life, the Secret Service was criticized for failing at its core mission to protect current and former presidents. Director Kimberly Cheatle has resigned after not explaining why the gunman was able to get so close to the former president.
In a recent hearing, House members from both sides of the aisle criticized Cheatle for her agency’s failure. “I take full responsibility for the security lapse,” she said in an email to staff. “In light of recent events, it is with a heavy heart that I have made the difficult decision to step down as your director.” Cheatle had served as director since August 2022. Prior to her appointment, she served as Senior Director in Global Security at PepsiCo.
At Monday’s hearing, Cheatle failed to answer specific questions about the ongoing investigation into the assassination attempt. Multiple investigations into the security failure and the gunman’s motive are currently taking place.
Cheatle acknowledged that law enforcement were notified of the suspicious person two to five times before the shooting occurred. She was unable to answer why there were no agents on the roof the shooter used, even though it was deemed a point of vulnerability by the Secret Service before the rally took place.
On Tuesday, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson called Cheatle’s resignation “overdue”. He said, “Now we have to pick up the pieces. We have to rebuild the American people’s faith and trust in the Secret Service as an agency.”
President Biden thanked Cheatle for her service and announced his intent to appoint a new director. He did not give a time frame for the appointment.
