U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigns after criticism over security failures during the rally where former President Donald Trump was targeted in an assassination attempt.
Kimberly Cheatle, the now former director of the U.S. Secret Service, resigned this Tuesday following criticism over security failures during the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where former President Donald Trump (2017-2021) was targeted in an assassination attempt.
NBC News reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter, that the resignation came after multiple calls from lawmakers for her to step down.
Just yesterday, Cheatle testified before a House committee, stating that the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump represented the “greatest operational failure” of the agency “in decades.”
Former Director Kimberly Cheatle took “full responsibility”
Cheatle took “full responsibility” for the security lapse at her agency and stated that she is cooperating with ongoing investigations into the attack.
Republican opposition had demanded Cheatle’s resignation, as she led the agency responsible for Trump’s security.
Trump was shot in the ear while participating in a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The shooter had climbed onto a roof approximately 140 meters from the former president, though outside the security perimeter.
Witnesses had alerted authorities about the suspect’s presence two minutes before the shooting. The attacker, a 20-year-old man whose motives remain unknown, was shot and killed by Secret Service agents.
During the hearing, Republicans protested Cheatle’s refusal to answer most of their questions, citing ongoing investigations the Secret Service is collaborating on to determine what went wrong during the operation.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees the Secret Service, announced this Sunday the launch of an independent investigation into the incident, ordered by President Joe Biden, with bipartisan members and a 45-day deadline for completion.
The investigation will include, among others, Janet Napolitano, former Secretary of Homeland Security under Barack Obama (2009-2017), and Frances Townsend, former National Security Advisor to George W. Bush (2001-2009).
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