US Secret Service Director Kim Cheatle Resigns
Kim Cheatle, the Director of the US Secret Service, has resigned amid mounting bipartisan pressure following an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. Her resignation comes after a contentious House Oversight Committee hearing regarding the security failure at Trump’s campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, earlier this month.
The resignation follows increasing frustration from lawmakers over Cheatle’s refusal to provide detailed answers about the incident during the hearing. Both Democrats and Republicans had called for her to step down due to the significant security lapse.
“As your director, I take full responsibility for the security lapse,” Cheatle stated in her resignation letter to agency staff. She expressed her commitment to the agency’s mission and her decision to resign “with a heavy heart” to avoid being a distraction from the agency’s vital work.
President Joe Biden, acknowledging Cheatle’s decades of service, stated, “The independent review to get to the bottom of what happened on July 13 continues, and I look forward to assessing its conclusions. We all know what happened that day can never happen again.” Biden also announced that a new director would be appointed soon.
Appointed by President Biden in 2022, Cheatle had served 27 years in various roles within the Secret Service. She was involved in high-profile operations, including evacuating then-Vice President Dick Cheney during the September 11, 2001 attacks and later supervising Biden’s protective detail.
Her leadership was questioned following the July 13 rally, where a bullet grazed Trump’s ear, leaving one audience member dead and two others injured. Despite significant security presence, suspect Thomas Matthew Crooks managed to access a rooftop and fire shots before being killed by a counter sniper.
Following the hearing, both Republican James Comer and Democrat Jamie Raskin expressed their belief that Cheatle should resign. Comer stated, “The Oversight Committee’s hearing resulted in Director Cheatle’s resignation and there will be more accountability to come.”
In a statement on his social media platform, Trump criticized the Biden administration for failing to protect him, saying, “The Biden/Harris Administration did not properly protect me, and I was forced to take a bullet for Democracy.”
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson labeled her resignation as “overdue,” emphasizing the need to rebuild public trust in the Secret Service. Teresa Wilson, an ex-marine who attended the rally, expressed relief over Cheatle’s resignation and urged the continuation of the independent investigation.
