U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned from her position on Tuesday after her evasive testimony before the House Oversight Committee on Monday, the Associated Press reports.
Cheatle resigned in the aftermath of the July 13 assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, where 20-year old Thomas Matthew Crooks took aim at the Republican nominee from a rooftop 130 yards away, killing attendee Corey Comperatore and leaving other audience members injured, according to the AP. Cheatle’s testimony on Monday was met with an onslaught of bipartisan scrutiny citing major security lapses and resulting in widespread calls for her resignation. (RELATED: Mike Johnson Calls For Secret Service Director’s Resignation Following Trump Assassination Attempt)
“I take full responsibility for the security lapse,” she said in an email to staff obtained by the AP on Tuesday. “In light of recent events, it is with a heavy heart that I have made the difficult decision to step down as your director.”
Director Cheatle answered our calls to resign. Good. ⁰⁰Now our task force will quickly and thoroughly investigate the assassination attempt on President Trump and hold those responsible accountable. pic.twitter.com/s1tAVm35DQ
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) July 23, 2024
“The immediate reaction to her resignation is that it is overdue, she should have done this at least a week ago,” Speaker Mike Johnson said in a press conference on Tuesday. “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 Joe Biden and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas praised Cheatle’s career leading the “finest protective agency in the world.”
“Over the past two years, she has led the Secret Service with skill, honor, integrity, and tireless dedication,” Mayorkas said in a statement. “She is deeply respected by the men and women of the agency and by her fellow leaders in the Department of Homeland Security. I am proud to have worked with Director Cheatle and we are all grateful for her service.”
“Jill and I are grateful to Director Kim Cheatle for her decades of public service,” Biden said in a statement on Tuesday. “She has selflessly dedicated and risked her life to protect our nation throughout her career in the United States Secret Service. We especially thank her for answering the call to lead the Secret Service during our Administration and we are grateful for her service to our family.”
US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle testifies during a House Oversight Committee hearing examining potential security failures surrounding the attempted assassination on former US President Donald Trump, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, July 22, 2024. (Photo by Chris Kleponis / AFP) (Photo by CHRIS KLEPONIS/AFP via Getty Images)
“The independent review to get to the bottom of what happened on July 13 continues, and I look forward to assessing its conclusions,” Biden continued in the statement. “We all know what happened that day can never happen again. As we move forward, I wish Kim all the best, and I will plan to appoint a new Director soon.”
Cheatle and the USSS have attempted to explain away the security lapses, claiming that nobody was stationed on the “sloped” roof because it was unsafe. Other reports from whistleblowers contradict this claim, alleging that law enforcement had actually been stationed on the roof but that the individual “abandoned his or her post due to hot weather,” according to a letter from Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri addressed to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
“The buck stops with me,” Cheatle said in an interview with ABC News. I am the director of the Secret Service, and I need to make sure that we are performing a review and that we are giving resources to our personnel as necessary.”
“While Director Cheatle’s resignation is a step toward accountability, we need a full review of how these security failures happened so that we can prevent them going forward,” Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said in a statement on X. “We will continue our oversight of the Secret Service in support of the House Task Force to deliver transparency, accountability, and solutions to ensure this never happens again.”
Cheatle has served as the U.S. Secret Service Director since August of 2022.
(This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates)
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