Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle Resigns In Fallout Over Assassination Attempt On Donald Trump
Kimberly Cheatle, the director of the Secret Service, resigned today, after testifying before Congress that the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump was the “most significant operational failure” at the agency in decades.
Cheatle faced a turbulent hearing on Monday before the House Oversight Committee, after which the chairman of the committee, Rep. James Comer (R-KY) joined with the top Democrat on the panel, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) to call for her to step down.
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Trump was struck by a bullet at his July 13 rally in Butler, PA, while one attendee, Corey Compertore, was killed. Two others were critically wounded.
Cheatle faced questions of why the shooter was able to gain access to a nearby rooftop, outside the security perimeter at the event, with reports that authorities were warned of suspicious activity. She stressed to lawmakers that the investigation is ongoing.
“We must learn what happened and I will move heaven and earth to ensure an incident like July 13th does not happen again,” Cheatle said in her testimony. “Thinking about what we should have done differently is never far from my thoughts.”
Cheatle was appointed to the post by President Joe Biden in 2022.
In a statement after her resignation, Biden said, “As a leader, it takes honor, courage, and incredible integrity to take full responsibility for an organization tasked with one of the most challenging jobs in public service.
“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. As we move forward, I wish Kim all the best, and I will plan to appoint a new Director soon.”
NBC News was first to report on her resignation, followed quickly by other news outlets.
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