Secret Service director resigns in wake of Trump assassination attempt
U.S. Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle has resigned from her job, according to a statement released by the White House.
President Biden thanked Cheatle for her service, saying "she has selflessly dedicated and risked her life to protect our nation throughout her career in the United States Secret Service."
Biden cited the work of an independent review commission that was launched this weekend to investigate theassassination attempt against former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pa. on July 13.
"The independent review to get to the bottom of what happened on July 13 continues, and I look forward to assessing its conclusions," the statement reads. "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."
Secretary of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas also thanked Cheatle for her service.
"Over the past two years, she has led the Secret Service with skill, honor, integrity, and tireless dedication," he 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."
Cheatle's resignation comes a day after she testified before the House Oversight Committee, where she faced criticism from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle for not being able to fully answer their questions about the assassination attempt.
“The Secret Service’s solemn mission is to protect our nation’s leaders. On July 13th, we failed,” Cheatle said at the hearing. “As the Director of the United States Secret Service, I take full responsibility for any security lapse.”
The hearing, which took place just over a week after the shooting at Trump’s rally in Butler, Pa., featured members on both sides of the aisle expressing frustration over Cheatles’ testimony, in which she didn’t give clear answers on how the shooter was able to get onto a nearby roof with a clear line of sight of the former president.
“The American people have questions. They deserve answers. Congress deserves answers,” said House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky. “You were subpoenaed today to provide answers, and, ma'am, you did not do that.”
After the hearing, Comer and the top Democrat on the committee, Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, released a joint letter calling on Cheatle to resign.
“Today, you failed to provide answers to basic questions regarding that stunning operational failure and to reassure the American people that the Secret Service has learned its lessons and begun to correct its systemic blunders and failures,” the letter read.
South Carolina Republican Rep. Nancy Mace introduced a resolution to impeach Cheatle on Monday evening, something that now becomes moot.
In addition to a variety of ongoing investigations, top Congressional leaders announced there will be a bipartisan investigative task force comprised of seven Republican and six Democrats.
That panel will make recommendations for reforms for governmental agencies and recommend possible legislation needed to implement those reforms. The House will vote on a resolution to establish the force this week.
“The security failures that allowed an assassination attempt on Donald Trump’s life are shocking,” House Speaker Mike Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement Tuesday morning. “The task force will be empowered with subpoena authority and will move quickly to find the facts, ensure accountability, and make certain such failures never happen again.”
