KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images/Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Kimberly Cheatle, the U.S. Secret Service director, has made a major decision almost two weeks after the assassination attempt on Donald Trump.
According to NBC News, the outlet received Cheatle’s resignation letter on Tuesday, July 23. In the correspondence, the former Secret Service director explained that the “scrutiny” she and the organization have faced “over the last week has been intense.” Despite this, she reportedly explained that she accepts “full responsibility for the security lapse.”
Due to this, Cheatle stated that she has chosen to “step down” as the organization’s director. The outlet adds that Cheatle’s letter reportedly did not indicate when her last day with the service would be.
President Joe Biden released a statement via the White House’s official website amid reports of Cheatle’s resignation.
“Jill and I are grateful to Director Kim Cheatle for her decades of public service,” the president wrote. “…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…”
The president ultimately explained that he wishes Cheatle “all the best” before adding that he plans to “appoint a new Director soon.”
Meanwhile, NBC News reports that former president Trump took to Truth Social to react to Cheatle’s decision.
“The Biden/Harris Administration did not properly protect me, and I was forced to take a bullet for Democracy. IT WAS MY GREAT HONOR TO DO SO!” he wrote.
According to CBS News, Cheatle was appointed the 27th director of the U.S. Secret Service in 2022. The outlet adds that Cheatle served 27 years at the agency in other positions before this.
Additionally, the outlet notes that Cheatle was also a member of President Biden’s security detail when he served as vice president to former President Obama.
On Monday, July 22, Cheatle met with the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability to further discuss the July 13 assassination attempt on Trump. According to a press release shared by the committee, Cheatle “failed to answer basic questions” about “egregious security lapses” that led to the fatal shooting.
“Director Cheatle could not or refused to answer basic questions from Committee members, leading Republican and Democrat members to call for Director Cheatle’s immediate resignation,” the release reads. “The American people demand answers, and the House Oversight Committee will work with Speaker Mike Johnson’s Task Force to investigate this security failure and examine solutions to ensure it does not happen again.”
According to NBC News, Cheatle largely reacted to the committee’s questions by asserting an ongoing investigation into the incident.
“I’m not going to get into specifics of the day,” she reportedly explained at one point. “There was a plan in place to provide overwatch, and we are still looking into responsibilities.”
The outlet reports that Thomas Matthew Crooks, Trump’s attempted assassin, was reportedly spotted on a rooftop by the Secret Service ten minutes before he opened fire on Trump’s Pennsylvania rally. The outlet adds that after Trump took the stage, twenty minutes “elapsed before he opened fire.”
