US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned following a security failure during the assassination attempt on former President Trump, a position she had held since being appointed by President Joe Biden in 2022.
ADVERTISEMENTUS Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has resigned after scrutiny of security weaknesses related to the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump.
The resignation came as the internal government watchdog moved forward with investigations into the handling of Trump’s protection.
The question of 'how a gunman came this close to killing a presidential candidate?' became the top agenda for lawmakers and investigators.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden said he and First Lady Jill Biden are “grateful” for Cheatle’s decades of public service, in a statement.
“As a leader, it takes honour, courage, and incredible integrity to take full responsibility for an organisation tasked with one of the most challenging jobs in public service,” the statement read.
A new secret service director is expected to be appointed soon and the post does not need Senate approval.
Calls for resignation were bipartisan
There have been bipartisan calls in Congress for Cheatle’s resignation. Especially, Republican lawmakers were pushing for an impeachment.
Admitting that there were "significant” and “colossal” problems with the security at the Trump rally, she rejected resigning her post until Tuesday, insisting that "she is the best person to lead the Secret Service at this time".
Cheatle was appointed by Biden to lead the Secret Service in 2022.