WASHINGTON — The head of the Secret Service said Tuesday she will resign following the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump that sparked a widespread and growing outcry over how the agency tasked with protecting current and former presidents could be failing in its core mission.
Kimberly Cheatle, director of the Secret Service since August 2022, faced mounting calls for her resignation and multiple investigations into how the shooter was able to get so close to the Republican presidential candidate at an outdoor campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
“I take full responsibility for the serious security breach,” he said in an email to staff. “In light of recent events, it is with great regret that I have made the difficult decision to step down as director.”
Cheatle’s departure is unlikely to end scrutiny of the agency, which has long been embattled after the July 13 failures, and comes at a critical time ahead of the Democratic National Convention and a hectic presidential campaign season.
Intense scrutiny
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have promised a continued investigation, along with an inspector general probe and an independent, bipartisan effort launched by Republicans in Congress.
“Scrutiny over the past week has been intense and will continue as our operational tempo increases,” Cheatle said in his note to staff.
Cheatle’s resignation comes a day after she appeared before a congressional committee and was rebuked for hours by both Democrats and Republicans for serious security lapses. She called the attempt on Trump’s life the Secret Service’s “most significant operational failure” in decades and said she took full responsibility for it, but she angered lawmakers by not answering specific questions about the investigation.
The Secret Service director did not answer a single question from lawmakers, prompting several to demand her immediate resignation.
At Monday’s hearing, Cheatle remained defiant, saying she was the “right person” to lead the Secret Service, even as she said she took responsibility for security failures. When Republican Rep. Nancy Mace suggested Cheatle begin drafting her resignation letter from the hearing room, Cheatle replied, “No, thank you.”
The security breaches were unusual, or planned
The shooter, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, managed to get within 157 yards (135 meters) of the stage where the former president was speaking when he opened fire. This was despite a threat to Trump’s life from Iran, which led to extra security for the former president in the days leading up to the July 13 rally.
Cheatle acknowledged Monday that the Secret Service was informed nearly 20 minutes earlier about a suspicious person two to five times before the shooting at the rally. He also revealed that the roof from which Crooks opened fire had been identified as a potential vulnerability days before the rally. But he did not respond to questions about what happened, including why there were no agents stationed on the roof.
A bloodied Trump was escorted off the stage by Secret Service agents, and agency snipers killed the shooter. Trump said the top of his right ear was pierced by a gunshot. One protester was killed and two others were seriously injured.
“The attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump on July 13 is the most significant operational failure of the Secret Service in decades,” Cheatle told members of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee. “As director of the United States Secret Service, I take full responsibility for any security failures.”
Details continue to emerge about signs of trouble that day and the role both the Secret Service and local authorities played in security.
Mayorkas backed Cheatle after the attack
The agency routinely relies on local authorities to secure the perimeter of events where the people it protects appear. Former senior Secret Service agents said the killer should never have been allowed near the perimeter, especially when he was carrying a high-caliber AR-15 rifle.
Two days after the attack, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said he supported Cheatle “100%.”
But there were calls for accountability across the political spectrum, with congressional committees immediately investigating, issuing a subpoena for her to testify and top Republican leaders in both the House and Senate saying she should resign.
In an interview with ABC News two days after the attack, Cheatle said he would not resign. He called the attack “unacceptable” and something no Secret Service agent wants to see happen. He said his agency is responsible for protecting the former president: “The responsibility is mine. I am the director of the Secret Service.”
Cheatle served in the Secret Service for 27 years. She left in 2021 to work as a security executive at PepsiCo before Biden asked her to return in 2022 to lead the agency.
Source: With information from AP.
