Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned on Tuesday following intense bipartisan criticism over the agency’s failure to prevent the near-assassination of Donald Trump. Cheatle, who had initially defended her position and claimed to be the best person to lead the agency despite acknowledging failures during her tenure, announced her resignation in an internal message to Secret Service employees. The agency’s spokesperson did not immediately provide a comment. Joe Biden has commented.
White House issues "Statement from President Joe Biden on United States Secret Service Director Kim Cheatle" resignation:
"Jill and I are grateful to Director Kim Cheatle for her decades of public service. She has selflessly dedicated and risked her life to protect our nation… pic.twitter.com/H00F5iA1lP
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) July 23, 2024
Her resignation came after a grueling hearing before the House Oversight Committee on Monday, where both Democrats and Republicans condemned her performance. The hearing revealed frustrations over her inability to explain how a gunman managed to fire multiple shots at Trump, injuring him and killing a spectator at a Pennsylvania rally on July 13. Following the hearing, there were calls from both sides of the aisle for her resignation.
Speaker Mike Johnson remarked that Cheatle’s resignation was overdue, suggesting that she should have resigned at least a week prior. He expressed satisfaction with the decision, though he indicated that it would not alter plans for a bipartisan task force the House had announced to investigate the shooting.
President Joe Biden issued a statement expressing gratitude for Cheatle’s decades of service and commitment to protecting the nation. He acknowledged her role in leading the Secret Service during the current administration and thanked her for her service to his family. Biden also assured that the investigation into the assassination attempt would continue and promised to appoint a new director “soon.”
Cheatle had served in the Secret Service for nearly 30 years before taking on a role in the private sector with PepsiCo. She was appointed as Director of the Secret Service by Biden in 2022. During her tenure, Cheatle focused on increasing workforce diversity and recruiting more women into the agency.
Some conservative commentators criticized Cheatle’s emphasis on diversity as a factor in the agency’s failure to prevent the attack, though others close to Trump, including his son Eric Trump and former national security adviser Robert O’Brien, defended the agency’s female agents.
The Secret Service has faced criticism in recent years for various security lapses, including breaches during Barack Obama’s presidency and the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack. These incidents led to significant scrutiny of the agency’s performance.
