Reuters. U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned on Tuesday (July 23) after the agency came under harsh scrutiny for its failure to stop a would-be assassin from wounding former President Donald Trump during a campaign rally, according to media reports.
U.S. President Joe Biden thanked Cheatle for her service after she resigned on Tuesday (July 23) following over a week of harsh criticism for the agency's failure to stop a would-be assassin from wounding former President Donald Trump during a campaign rally.
Cheatle faced bipartisan condemnation when she appeared before the House of Representatives Oversight Committee on Monday, declining to answer questions from frustrated lawmakers about the security plan for the rally and how law enforcement responded to the suspicious behavior of the gunman.
Several Republican and Democratic lawmakers called on her to resign.
The Secret Service, which is responsible for the protection of current and former U.S. presidents, faces a crisis after a gunman was able to fire on Trump from a roof overlooking the outdoor rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13.
Cheatle, who has led the agency since 2022, told lawmakers she took responsibility for the shooting, calling it the largest failure by the Secret Service since then-President Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981.
