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U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has resigned from her position amid bipartisan backlash over her agency’s inability to prevent an attempted assassination of President Donald Trump during a campaign rally earlier this month.
The director announced her resignation in a letter to agency staff members on Tuesday, exiting from her position one day after being grilled by House Oversight Committee members criticizing the Secret Services’ lack of action with preventing the shooting, which saw President Trump wounded, two more critically injured, and one rally goer dead.
“As I’ve stated, the Secret Service will move forward with our investgatory and protective mission in a steadfast manner,” Cheatle wrote in her resignation letter. “We do not retreat from challenge. However, I do not want my calls for resignation to be a distraction from the great work each and every one of you do towards our vital mission.”
She continued, “I have, and will always put the needs of this agency first. In light of recent events, it is with a heavy heart that, I have made the difficult decision to step down as your Director.”
Shortly after news of her resignation released, President Trump responded in a post to Truth Social that the Biden-Harris administration “did not properly protect” him, and that he “was forced to take a bullet for Democracy.”
“IT WAS MY GREAT HONOR TO DO SO!” he wrote.
Meanwhile, Joe Biden commended Cheatle for her “honor, courage, and incredible integrity” in a statement after news of her resignation first broke.
Biden further explained that “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.”
He concluded, “As we move forward, I wish Kim all the best, and I will plan to appoint a new Director soon.”
During Cheatle’s hearing with members of the Oversight Committee on Monday, she claimed that, although the agency’s response to the shooting was ultimately a “failure,” she still gave agents working at the rally an “A” grade for their efforts, the New York Post reported.
The director also made a series of concerning statements in the days after the shooting, while seemingly refusing to step down from her post—statements which would haunt her during the congressional hearing.
Among those statements was a comment to ABC News, where she claimed that agents were not stationed along the roof that the would-be assassin Thomas Crooks used to perch his rifle since it was “sloped,” calling it a “safety factor” for the Secret Service agents.
This prompted House members to question this move, since it gave Crooks an obstacle-free rooftop only 150-yards from a stage where the president stood.
Cheatle also told Congress that the agency received “between two and five” warnings about Crooks, but that he was not deemed a “threat” before moments until the shooting.
The director’s testimony was grilled by Republicans and Democrats alike, who criticized her for her lack of transparency and acute ineptitude to prevent the attack.
“According to reports, the shooter was photographed twice by security officers prior to the shooting. A police officer saw the shooter on the ground and reported him with a photograph as a suspicious person,” said Rep. Max Frost, D-Fla., who added that law enforcement also saw Crooks “scoping out the roof and carrying a range finder.”
“Why was President Trump allowed on stage 10 minutes after the Secret Service spotted a suspicious individual?” asked Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn. “That seems to me to be the worst thing of all, of all the breakdown in all this communication, all the BS you’ve been feeding us here today — or not feeding us — that seems to be the question.”
As Cheatle refused to answer many “simple questions,” members from both parties called for her to resign.
“Some of my colleagues have texted me over the last couple days — bipartisan — about whether you should lose your job, and I’ve been quiet on that question. Because I wanted to see what you were going to do today,” Rep. Byron Donalds told Cheatle. “In my opinion, you do need to be fired immediately.”
“I just don’t think this is partisan. If you have an assassination attempt on a president, a former president, or a candidate, you need to resign,” said Rep. Ro Khanna, R-Calif., during his questioning of the director.
Despite calls to resign from both parties, Cheatle refused to do so immediately after the hearing, saying that she was the best qualified person to head the Secret Service.
With Cheatle now exiting the post, Joe Biden will have to choose a successor.
