“Kimberly Cheatle, Director of the US Secret Service, resigns following the Trump shooting incident. Learn more about the circumstances surrounding her departure and the impact on the Secret Service.”
On Tuesday, Kimberly Cheatle stepped down as the US Secret Service Director. Her resignation followed her acknowledgment that the agency was unable to avert an endeavor on former President Donald Trump’s life.
Cheatle was urged by both parties to resign following the shooting of Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13th. Republican Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson expressed that “she should have done this at least a week ago” and added that he is glad she finally responded to bipartisan demands.
President Joe Biden expressed his gratitude to Cheatle for her unrelenting commitment and sacrifices spanning almost 30 years while serving in the Secret Service, safeguarding the country.
Read Also: Trump threat response failures: Secret Service director grilled
Biden declared that the events of that day would never repeat, adding his well wishes for Kim and revealing plans to soon appoint a new director.
On Monday, Cheatle presented herself in front of a congressional oversight committee and characterized the assault on Trump as “the most noteworthy ineffectiveness by the Secret Service within decades.”
Lawmakers from both parties demanded her resignation amidst a tense hearing as she declined to divulge precise information about the incident, citing ongoing investigations.
Minutes after Trump began speaking at the rally, he was attacked by a gunman wielding an assault rifle resembling AR-type.
Less than 30 seconds after firing the first of eight shots, a Secret Service sniper positioned on top of a nearby building took down the shooter. According to investigators, there was no strong ideological or political motivation behind the gunman’s actions and it appeared that he acted alone.
As a consequence of the assault, Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old firefighter from Pennsylvania lost his life and two individuals participating in the rally were gravely injured. Trump avoided fatality by inches as he experienced a gunshot wound on his right ear that measured at two centimeters. The projectile came remarkably close to striking him directly in the head.
In 2022, President Biden appointed Cheatle as the head of the agency. Prior to this role, he worked for Secret Service for over two decades and briefly served as PepsiCo’s North America security director.
