In a dramatic turn of events, Kimberly Cheatle, the Director of the United States Secret Service, announced her resignation following a near-fatal security breach at a rally for former President Donald Trump. This incident has not only shaken public confidence in the agency tasked with protecting high-profile leaders but has also ignited a firestorm of scrutiny and investigations into the agency’s operational failures.
One rally attendee was killed and several others were injured when a bullet struck Trump’s ear.
The incident, which occurred on July 13 at a Trump presidential campaign rally, was the first against a U.S. leader under the watchful eye of the elite guard agency in more than 40 years. The gunman started fire with an AR-style weapon from an unsecured roof. Veteran Secret Service agent Cheatle had stated that “the buck stops with me” and deemed the security lapse unacceptable.
At first, she had stated that she would not step down and would assist with any inquiries regarding the shooting.
That being said, Cheatle was urged to step down by both Democrats and Republicans during a Monday hearing of the House Oversight Committee.
“As your director, I accept full responsibility for the security breach,” Ms. Cheatle said to agency employees in her letter of resignation.
When she declined to respond to inquiries regarding the shooting that occurred at Trump’s campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, earlier this month, lawmakers grew more irate.
In Tuesday’s resignation letter, Ms Cheatle said she had always “put the needs of the agency first” and it was “with a heavy heart” that she made her decision.
“The scrutiny over the last week has been intense and will continue to remain as our operational tempo increases,” she said.
The Secret Service has been questioned about how it carried out its protection of Trump that day as more details about the attempted attack have emerged. These details include the agency’s failure to regulate access to the rooftop and its handling of information that local law enforcement passed along prior to the shooting, which identified the potential assassin as someone acting suspiciously around the rally grounds.
Prior to her time in the private sector, Cheatle spent 27 years in the Secret Service, where she managed global security. She resigned her position at PepsiCo to take the director position for USSS.
Right now Ronald L. Rowe, Jr. is the Acting Director of the Secret Service as of July 23, 2024.
