US Secret Service chief resigns following assassination attempt on Trump
Jul 23, 2024
Washington, DC [US], July 23 : In the wake of the recent attempt on the life of former US President Donald Trump, Kimberly Cheatle, the director of the US Secret Service, has tendered her resignation, CNN reported on Tuesday, citing sources.
This comes amid ongoing probes by lawmakers and an internal government watchdog into how the agency handled Trump's safety and how a gunman nearly killed the Republican presidential candidate for Pennsylvania during a rally this month.
Demands for her resignation were also raised by members of Congress from both parties, and Republicans had been continuously pressing for her impeachment since Trump was shot at the Pennsylvania rally on July 13.
After her Monday public hearing before the House Oversight Committee, where she refused to respond to several of the committee's questions, lawmakers were especially enraged, according to CNN.
Even though Cheatle said there were "significant" and "colossal" issues with the rally's security during her testimony before the House Oversight Committee, she had previously refused to step down.
"I think I am the best person to lead the Secret Service at this time," Cheatle said Monday. US House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters that the resignation is "overdue."
Cheatle had made it clear earlier as well that she would not resign following the shooting.
President Joe Biden selected Cheatle to head the Secret Service in 2022.
In an interview with CNN last week, Cheatle claimed that the organization was "solely responsible" for the planning and execution of security at the Pennsylvania rally venue, where the since-deceased gunman opened fire on Trump from an unguarded rooftop only a short distance from the rally stage.
One rallygoer was killed and several others were hurt in the event, which narrowly missed Trump's head.
Trump was on stage at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania when gunshots rang out and Secret Service agents stormed the stage. Hours after the shooting, Trump said that the bullet pierced the upper part of his right ear.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) identified the shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania.
