Amid growing criticism and bipartisan calls for her to resign her post following the attempted assassination of former President Donal Trump ten days ago, Secret Service chief Kimberly Cheatle this morning announced her resignation.
“I take full responsibility for the security lapse,” Cheatle said in an email to staff. “In light of recent events, it is with a heavy heart that I have made the difficult decision to step down as your director.”
The Secret Service chief had faced angry questions during a US congressional committee hearing on Monday over the agency’s security plan at the Trump rally held in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13.
Cheatle has stated the incident is “the most significant operational failure at the Secret Service in decades. There clearly was a mistake and we will make every effort to make sure that this never happens again.”
President Biden has ordered an independent review of security protocols at the rally, where one attendee was killed and two others were seriously injured.