Following several calls from politicians for her resignation in the wake of the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has resigned, three sources told NBC News.
Cheatle stated in her resignation letter—which was obtained by a senior official—that “As our operating tempo accelerates, the severe scrutiny that has been in place for the past week will persist.” She continued by saying that she accepts “all accountability for the security breach.”
The agency had been run by Cheatle since September 2022. “It is with heavy heart that I have decided to leave my position as your Director in light of recent occurrences,” Cheatle wrote.
When exactly her last day will be is unknown.
President Joe Biden commended Cheatle for her work in a statement and said that he would name her replacement to head the Secret work “soon.” Following the Trump assassination attempt, Biden commissioned an impartial investigation to determine what transpired, and he expressed his anticipation for the report’s findings on Tuesday.
“Everyone is aware that what occurred that day will never occur again,” Biden stated.
Trump posted on Truth Social after learning of her resignation, saying, “I had to take a bullet for democracy because the Biden/Harris administration did not adequately protect me.” IT WAS A GREAT HONOR FOR ME TO DO THAT.
Tuesday’s statement from James Comer, the chairman of the House Oversight Committee (R-Ky.), stated that Cheatle “instilled no confidence” when she was questioned on Monday by irate lawmakers from both parties who were frustrated about the Secret Service’s inability to defend Trump.
Cheatle stated in court, “I won’t delve into the day’s specifics here,” referring to an ongoing investigation. “Overwatch was supposed to be provided, and we are still investigating responsibilities.”
Members of the committee, both Republican and Democratic, suggested she ought to step down due to her “incompetence” and “lame excuses.”
“Today you’re full of s—!” Rep. Nancy Mace, a Republican from South Carolina, blasted Cheatle for evading inquiries and being “wholly dishonest” about her collaboration with the committee.
The leaders of the House Oversight Committee, which convened the hearing on Monday and had subpoenaed her, were not satisfied with her answers.
Comer and ranking member Jamie Raskin, D-Md., wrote a joint letter to Cheatle hours after the hearing, saying, “You did not respond to the American people’s basic inquiries about that startling operational failure today, nor did you comfort them that the Secret Service has realized its mistakes and is starting to make necessary corrections.”
Particularly in a year with a presidential election, the two members claimed that the committee and the American people “Demand the serious institutional openness and accountability that you do not now offer.”
They wrote, “We urge on you to step down as Director as a first step toward empowering new leadership to act quickly to address this issue and regain the confidence of a Congress that is genuinely concerned and the American people.”
A number of prominent Republicans, including Senate Republican Conference Chairman John Barrasso, R-Wyo., and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., also urged Cheatle to step down. These included House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.
A number of Republican members declared they intended to pursue articles of impeachment against Cheatle prior to her departure on Tuesday.
Barrasso said, “She needs to go,” to Hallie Jackson of NBC News following a Senate briefing on the incident last week.
Cheatle stated that she was the one who held the “buck” in an interview with ABC News last week.
She responded that the agency was reviewing the matter and that she didn’t have all the information. However, according to Cheatle, there was a “very short” interval between the time the gunman, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was flagged as perhaps suspicious and when he started firing from the rooftop during the July 13 event.
Two people with knowledge of the assassination attempt’s proceedings stated that the window of opportunity was 62 minutes following a Senate briefing on the attempt on Wednesday.
Additionally, according to the sources, Crooks was seen by Secret Service officials on a rooftop ten minutes before Trump mounted the stage and twenty minutes before he opened fire.
Trump claims to have been shot in his right upper ear. Corey Comperatore, a former fire official, lost his life in the incident. After being hurt and admitted to the hospital, the circumstances of the other two have improved.