After the assassination attempt on Donald Trump at a campaign event, there was strong criticism of the Secret Service, which was actually supposed to protect the former president. Director Kimberly Cheatle is now taking action, US media reports.
According to media reports, the head of the Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle, who came under criticism after the assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump, has resigned. Several US media outlets, including the NBC broadcaster and the AP news agency, reported on the resignation on Tuesday. Cheatle admitted on Monday at a hearing before a committee in the US Congress that her agency, which is responsible for protecting current and former presidents, had “failed” in the assassination attempt on Trump.
She spoke of the “most significant operational failure of the Secret Service in decades.” As head of the agency, she takes “full responsibility for any security breach.”
Cheatle appointed head of Secret Service by Joe Biden in 2022
Representatives of Democrats and Republicans had called on Cheatle to resign after the assassination attempt on Trump in the town of Butler. Trump barely survived the assassination attempt, having been hit by a bullet in his right ear. A man in the audience was killed, and two other participants in the rally were seriously injured. The suspected perpetrator, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was shot dead by a Secret Service sniper – 26 seconds after he fired the first shots at Trump.
In recent days, there had been criticism of the Secret Service’s actions. Immediately after the assassination, questions were raised as to how Crooks had been able to position himself with his weapon on a roof just 150 meters away from Trump.
The chairman of the House Oversight Committee, Republican James Comer, said the attack could have been prevented. Cheatle did not deserve to keep her position at the head of the agency. Democratic Vice Chairman Jamie Raskin, meanwhile, pointed out that gun attacks happen too often in America.
Biden thanks Kimberly Cheatle
Cheatle was appointed head of the Secret Service by US President Joe Biden in 2022. She had previously worked for the agency for 27 years before becoming the interim head of security for the North American region for the beverage company PepsiCo in 2021.
US President Joe Biden thanked Cheatle for “her decades of service to public service.” “Throughout her career with the Secret Service, she has selflessly dedicated herself to protecting our nation and risked her life,” the Democrat wrote. As a leader, you need honor, courage and incredible integrity. Biden announced that the investigation into the background of the assassination attempt on Trump is continuing. “We all know that what happened that day must never be repeated.”
Note: This article has been updated to include additional information.
