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U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned Tuesday after the agency came under harsh scrutiny for its failure to stop a would-be assassin from wounding former President Donald Trump during a campaign rally, she announced.
"I take full responsibility for the security lapse," Cheatle said in an email to staff, obtained by the Associated Press. "In light of recent events, it is with a heavy heart that I have made the difficult decision to step down as your director."
President Joe Biden released a statement Tuesday, thanking Cheatle for her nearly three decades in the Secret Service and said she had "selflessly dedicated and risked her life to protect our nation throughout her career."
"We all know what happened that day can never happen again," Biden said in a statement. "As we move forward, I wish Kim all the best, and I will plan to appoint a new director soon."
The Secret Service, which is responsible for the protection of current and former presidents, faces a crisis after a gunman was able to fire on Trump from a roof overlooking the outdoor rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13.
Cheatle faced bipartisan condemnation when she appeared before the House of Representatives Oversight Committee on Monday, declining to answer questions from frustrated lawmakers about the security plan for the rally and how law enforcement responded to the suspicious behavior of the gunman. Her resignation came less than 24 hours later.
"It is overdue, she should have done this at least a week ago," House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters. "I'm happy to see that she has heeded the call of both Republicans and Democrats."
Cheatle acknowledged that the Secret Service was told about a suspicious person two to five times before the shooting at the rally. She also revealed that the roof from which Crooks opened fire had been identified as a potential vulnerability days before the rally. But she failed to answer many questions about what happened, including why there no agents stationed on the roof.
Several Republican and Democratic lawmakers called on her to resign.
However, Cheatle remained defiant that she was the "right person" to lead the Secret Service, even as she said she took responsibility the security failures. When Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., suggested Cheatle begin drafting her resignation letter from the hearing room, Cheatle responded, "No, thank you."
"
While Director Cheatle's resignation is a step toward accountability, we need a full review of how these security failures happened so that we can prevent them going forward," James Comer, the Republican chair of the House Oversight Committee, said in a statement. "We will continue our oversight of the Secret Service."
Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, was grazed in the right ear and one rallygoer was killed in the gunfire. The gunman, identified as a 20-year-old Thomas Crooks, was shot and killed by a Secret Service sniper.
Cheatle, who has led the agency since 2022, told lawmakers she took responsibility for the shooting, calling it the largest failure by the Secret Service since then-President Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981.
Two days after the shooting, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said he supported Cheatle "100%."
The Secret Service faces investigations from multiple congressional committees and the internal watchdog of the Department of Homeland Security, its parent organization, over its performance. Biden, who has ended his reelection campaign, has also called for an independent review.
Much of the criticism has focused on the failure to secure the roof of an industrial building where the gunman was perched about 150 yards from the stage where Trump was speaking.
The rooftop was declared outside the Secret Service security perimeter for the event, a decision criticized by former agents and lawmakers.
Cheatle held a top security role at PepsiCo when Biden named her Secret Service director in 2022. She previously served 27 years in the agency.
She took over following a series of scandals involving the Secret Service that scarred the reputation of an elite and insular agency.
Ten Secret Service agents lost their jobs after revelations they brought women, some of them prostitutes, back to their hotel rooms ahead of a trip to Colombia by then-President Barack Obama in 2012.
The agency also faced allegations that it erased text messages from around the time of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Those messages were later sought by a congressional panel probing the riot.
This story has been updated.
"I take full responsibility for the security lapse," Cheatle said in an email to staff, obtained by the Associated Press. "In light of recent events, it is with a heavy heart that I have made the difficult decision to step down as your director."
President Joe Biden released a statement Tuesday, thanking Cheatle for her nearly three decades in the Secret Service and said she had "selflessly dedicated and risked her life to protect our nation throughout her career."
"We all know what happened that day can never happen again," Biden said in a statement. "As we move forward, I wish Kim all the best, and I will plan to appoint a new director soon."
The Secret Service, which is responsible for the protection of current and former presidents, faces a crisis after a gunman was able to fire on Trump from a roof overlooking the outdoor rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13.
Cheatle faced bipartisan condemnation when she appeared before the House of Representatives Oversight Committee on Monday, declining to answer questions from frustrated lawmakers about the security plan for the rally and how law enforcement responded to the suspicious behavior of the gunman. Her resignation came less than 24 hours later.
"It is overdue, she should have done this at least a week ago," House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters. "I'm happy to see that she has heeded the call of both Republicans and Democrats."
Cheatle acknowledged that the Secret Service was told about a suspicious person two to five times before the shooting at the rally. She also revealed that the roof from which Crooks opened fire had been identified as a potential vulnerability days before the rally. But she failed to answer many questions about what happened, including why there no agents stationed on the roof.
Several Republican and Democratic lawmakers called on her to resign.
However, Cheatle remained defiant that she was the "right person" to lead the Secret Service, even as she said she took responsibility the security failures. When Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., suggested Cheatle begin drafting her resignation letter from the hearing room, Cheatle responded, "No, thank you."
"
While Director Cheatle's resignation is a step toward accountability, we need a full review of how these security failures happened so that we can prevent them going forward," James Comer, the Republican chair of the House Oversight Committee, said in a statement. "We will continue our oversight of the Secret Service."
Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, was grazed in the right ear and one rallygoer was killed in the gunfire. The gunman, identified as a 20-year-old Thomas Crooks, was shot and killed by a Secret Service sniper.
Cheatle, who has led the agency since 2022, told lawmakers she took responsibility for the shooting, calling it the largest failure by the Secret Service since then-President Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981.
Two days after the shooting, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said he supported Cheatle "100%."
The Secret Service faces investigations from multiple congressional committees and the internal watchdog of the Department of Homeland Security, its parent organization, over its performance. Biden, who has ended his reelection campaign, has also called for an independent review.
Much of the criticism has focused on the failure to secure the roof of an industrial building where the gunman was perched about 150 yards from the stage where Trump was speaking.
The rooftop was declared outside the Secret Service security perimeter for the event, a decision criticized by former agents and lawmakers.
Cheatle held a top security role at PepsiCo when Biden named her Secret Service director in 2022. She previously served 27 years in the agency.
She took over following a series of scandals involving the Secret Service that scarred the reputation of an elite and insular agency.
Ten Secret Service agents lost their jobs after revelations they brought women, some of them prostitutes, back to their hotel rooms ahead of a trip to Colombia by then-President Barack Obama in 2012.
The agency also faced allegations that it erased text messages from around the time of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Those messages were later sought by a congressional panel probing the riot.
This story has been updated.
