- Secret Service chief resigns after Trump shooting
- Calls for Cheatle’s resignation intensify
- Biden orders independent security investigation
The head of the United States Secret Service is resigning over the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, following days of rising pressure and criticism for failing to prevent the gunfire.
According to the Associated Press, on Tuesday, Kimberly Cheatle announced her resignation via email to staff.
Cheatle has been under calls from US politicians to quit as doubts remain over security standards at Trump’s July 13 rally in Pennsylvania, when the former President and Republican presidential contender was shot in the ear.
Cheatle stated in an email to employees that he accepts full responsibility for the security mistake. In light of recent events, I have made the tough choice to stand aside as director.
During a Monday hearing of a US congressional committee, the Secret Service chief was harshly questioned about the agency’s security plan for the Trump rally.
Cheatle told legislators that the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump on July 13 was the Secret Service’s most major operational failure in decades.
She stated there was a mistake and that we would try to prevent this from happening again.
Trump was shot in the ear by a gunman who, according to witnesses, took up position on a rooftop with a direct line of sight to the rally stage, raising questions about what security precautions were in place before the event.
US President Joe Biden has requested an independent investigation of the rally’s security arrangements after one attendee was murdered and two others critically injured.
However, lawmakers urged Cheatle and other US law enforcement officials, such as Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and FBI Director Christopher Wray, to provide more urgent answers.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said Cheatle’s resignation was “overdue” on Tuesday morning.
Now, we must pick up the pieces and rebuild the faith of the American people and the Secret Service as an agency. Johnson stated that the Secret Service has an extremely vital role in protecting presidents, former presidents, and other executive branch leaders.
And we have a lot of work to do.
After Cheatle’s departure was announced, Biden issued a statement thanking her for her decades of public service and promising to pick her replacement quickly.
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The independent review to determine what happened on July 13 is ongoing, and I eagerly await its findings. “We all know what happened that day will never happen again,” Biden stated.
Cheatle’s resignation comes at a critical time, only months before the US election in November.
Trump is now poised to face Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic Party’s presumed nominee after Biden resigned from the contest on Sunday.
Hanna stated that the director of the Secret Service has a highly crucial role.
It is now up to the President to choose a new Director. It will be a necessary appointment when the country is about to hold a national election and there is a vast political division.
