U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle threw in the towel on Tuesday, bowing to the overwhelming backlash over her agency’s colossal failure to thwart an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania rally earlier this month.
NBC News broke the story, revealing Cheatle’s resignation just a day after she faced the firing squad at a House committee hearing. Lawmakers tore into her over the Secret Service’s mishandling of security at Trump’s July 13 rally in Butler Township.
Despite being under fire, Cheatle stubbornly refused to step down during the hearing, insisting she was the most qualified person to lead the Secret Service. The agency, after all, is tasked with protecting not only the president and vice president but also their families and top presidential candidates.
The House Oversight and Accountability Committee members were furious as Cheatle stonewalled their questions about the rally, where Trump narrowly escaped death at the hands of 20-year-old gunman Thomas Crooks. The attack left one man dead and two others critically injured.
In a letter to Secret Service staff on Tuesday, Cheatle wrote, “In light of recent events, it is with a heavy heart that I have made the difficult decision to step down as your Director.” She admitted the agency had failed in its primary mission to protect the nation’s leaders on July 13.
Cheatle, who spent nearly 30 years with the Secret Service, acknowledged the intense scrutiny following the lapse and accepted full responsibility. “The scrutiny over the last week has been intense and will continue as our operational tempo increases,” she wrote.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has appointed Secret Service Deputy Director Ronald Rowe as the acting director until President Joe Biden selects a permanent replacement. Rowe now inherits the daunting task of restoring confidence in an agency reeling from one of its most glaring failures.
