Secret Service Chief resigns after Trump rally disaster
12:08 PM EDT, July 23, 2024
The head of the Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle, has resigned, according to global media. This follows criticism of the agency after an attempted assassination of former U.S. President Donald Trump. Cheatle herself admitted that it was "the agency's biggest operational failure in decades."
The news of Cheatle's resignation was reported by Reuters, CNN, and NBC.
On July 13, during a rally for Donald Trump near Butler, Pennsylvania, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire on the former president. Trump was injured in the ear, while one person at the rally was fatally shot, and two others were wounded. The assailant was shot and killed by a Secret Service sniper.
The agency, especially the Secret Service, faced a wave of criticism at that time. There were numerous reports stating that people at the rally warned of an armed man.
Cheatle admits: Biggest failure
The Director of the Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle, was questioned yesterday by the House Oversight Committee.
"On July 13, we failed. I take full responsibility for any security breaches by the agency," she said. She admitted it was "the agency's biggest operational failure in decades." At the same time, she did not want to resign, although both Republicans and Democrats called for her to do so.
Cheatle immediately blamed the local police after the failed attack, arguing that they were responsible for what happened in the building from which the assailant fired.
Cheatle worked for the Secret Service for over 27 years. She was responsible for the evacuation of Vice President Dick Cheney during the September 11, 2001, attacks, among other things. She became the agency's director in September 2022.
