(PatriotWise.com) — Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle last Tuesday announced that she would be stepping down after facing increasing calls for her resignation following the attempted assassination of Donald Trump on July 13.
Cheatle, who held the post since August 2022, said in an email to Secret Service staff that she was stepping down as director “in light of recent events.”
Her resignation comes just one day after a contentious hearing before the House Oversight Committee in which Cheatle faced withering criticism from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle over the security failures that led to a gunman nearly killing a former President of the United States.
In her email, Cheatle echoed her statement before the Oversight Committee, saying that she took “full responsibility” for the lapses in security.
In response to Cheatle’s resignation, Trump told Fox News that the Secret Service chief never provided “proper protection.”
The Republican nominee said that his campaign’s repeated requests for additional Secret Service protection were either turned down or ignored.
In a subsequent Truth Social post, Trump accused the Biden administration of failing to properly protect him, forcing him “to take a bullet for Democracy.”
Cheatle’s resignation is unlikely to end the scrutiny of the Secret Service’s failures on July 13. Lawmakers have vowed to conduct investigations into the security lapses and President Biden has ordered an independent probe into the assassination attempt.
In a statement released by the White House, President Biden said that it took “honor, courage, and incredible integrity” for Cheatle to take responsibility for the agency’s security failures.
He said that he looked forward to assessing the conclusions of the independent review of the July 13 assassination attempt.
DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas also praised Cheatle in a statement, saying she led the Secret Service “with skill, honor, integrity, and tireless dedication.”
Mayorkas appointed Deputy Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe to serve as acting director until the president appoints Cheatle’s replacement.
Ronald Rowe is a 23-year veteran of the Secret Service.
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