Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned Tuesday following a disastrous appearance before Congress to review the assassination attempt against former President Trump.
Cheatle has faced calls to resign since the July 13 rally in Butler, Pa., during which a gunman managed to fire shots at Trump, piercing his ear.
But those calls grew louder during a hearing before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee in which Cheatle infuriated lawmakers on both sides by sidestepping multiple questions and failing to provide sought-after details about how the agency was reckoning with its failure to secure Trump’s safety.
“I take full responsibility for the security lapse,” she said in an email to staff Tuesday that was 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.”
Her resignation is effective immediately, and Deputy Director Ronald Rowe, a 24-year veteran of the agency, as been appointed to her role on an acting basis.
President Biden praised Cheatle, who has been with the Secret Service for nearly 30 years, calling her “selflessly dedicated” and noting that she “risked her life to protect our nation throughout her career in the United States Secret Service.”
“As a leader, it takes honor, courage, and incredible integrity to take full responsibility for an organization tasked with one of the most challenging jobs in public service,” he said.
Cheatle had said as recently as Monday’s hearing that she would not step down, and her resignation was seen as a victory by both Republicans and Democrats in Congress, who had demanded her ousting.
“She should have resigned at least a week ago. I’m happy to see that. I’m happy to see that she has heeded the call of both Republicans and Democrats,” Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Tuesday.
“Now we have to pick up the pieces … We’ve got a lot of work to do. The task force that we’ll be putting together is going to be very important,” he added.
The Secret Service has what it calls a “no fail” mission, one that does not allow for error in securing the safety of its protectees.
In addition to Trump, two others were wounded during the shooting while another man lost his life in the attack.
Cheatle acknowledged the shooting was a failure for the agency.
“The Secret Service’s solemn mission is to protect our nation’s leaders. On July 13th, we failed. As the director of the United States Secret Service, I take full responsibility for any security lapse,” she said in opening remarks during her appearance before Congress.
“We must learn what happened and I will move heaven and earth to ensure an incident like July 13th does not happen again. Thinking about what we should have done differently is never far from my thoughts.”
But that admission was one of the few details lawmakers got during the more than four-hour hearing in which Cheatle refused to answer many questions about the shooting, often citing the ongoing investigation.
That, and her failure to respond even to details that had been publicly reported about the attack, left lawmakers frustrated.
“She did the right thing. Yesterday’s performance was awful. It was all secret and no service. And she answered none of the questions that the American people have,” Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, told reporters following the news.
Cheatle also indicated Monday that the agency received anywhere from two to five warnings about shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks, but said little about how the shooter was able to get within 150 yards of Trump and why the Secret Service still allowed Trump onstage despite the red flags.
The director faced growing calls to resign during the hearing from Democrats and Republicans alike, even prompting a rare joint letter from leaders of both parties of the Oversight Committee asking her to resign.
When the news broke during a Tuesday Oversight hearing, Raskin congratulated House Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) on a great hearing.
“You should sign more letters with me, there’s no telling what we could do,” Comer responded.
A later statement from Comer issued further warning for the agency.
“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. We will continue our oversight of the Secret Service in support of the House Task Force to deliver transparency, accountability, and solutions to ensure this never happens again,” he wrote.
Cheatle’s resignation comes amid a visit from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, another figure for whom the Secret Service is responsible for protecting.
Emily Brooks and Nathanial Weixel contributed.
