TEXT JOIN TO 77022

Secret Service Chief Kimberly Cheatle Resigns Amid Bipartisan Calls to Step Down

U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has resigned her office after facing multiple bipartisan calls to step down during a grueling and contentious House Oversight hearing on Monday.

She announced her resignation in an email to Secret Service employees Tuesday morning.

“The Secret Service’s solemn mission is to protect our nation’s leaders and financial infrastructure. On July 13th, we fell short on that mission,” Cheatle wrote. “The scrutiny over the last week has been intense and will continue to remain as our operational tempo increases. As your Director, I take full responsibility for the security lapse.”

In the initial wake of the shooting, Cheatle made clear that she had no intention of stepping down.

In her testimony, she said that she took full responsibility for the agency’s failures, but admitted that she herself had not yet visited the site of the shooting. Cheatle also told lawmakers that no one had been fired in the nine days since the shooting.

The Secret Service chief failed to provide a detailed timeline of the events, and repeatedly referenced the FBI’s ongoing criminal investigation when asked to discuss the would-be assassin’s actions leading up to the shooting.

Cheatle’s repeated refusal to answer specific questions about the circumstances surrounding the shooting—including why Trump was allowed to go on stage once law enforcement identified a suspicious person, and why there weren’t officers on the roof—also led to bipartisan frustration on the panel.

Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) said in a statement Tuesday that the Oversight hearing resulted in Cheatle’s Resignation, and more accountability was to come.

“The Secret Service has a no-fail mission yet it failed historically on Director Cheatle’s watch,” Comer said.

At yesterday’s Oversight Committee hearing, Director Cheatle instilled no confidence that she has the ability to ensure the Secret Service can meet its protective mission. Egregious security failures leading up to and at the Butler, Pennsylvania campaign rally resulted in the assassination attempt of President Trump, the murder of an innocent victim, and harm to others in the crowd. 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.

Following the hearing Monday after noon, both Comer and and ranking member Jamie Raskin (D-M.D.) formally called on Cheatle to resign from office, saying she “failed to provide answers to basic questions regarding that stunning operational failure and to reassure the American people that the Secret Service has learned its lessons and begun to correct its systemic blunders and failures.”

Several agencies have launched investigations into the assassination attempt, including the FBI, the Secret Service, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and DHS’s inspector general.

DHS inspector general Joseph Cuffari announced last Wednesday that he had launched two investigations into the Secret Service’s handling of security at the Trump rally, one to examine the process implemented by the USSS to secure Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and one to examine the USSS Counter Sniper Team preparedness and operations.

Additionally, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) announced Tuesday the creation of a bipartisan House Task Force, composed of seven Republicans and six Democrats, to investigate the security failures that led to an assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump that critically wounded two rallygoers, and killed a retired fireman.

“The task force will be empowered with subpoena authority and will move quickly to find the facts, ensure accountability, and make certain such failures never happen again,” said Johnson on X.

In a tone deaf statement, Joe Biden praised Cheatle’s “honor, courage and incredible integrity.”

“Jill and I are grateful to Director Kim Cheatle for her decades of public service,” Biden said. “She has selflessly dedicated and risked her life to protect our nation throughout her career in the United States Secret Service. We especially thank her for answering the call to lead the Secret Service during our Administration and we are grateful.”

“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,” Biden said.

“I’m glad to see that she has resigned. She should have done it sooner. Accountability begins at the top,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters Tuesday. He said the congressional task force’s work is much more important now that the head of the Secret Service has resigned.”

Cheatle’s history with the Bidens dates back to the Obama administration when she was assigned to protect Jill Biden. Cheatle, according to the New York Post, was “well liked by her most senior aides, including top adviser Anthony Bernal.”

“Cheatle served on Dr. Biden’s second lady detail and Anthony pushed for her,” a Democratic insider told the Post. “Anthony has no national security or law enforcement experience. He should have no influence over the selection of the USSS director.”

 

Get the news corporate media won't tell you.

Get caught up on today's must read stores!

By submitting your information, you agree to receive exclusive AG+ content, including special promotions, and agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms. By providing your phone number and checking the box to opt in, you are consenting to receive recurring SMS/MMS messages, including automated texts, to that number from my short code. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply HELP for help, STOP to end. SMS opt-in will not be sold, rented, or shared.

About Debra Heine

Debra Heine is a conservative Catholic mom of six and longtime political pundit. She has written for several conservative news websites over the years, including Breitbart and PJ Media.

Photo: WASHINGTON - JULY 22: Kimberly Cheatle, director of the U.S. Secret Service, testifies during the House Oversight and Accountability hearing titled "Oversight of the U.S. Secret Service and the Attempted Assassination of President Donald J. Trump," in Rayburn building on Monday, July 22, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Start the discussion at community.amgreatness.com