United States Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle stepped down on Tuesday, following her admission that the agency fell short in its duty to prevent the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.
Cheatle was under intense bipartisan pressure to step down after a 20-year-old gunman attacked Trump at a Pennsylvania campaign rally on July 13, leaving the Republican presidential candidate injured.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, a Republican, expressed relief that Kimberly Cheatle has finally resigned, stating that her departure was long overdue.
Johnson told reporters: “She should have stepped down at least a week ago. I’m glad she’s finally listened to the bipartisan calls for her resignation.”
President Joe Biden expressed his gratitude to Kimberly Cheatle for her nearly three decades of service in the Secret Service, praising her for a career marked by selfless dedication and bravery.
Biden said in a statement: “She has risked her life to protect our nation time and time again.
“We all know what happened that day can never happen again. As we move forward, I wish Kim all the best, and I will plan to appoint a new director soon.”
Cheatle testified before a congressional oversight committee on Monday, accusing the Secret Service of failing in the attack on Trump, who sustained minor injuries to his right ear.
She called it: “the most significant operational failure of the Secret Service in decades.”
During a heated hearing, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle demanded Cheatle’s resignation, expressing frustration with her reluctance to provide detailed information about the attack.
Her decision to withhold specifics, citing ongoing investigations, sparked bipartisan criticism and intensified calls for her to step down.
According to Persecondnews, a deadly shooting erupted at a Trump campaign rally in Pennsylvania just minutes after he began speaking.
Positioned on the rooftop of a nearby building, the gunman was swiftly neutralized by a Secret Service sniper, who fatally shot him less than 30 seconds after he fired the initial shot of a total of eight rounds.
According to investigators, the young man, a resident of a town approximately 50 miles away from Butler, acted solo, and they have found no clear evidence of strong political or ideological motivations driving his actions.
The attack resulted in serious injuries for two rally attendees, while Mr. Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old firefighter from Pennsylvania, tragically lost his life.
Additionally, Trump’s former physician revealed that the Republican candidate suffered a gunshot wound, approximately two centimetres in length, on his right ear.
Ex-White House physician Ronny Jackson said: “The bullet passed, coming less than a quarter of an inch from entering his head, and struck the top of his right ear.”
Kimberly Cheatle spent 27 years with the Secret Service before departing in 2021 to take on the role of North American security head for PepsiCo.
Biden later appointed her to lead the Secret Service in 2022.
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