Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle RESIGNS as Trump Assassination Attempt Fallout Rages On: ‘We Fell Short of Our Mission’
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned after a tense Congressional hearing.
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has resigned in the wake of the assassination attempt on ex-President Donald Trump’s life.
Cheatle, 53, announced her decision to step down in an email issued to Secret Service agents on Tuesday morning, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Cheatle faced tremendous backlash after former President Donald Trump was almost killed on July 13.
She wrote: “In light of recent events, it is with a heavy heart that I have made the difficult decision to step down as your director.
“I do not want my calls for resignation to be a distraction from the great work each and every one of you do towards our vital mission.”
The now-former Secret Service director also acknowledged it is one of the agency’s “foremost duties” to protect the country’s leaders – and she “fell short of that mission” in failing to protect Trump from a would-be assassin during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on July 13.
President Joe Biden, 81, has since thanked Cheatle for her commitment to the agency. He also confirmed he would appoint a new director to the now-open position as soon as possible.
Congressional lawmakers called for Cheatle's resignation before she stepped down this week.
Biden, who ended his re-election campaign on Sunday and withdrew from the 2024 race for the White House, wrote: “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.”
Cheatle’s resignation on Tuesday morning comes ten days after 20-year-old loner Thomas Matthew Crooks almost assassinated ex-President Trump, 78, during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13.
Crooks, whose picture was first obtained and shared with the world by RadarOnline.com, managed to climb atop the roof of a nearby factory and fire off eight bullets from his father’s AR-15-style rifle. He was positioned only 170 meters from the rally stage.
One bullet grazed the 45th president’s right ear, while another bullet struck and killed hero attendee Corey Comperatore.
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RadarOnline.com was the first to obtain photos of Trump's shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, in the aftermath of the assassination attempt.
An investigation was immediately launched into the assassination attempt, and Cheatle – as director of the Secret Service – faced tremendous scrutiny as the world questioned how Crooks was able to get so close to almost killing an ex-president.
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Although Cheatle did not immediately resign amid the assassination attempt fallout, she did take full responsibility for the Secret Service’s botched response and failure to stop the incident from unfolding in the first place.
She told ABC News two days after the attempt on Trump’s life: “The buck stops with me.
“I am the director of the Secret Service, and I need to make sure that we are performing a review and that we are giving resources to our personnel as necessary.”
Ex-President Trump's right ear was grazed by a bullet fired from Crook's AR-15-style rifle.
Several congressional lawmakers demanded Cheatle step down in the wake of the events on July 13 – with some even confronting the then-Secret Service director during the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last week.
GOP Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming cornered Cheatle during the convention, charging: “You put [ex-President Trump] within less than an inch of his life.
“So resignation or full explanation.”
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