United States Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle reportedly resigned Tuesday amidst controversy over the lapses in security surrounding the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump (R).
This comes as Cheatle faced bipartisan calls for her resignation, including during the House Oversight Committee hearing held Monday where she faced questions from frustrated lawmakers.
Cheatle frequently refused to respond, instead telling elected officials they should refer to the FBI’s investigation for more information.
Although her remarks at this hearing appeared to indicate that she had no plans to step down, three sources told NBC News that she submitted her resignation Tuesday morning.
Two law enforcement sources told the outlet that Cheatle’s official announcement is expected later in the day.
In a letter reportedly sent to Secret Service staff Tuesday, Cheatle 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.”
“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 said.
“The scrutiny over the last week has been intense and will continue to remain as our operational tempo increases,” she wrote. “As your Director, I take full responsibility for the security lapse.”
Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-KY) and Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-MD) called on Cheatle to resign in a joint letter issued immediately following Monday’s hearing.
“On July 13, 2024, the United States Secret Service under your leadership failed to protect former President Donald Trump from an assassination attempt that took the life of Corey Comperatore and seriously injured at least two other people,” Reps. Comer and Raskin wrote.
“Today, you 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,” said the lawmakers.
“In the middle of a presidential election, the Committee and the American people demand serious institutional accountability and transparency that you are not providing,” they said.
“We call on you to resign as Director as a first step to allowing new leadership to swiftly address this crisis and rebuild the trust of a truly concerned Congress and the American people,” Comer and Raskin concluded.
🚨BREAKING- Chairman James Comer and Ranking Member Jamie Raskin call for United States Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to resign.
— Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) July 22, 2024
Director Cheatle:
On July 13, 2024, the United States Secret Service under your leadership failed to protect former President Donald Trump… pic.twitter.com/rTgMjmyGzr
This past week, a group of Republican lawmakers confronted Cheatle at the Republican National Convention for her reported refusal to answer their questions on a conference call regarding the attempted assassination.
Sens. John Barrasso (R-Wy.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) and James Lankford (R-Ok.) learned that Director Cheatle was present at the convention and sought her out in an effort to demand answers.
[RELATED: “Resignation or Full Explanation”: GOP Lawmakers Confront Head of Secret Service at RNC]
“Every one of us who were there with her last night had tried to ask questions,” Sen. Barrasso said in a statement to Fox News Correspondent Chad Pergram, “and they were told, oh, there are no more questions. We were furious by that. They cut off the call. It was a filibuster.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) reacted to Cheatle’s resignation late Tuesday morning.
“I’m happy to see that she has resigned. She should have done it sooner. Accountability begins at the top,” Speaker Johnson said.
“The Secret Service has an extraordinarily important job right now. There is zero margin for error. What we saw Saturday last was a series of errors and oversight,” Johnson continued.
“Whomever is appointed to replace her, I hope will be very sober minded about those responsibilities,” said Johnson.
Johnson also said that the “display before the American people” during Monday’s hearing was “very frustrating to a lot of people.”
“We don’t need to see inept leaders at the top of these agencies right now,” Johnson stated. “We need to see competence.”
“Ultimately the buck stops with the Oval Office,” said Johnson. “If he’s the commander in chief, he needs to make sure the Secret Service is doing its job.”
Johnson on Cheatle resigning as USSS Director pic.twitter.com/HVwxlcaYj1
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) July 23, 2024
Comer also issued a statement to Pergram in which he suggested that the Oversight Committee’s hearing played a critical role in driving Cheatle to resign.
“The Oversight Committee’s hearing resulted in Director Cheatle’s resignation and there will be more accountability to come,” he said. “The Secret Service has a no-fail mission yet it failed historically on Director Cheatle’s watch.”
“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,” he continued.
“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,” Comer wrote.
“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,” he said. “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.”
Comer: The Oversight Committee’s hearing resulted in Director Cheatle’s resignation and there will be more accountability to come. The Secret Service has a no-fail mission yet it failed historically on Director Cheatle’s watch. At yesterday’s Oversight Committee hearing, Director…
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) July 23, 2024
The White House responded to Cheatle’s resignation in a statement published late Tuesday morning.
“Jill and I are grateful to Director Kim Cheatle for her decades of public service, President Joe Biden (D) wrote. “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 for her service to our family,” he said.
“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,” President Biden continued.
“The independent review to get to the bottom of what happened on July 13 continues, and I look forward to assessing its conclusions,” Biden said. “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 was appointed to lead the Secret Service by Biden in 2022.
