US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has resigned following the intense scrutiny over security lapses related to the recent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
The move comes as lawmakers and an internal government watchdog investigate the agency’s handling of Trump’s protection during a rally in Pennsylvania where a gunman came close to killing him.
Cheatle’s resignation follows bipartisan calls for her to step down and Republican lawmakers’ push for her impeachment.
Her appearance before the House Oversight Committee on Monday, where she refused to answer many questions, further fueled lawmakers’ anger.
Cheatle acknowledged “significant” and “colossal” problems with the security at the rally but initially refused to resign, saying she was the best person to lead the agency.
“I think I am the best person to lead the Secret Service at this time,” Cheatle said Monday.
However, House Speaker Mike Johnson welcomed her resignation, stating that it was “overdue” and that the agency needs to rebuild trust.
“Now we have to pick up the pieces,” Johnson said. “We have to rebuild the American people’s faith and trust in the Secret Service as an agency. It has an incredibly important responsibility in protecting presidents, former presidents, and other officials in the executive branch, and we’ve got a lot of work to do.”
The Secret Service has faced questions over its protection of Trump, including its failure to control access to the rooftop where the gunman fired shots and its handling of information from local law enforcement about the would-be assassin’s suspicious behavior.
Cheatle, appointed by President Joe Biden in 2022, had pledged the agency’s full cooperation with investigations.
She previously served in the Secret Service for 27 years and managed Global Security at PepsiCo before taking the director post.