Secret Service Chief Steps Down Following Trump Rally Shooting

WASHINGTON — Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has resigned following intense scrutiny over her agency’s failure to protect former President Donald Trump from an assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania rally.

The Department of Homeland Security confirmed Tuesday that Cheatle stepped down. This announcement came just a day after she testified before the House regarding the July 13 shooting and amidst bipartisan calls for her resignation.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas acknowledged Cheatle’s commitment and her 29 years of service, highlighting her supervision of the agency’s protective missions during the Trump era. “Reflecting her devotion to country above all else, Director Cheatle returned from retirement to lead the agency and its noble mission that she loves and to which she has devoted her career,” Mayorkas noted. “Over the past two years, she has led the Secret Service with skill, honor, integrity, and tireless dedication.”

Speaker Mike Johnson expressed approval at Cheatle’s resignation, describing it as “overdue.” “She should have done this at least a week ago,” Johnson commented. “I’m happy to see that she has heeded the call of both Republicans and Democrats. Now we have to pick up the pieces. We have to rebuild the American people’s faith and trust in the Secret Service as an agency.”

The House is poised to vote soon on a resolution to establish a task force investigating the assassination attempt. This panel is expected to produce a report by mid-December and will be composed of seven Republicans and six Democrats, according to a joint press release from Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.

Johnson reiterated that the task force would scrutinize the failed assassination attempt and hold the Secret Service accountable. “The stakes are too high,” Johnson declared. “It’s a very dangerous time and we need the Secret Service to be performing at the top of their game, and we’ll ensure that that happens.”

During a House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing Monday, Cheatle faced rigorous questioning. Lawmakers from both parties demanded her resignation after she admitted to security lapses that allowed the shooter to threaten Trump, yet initially resisted stepping down.

Chairman James R. Comer, R-Ky., and ranking member Jamie Raskin, D-Md., subsequently issued a letter demanding Cheatle’s resignation, criticizing her for not providing essential answers regarding the operational failure. “In the middle of a presidential election, the Committee and the American people demand serious accountability and transparency you are not providing,” the letter asserted.