US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned Tuesday after a withering bipartisan grilling at a Congressional hearing about the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. The shooting occurred at an election rally in Pennsylvania on July 13.
The lawmakers were frustrated that Cheatle declined to answer numerous questions about the shooting, including how the gunman managed to get onto the rooftop to shoot at Trump.
In a rare bipartisan effort, the ranking Republican on the committee, James Comer, and his Democratic counterpart, Jamie Raskin, together demanded her resignation in a letter released after the hearing.
"Today, you failed to provide the Committee with answers to basic questions about that stunning operational failure and to reassure the American people that the Secret Service has learnt its lessons and begun to correct its systemic blunders and failures," they wrote, adding, "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."
In an official statement, President Joe Biden expressed his gratitude to Cheatle's service, saying, "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 added, "As a leader, it takes honour, courage, and incredible integrity to take full responsibility for an organisation tasked with one of the most challenging jobs in public service. The independent review into what happened on July 13 continues to get to the bottom of what happened, and I look forward to assessing its conclusions. 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."
At the Crossroads Rally on July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania, a lone gunman shot at Trump, striking his right ear. A Secret Service sniper brought down the shooter with a single shot.
The failure to stop the shooter from getting to the venue was heavily criticized, more so because many in the rally crowd recognized him and called the police to report, who were responsible for the perimeter security but allowed him through.
The US Secret Service has the mandate and authority to guard and protect all current and former Presidents and their immediate families. The last attempt to assassinate a sitting President was the one perpetrated against Ronald Reagan in 1981; fortunately for him, he survived the assault.
Unfortunately, other past Presidents, such as John F. Kennedy, his brother Robert F. Kennedy, an Abraham Lincoln, were not so fortunate.
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