The director of the Secret Service is stepping down from her job, according to an email she sent to staff, following the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump that unleashed intensifying outcry about how the agency tasked with protecting current and former presidents could fail in its core mission.
Kimberly Cheatle, who had served as Secret Service director since August 2022, had been facing growing calls to resign and several investigations into how the shooter was able to get so close to the Republican presidential nominee at an outdoor campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
“I take full responsibility for the security lapse,” she said in the email to staff Tuesday. “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 20-year-old shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was able to get within 135 meters (157 yards) of the stage where the former president was speaking when he opened fire. That’s despite a threat on Trump’s life from Iran leading to additional security for the former president in the days before the July 13 rally.
(AP)
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4 Responses
Resign = Keep your retirement & pension.
Fired = Lose everything you’ve worked for.
Either way, she just made it into the wrong side of history.. kept what she worked for, but lost her reputation.
The sorrows of the wicked shall be many.
Kudos to thsi despicable creature who didn’t care for the safety of our venerated beloved President Donald Trump שליט”א who ב”ה by the Grace of השם was spared.
Non-the-less, an independent investigation should check into determining if this lapse in security was intended and not just a lapse in judgement. If so, then she should be jailed.
another trial by the baying mobs of the internet. i doubt that the director of the secret service is onsite with every protection detail, or that she personally had any say in how the area of the rally was secured on that day. so far, the only convincing fact possibly pointing to her misstep was to deny a request for more resources from the trump campaign. and it isn’t clear that the lapse was caused by lack of resources. it could also be the result of complacency by the agents assigned to the trump campaign. it’s appropriate for her to resign as being ultimately responsible for the performance of her agency, but without the social media lynching.