U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has resigned in the wake of criticism over the agency's inability to thwart the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
Cheatle faced a brutal, bipartisan grilling on Capitol Hill on Monday, which included multiple calls for her to resign, which she had refused to do.
MACE: "Both sides of the aisle today have asked for your resignation. Would you like to use my five minutes to draft your resignation letter, yes or no?"
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) July 22, 2024
CHEATLE: "No, thank you." pic.twitter.com/l149GzAuzp
Cheatle's appearance at the hearing was universally panned.
"I am here today because I want to answer questions," she claimed during the hearing, "but I also want to be cautious."
"You want to, but you haven't answered — I don't think you've answered one question from the chairman, the ranking member, or me!" Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) retorted. "We got a lot of other people asking. We'll see if your record improves, but right now, you haven't answered, I don't think, any questions."
CHEATLE: I am here today because I want to answer questions, but I also want to be —
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) July 22, 2024
JORDAN: You want to but you haven't answered — I don't think you've answered one question from the chairman, the ranking member, or me! pic.twitter.com/4nuHPpnNA2
Despite her agency's failures and her utter refusal to answer questions, Cheatle maintained that she was the best person to lead the Secret Service.
Cheatle says she is the "best person to lead the Secret Service at this time." pic.twitter.com/bkKhdGHzAw
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) July 22, 2024
As PJ Media's Megan Fox reported Monday, the committee members were visibly outraged over the Secret Service’s failure to protect Trump during the July 12 rally in Pennsylvania, an incident that left the former president injured, one person dead, and two others seriously wounded.
While some Democrats used the opportunity to push their gun-control agenda, even Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), typically known for her partisan approach, refrained from political attacks. Instead, she pressed Cheatle with incisive questions about the botched security measures. She criticized the 60-day timeline for the Secret Service’s report, emphasizing the urgent need for answers given the high-threat environment.
Cheatle was skewered for repeatedly failing to answer questions from the committee. Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) and Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) wrote a joint letter calling on her to resign.
Director Cheatle: 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.
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. In the middle of a presidential election, the Committee and the American people demand serious institutional accountability and transparency that you are not providing. 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.
Sincerely,
James Comer Chairman
Committee on Oversight & Accountability
& Jamie Raskin
Ranking Member
Committee on Oversight & Accountability
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