Audio By Carbonatix
The director of the Secret Service is stepping down from her job, according to an email she sent to staff.
This follows 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.”
Cheatle’s resignation comes a day after appeared before a congressional committee and was berated by hours by both Democrats and Republicans for the security failures. She called the attempt on Trump’s life the Secret Service’s “most significant operational failure” in decades and said she takes fully responsibility for the security lapses, but angered lawmakers by failing to answer specific questions about the investigation.
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.
Latest Stories
-
Wa West Agric Director calls for stronger gov’t support after difficult farming year
4 minutes -
‘Agriculture isn’t only for village folks’ — President Mahama pushes professionals to take up farming
6 minutes -
82-year-old man emerges overall National Best farmer for 2025
22 minutes -
Calls grow for stronger oversight as free trade and lax regulation fuel fake medicines
41 minutes -
World Cup 2026: Tuchel keeps group stage opponents under wraps, shuns Ghana
57 minutes -
Volta Region received a significant share of Big Push road projects – Mahama
1 hour -
Togbe Afede XIV lauds government’s $10bn ‘big push’ programme for boosting farm produce transport
2 hours -
FDA urges consumers to prioritise safety when purchasing products during festive season
2 hours -
President Mahama calls for single-digit interest rates on agricultural loans
2 hours -
President Mahama urges Ghanaians in formal jobs to take up farming
3 hours -
Farming interventions paying off, lifting incomes and food security, says Agric minister
3 hours -
Gov’t pledges science-backed interventions in agriculture, says Agric minister
3 hours -
Ghana unveils $3.4bn plan to accelerate national clean energy transition
3 hours -
Interior minister urges security agencies to maximise use of new NSB regional command in Ho
3 hours -
Photos: Ghana celebrates 41st National Farmers’ Day
3 hours
