On Tuesday morning, Kimberly Cheatle resigned from her position as director of the Secret Service. The move follows numerous bipartisan calls for her resignation after negligent security at President Donald Trump’s Butler rally and her struggle to answer basic questions posed by the House Oversight Committee about the assassination attempt.
Before resigning Tuesday morning, Cheatle had long maintained that she was the “best person” to lead the Secret Service. (READ MORE: Security Breach From Pearl Harbor to Butler PA)
During an interview with ABC News last week, Cheatle stated “The buck stops with me.” She called the attempt “unacceptable” and promised to be “transparent and communicate with people.”
When called to testify in front of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, Cheatle displayed neither transparency nor clear communication. Her opening statement was leaked to the press hours before her appearance, she gave several non-answers and sidestepped many questions. She also seemed to be ill-prepared for the hearing and did not even have a timeline of the events with her, or available for the committee. (READ MORE: A Worthless Search for Trump Shooter’s Motive)
Representatives from both sides of the aisle slammed her actions. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called Cheatle’s answers “simply not acceptable” and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene called the director a “complete failure.”
On Monday, a bipartisan letter was sent by the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman Rep. James Comer (R-KY) and Ranking Member Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) to Director Cheatle calling for her resignation.
After pressure mounted, Cheatle sent in her resignation letter to the Secret Service. The letter reflected on her 27-year career in the Secret Service. She wrote in the letter that she takes “full responsibility for the security lapse” and that she leaves with a “heavy heart.” (READ MORE: Cat-5 Chaos Among Democrats)
There is no indication of when her last day will be. President Biden, who made no move to fire Cheatle after her numerous failures, released a statement thanking her for her service and promised to appoint a replacement “soon.”