U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned on Tuesday amid pressure by lawmakers in the aftermath of her agency’s failure to protect former President Donald Trump.
This is breaking news that will be updated as more information becomes available. Keep reading below.
According to CNBC News, the Secret Service director’s resignation comes just one day after she was heavily criticized in a bipartisan House committee hearing over the agency’s security failure at the July 13 shooting at Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, which led to the former president being shot in the ear.
At Monday’s hearing, Cheatle had indicated that she would not resign, according to CNBC News.
Multiple House Republicans, including House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, had publicly called for the Secret Service director to resign. According to Fox News, House Republicans described Cheatle’s leadership of the agency as “the face of incompetence.”
“It is my firm belief, Director Cheatle, that you should resign,” Comer said during Monday’s hearing. “The safety of Secret Service protectees is not based on their political affiliation. And the bottom line is that under Director Cheatle’s leadership, we question whether anyone is safe.”
