U.S. Secret Service Director Kim Chettle has resigned over the failed security attempt to assassinate former President Donald Trump.
“As your supervisor, I take full responsibility for the security breach,” Ms. Chettle said in a resignation letter to agency staff on Tuesday.
Both Democrats and Republicans called for her resignation after a House committee held a contentious hearing on the incident on Monday.
Lawmakers grew increasingly frustrated when she refused to answer questions about the shooting at a Trump campaign rally in Butler, Pa., earlier this month.
In her resignation letter, Ms. Chettle said she had always “put the needs of the institution first” and made the decision “with a heavy heart.”
“Last week’s review was rigorous and will continue as the pace of our operations increases,” she said.
“I do not want my call to resign to distract from the great work each of you does to support our important mission.”
President Joe Biden said in a statement that he was grateful for her decades of public service.
“The independent review into what happened on July 13 continues, and I look forward to assessing its conclusions. We all know that what happened that day will never happen again,” he said.
Biden said he would name a new director soon.
Currently, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has appointed Ronald Rowe as acting director of the agency.
Mr. Rowe is a 24-year Secret Service veteran who has served as Deputy Director since April 2023.
The President appointed Ms. Cheatle as Secret Service Director in 2022, responsible for overseeing the protection of current and former Presidents and other officials.
While serving as a Secret Service, Ms. Cheatle participated in the evacuation of then-Vice President Dick Cheney from the White House during the attacks of September 11, 2001.
Later, while Biden was vice president, she became Biden’s director of protective details and later the deputy assistant director for protective operations.
But her leadership was called into question after a shooting at a Trump rally on July 13, in which a bullet grazed the former president’s ear.
The attack resulted in the death of one spectator and serious injuries to two others.
During a tense six-hour hearing before the House Oversight Committee, lawmakers questioned Ms. Chettle about security preparations ahead of campaign rallies.
Ms Chettle accepted responsibility for the security breach but rejected calls to resign.
She called the shooting “the worst operational failure of the Secret Service in decades.”
Witnesses said they saw a suspicious man – suspect Thomas Matthew Crooks – holding a rifle on the rooftop of the rally minutes before the shooting.
Shortly afterwards, Crooks was killed by a counterattack sniper.
Security and law enforcement officials from several different agencies attended the rally.
During her testimony, Ms. Chettle did not provide lawmakers with any new information about how Crooks gained access to the rooftop where he was perched or why Trump was allowed to take the stage.
After the hearing, the committee’s Republican and Democratic leaders, James Comer and Jamie Raskin, wrote to Ms Chatel expressing their belief she should step down.
Mr Cuomo said Ms Chittle had “no confidence in her ability to fulfill the Secret Service’s protective mission” at the hearing.
“The Oversight Committee hearing resulted in Director Cheatle resigning and taking on additional responsibilities,” he said in a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter.
“The Biden/Harris administration did not properly protect me and I was forced to take a bullet for democracy,” Trump posted on his social media platform on Tuesday.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson called her resignation “long overdue” and said he was “glad she did the right thing.”
“Now we have to pick up the pieces and we have to rebuild the American people’s confidence and trust in the Secret Service,” he told reporters.
Former Marine Teresa Wilson, who attended the rally, told the BBC she was “delighted” [Ms Cheatle] Yield to pressure”.
“I hope they continue the independent investigation even after she resigns. We want answers,” she said.
