Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned on Tuesday following criticism over the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. Cheatle took full responsibility for the security lapse, calling it the most significant operational failure at the Secret Service in decades.
Republicans, including Trump's campaign manager and GOP senators, criticized Cheatle for the security failure and demanded her resignation. Cheatle's resignation was seen as a step towards accountability, with calls for more information on the incident to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
President Joe Biden, who appointed Cheatle in 2022, praised her for her decades of public service and ordered an independent review into the assassination attempt. Trump, who sustained a gunshot wound to his ear during the incident, described the traumatic experience during a speech at the Republican National Convention.
Multiple investigations are ongoing into how the shooter was able to target Trump at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. A bipartisan task force has been formed to further investigate the incident.
The Secret Service has faced scandals in recent years, but nothing on the scale of the attempted assassination of Trump. Corey Comperator, a former fire chief, was killed during the shooting, with two other attendees injured.
President Biden is expected to name a new director for the Secret Service soon.