Washington, July 23, IANS)
US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle tendered her resignation on Tuesday, a day after she faced brutal bipartisan grilling at a Congressional hearing on the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for President, at an election rally in Pennsylvania on July 13.
Lawmakers were frustrated with Cheatle's refusal to answer many questions they had about the shooting, including how the gunman made it to the roof to shoot at the former President.
In a rare show of bipartisanship, James Comar, the Republican heading the committee on oversight and accountability, and Jamie Raskin, the Democratic ranking member, called for her ouster in a joint letter after the hearing.
"Today, you failed to provide answers to basic questions regarding that stunning operational failure and to reassure the American people that the Secret Service has learnt its lessons and begun to correct its systemic blunders and failures," they wrote in the letter, adding, "We call on you to resign as Director as a first step to allowing new leadership to swiftly address this crisis and rebuild the trust of a truly concerned Congress and the American people."
Thanking Cheatle in a statement for her service, President Joe Biden said, "She has selflessly dedicated and risked her life to protect our nation throughout her career in the United States Secret Service. We especially thank her for answering the call to lead the Secret Service during our Administration and we are grateful for her service to our family.
"As a leader, it takes honour, courage, and incredible integrity to take full responsibility for an organisation tasked with one of the most challenging jobs in public service. The independent review to get to the bottom of what happened on July 13 continues, and I look forward to assessing its conclusions. We all know what happened that day can never happen again. As we move forward, I wish Kim all the best, and I will plan to appoint a new Director soon."
A lone gunman shot at Trump during an election rally at Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, hitting his right ear. A Secret Service sniper shot the shooter with one shot.
The Secret Service came under intense scrutiny after the shooting for the failure to prevent the shooter, especially after he was seen by many people at the rally. The police, who provided perimeter security, were told about him but he was not stopped.
The US Secret Service protects all past and present Presidents and their immediate families. The assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan in 1981 was the last time a US President was shot at. He survived.
Others before him, however, were not so fortunate -- John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert F. Kennedy, who was killed while running for the White House, and Abraham Lincoln.