Kimberly Cheatle, head of the Secret Service, is leaving her post after the assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump.
Cheatle has faced increasing demands for her resignation after several investigations revealed how a shooter was able to get close to Trump and fire at him from a rooftop at a campaign rally on July 13.
Trump was hit in the right ear during the attack in Butler, Pennsylvania. One bystander was killed and two were injured. The 20-year-old shooter, who fired from a rooftop 135 meters away and whose motives are still unclear, was shot dead by police.
"I take full responsibility for the security failure. In light of what has happened, it is with a heavy heart that I have made the difficult decision to resign as your chief," she writes in an email to the police organization's employees.
The Biggest Security Failure
Cheatle was grilled by the House Oversight Committee on Monday. She acknowledged that the incident was the biggest security failure in decades in the Secret Service's history. At the same time, she continued to assert that she was the "right person" to lead the Secret Service.
Cheatle was unable to answer several of the congressmen's questions, including why the rooftop where the shooter was hiding was not under surveillance.
"Today, you have not been able to answer basic questions about the astonishing mistake and assure the American people that the Secret Service has learned a lesson," wrote the chairman of the oversight committee, Republican James Comer and Democrat Jamie Raskin, in a letter to Cheatle after the meeting, according to NBC News.
"Restore Trust"
Both demanded Cheatle's resignation as a first step in restoring "Congress's and the American people's trust" in the organization.
Several other heavyweight congressmen from both Democrats and Republicans have demanded her resignation, including Speaker Mike Johnson and Republican leader Steve Scalise.
A bipartisan working group will be set up in the House of Representatives to investigate the assassination attempt on Trump.
"We all know that what happened that day must never happen again. As we look ahead, I wish Kim all the best, and I plan to soon appoint a new chief," comments President Joe Biden in a statement.
The Secret Service is a federal agency responsible for protecting the President of the United States and investigating economic crimes such as fraud, identity theft, and forgery.
The organization has around 3,600 employees who guard the White House, the Treasury Department, and foreign embassies in Washington. The number of employees has been cut back in recent years, while the number of protected objects and threats has increased.
In addition to protecting the current president, the Secret Service is also responsible for protecting the vice president, the incoming president, the incoming vice president, former presidents and their families, presidential candidates, world leaders visiting the US, and US representatives on special missions abroad.
After the 9/11 attacks, the Secret Service was given new areas of responsibility, including monitoring security at non-political events that could be targets for terrorists, such as the Super Bowl.
Sources: CNN and NBC News
