OnPolitics: Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigns after assassination attempt against Donald Trump
Hey OnPolitics readers! Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned Tuesday, 10 days after a lone gunman’s near-assassination of former President Donald Trump shook confidence in her ability to lead the agency charged with protecting presidents, candidates and other VIPs.
The veteran Secret Service official's departure comes just a day after she endured withering criticism by bipartisan lawmakers at a House Oversight Committee hearing at which she admitted the July 13 incident was the biggest security failure in decades for the storied protective agency, Paste BN's Josh Meyer reported.
Decision comes after mounting pressure: Cheatle’s decision came after days of mounting pressure from lawmakers and intense scrutiny over security failures at Trump's rally July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump was nicked in the ear after Crooks fired an AR-style assault rifle. The shooter had climbed up a nearby rooftop and fired off as many as eight shots, killing Pennsylvania firefighter Corey Comperatore and injuring two other men before being “neutralized” by a Secret Service countersniper, the agency said.
Prep for the polls: See who is running for president and compare where they stand on key issues in our Voter Guide
Pennsylvania officials also face questions over rally shooting: As the announcement of Cheadle's resignation was made Tuesday, Col. Christopher Paris, commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police, faced questions from the House Homeland Security Committee about the rally shooting.
Prep for the polls: See who is running for president and compare where they stand on key issues in our Voter Guide
Cheatle's nearly six-hour tussle with lawmakers: Cheatle was subpoenaed to testify Monday morning about Secret Service failures before and after the attack, including how agents on the ground and atop a nearby building didn’t see – or stop – Crooks before he opened fire
Read more: Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigns after Donald Trump assassination attempt
Stay in the know on politics: Sign up for the OnPolitics newsletter