US Secret Service director steps down after attack on Trump at rally

The director of the US Secret Service has said that she was resigning following the assassination attempt against former president Donald Trump that unleashed intensifying outcry about how the agency tasked with protecting current and former presidents could fail in its core mission.

Kimberly Cheatle, who had served as Secret Service director since August 2022, had been facing growing calls to resign and several investigations into how the shooter was able to get so close to the Republican presidential nominee at an outdoor campaign rally in Pennsylvania.

"I take full responsibility for the security lapse," she said on Tuesday in an email to staff, obtained by The Associated Press. "In light of recent events, it is with a heavy heart that I have made the difficult decision to step down as your director."

Cheatle's departure was unlikely to end the scrutiny of the long-troubled agency after the failures of July 13, and it comes at a critical juncture ahead of the Democratic National Convention and a busy presidential campaign season.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have promised continued investigation, along with an inspector general probe and an independent and bipartisan effort launched at President Joe Biden’s behest that will keep the agency in the spotlight.

"The scrutiny over the last week has been intense and will continue to remain as our operational tempo increases," Cheatle said in her note to staff.

Congress grilling

Cheatle's resignation comes a day after appeared before a congressional committee and was berated by hours by both Democrats and Republicans for the security failures.

She called the attempt on Trump’s life the Secret Service’s "most significant operational failure" in decades and said she took full responsibility for the security lapses, but she angered lawmakers by failing to answer specific questions about the investigation.

At the hearing on Monday, Cheatle remained defiant that she was the "right person" to lead the Secret Service, even as she said she took responsibility the security failures. When Republican Rep. Nancy Mace suggested Cheatle begin drafting her resignation letter from the hearing room, Cheatle responded, "No, thank you."

The 20-year-old shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was able to get within 135 metres (157 yards) of the stage where the former president was speaking when he opened fire.

Cheatle acknowledged on Monday that the Secret Service was told about a suspicious person two to five times before the shooting at the rally.

She also revealed that the roof from which Crooks opened fire had been identified as a potential vulnerability days before the rally. But she failed to answer many questions about what happened, including why there no agents stationed on the roof.