Secret Service director resigns following Trump assassination attempt security failures

Kimberly Cheatle, Director of the US Secret Service, resigned following intense criticism over the agency's failure to prevent an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump on July 13.

Cheatle had been under mounting pressure to step down since the attack, which has been described as one of the most significant operational failures for the Secret Service in decades. 

In a statement, Cheatle acknowledged the gravity of the situation, saying, “The buck stops with me. I am the director of the Secret Service, and I need to make sure that we are performing a review and that we are giving resources to our personnel as necessary.”

Despite initial statements asserting her intent to remain in the role and her testimony before a House committee on Monday, Cheatle announced her resignation following continued scrutiny. 

In her testimony, she described the attack as a "solemn mission failure" and took full responsibility for the lapse in security. 

She emphasized that the Secret Service is fully cooperating with ongoing investigations to understand how the incident occurred.

Cheatle highlighted the challenges faced during the attack, noting that the time between the identification of the suspect and the shooting was very brief, complicating the response. 

She also clarified that local authorities were responsible for securing the building's outer perimeter, while the Secret Service managed the inner perimeter.

Some critics have questioned how the Secret Service failed to secure the area despite prior identification of the shooter as suspicious. 

Cheatle responded by noting that the coordination between local police and Secret Service agents was in place, though the rapid nature of the attack made it difficult to prevent.