WASHINGTON — U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has resigned after widespread calls from lawmakers for her to resign following an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, three sources told NBC News.
Two law enforcement sources said an official announcement of his resignation is expected later today.
In his resignation letter, which he received from a senior official who accepted his resignation letter, Cheatle wrote that “reviews have been intense over the past week and will continue as our operational tempo increases.” He added that he “takes full responsibility for the security breach.”
“In light of recent events, I have made the difficult decision to resign as your director,” he wrote.
Cheatle’s resignation came a day after he faced questions from angry lawmakers from both parties who were upset that the Secret Service had failed to defend Trump.
“I’m not going to go into the details of the day,” Cheatle said, referring to the ongoing investigation. “There was a plan to provide excessive surveillance and we are still investigating the responsibilities.”
Both Democratic and Republican committee members said he should resign because of his “incompetence” and “lame excuses.”
“You’re full of — today!” Rep. Nancy Mace, RSC, criticized Cheatle for dodging questions and being “totally dishonest” about her cooperation with the committee.
His answers did not satisfy leaders of the House Oversight Committee, which held and called Monday’s hearing.
“Today, you have failed to answer fundamental questions about this stunning operational failure and to convince the American people that the Secret Service has learned its lessons and is beginning to correct its systemic mistakes and failures,” said Chairman James Comer, R-Ky. Ranking Member Jamie Raskin, D-Md., wrote A joint letter to Cheatle hours after the hearing ended.
The committee and the American people, especially during a presidential election year, “demand rigorous institutional accountability and transparency that you have not provided,” the two members said.
“We urge you to resign as director as the first step in helping the new administration quickly resolve this crisis and restore the trust of a truly concerned Congress and the American people,” they said.
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. and several other top Republicans, including House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La. and Senate Republican Conference Chairman John Barrasso, R-Wyo. He called on Cheatle to resign.
Several Republican lawmakers also said they planned to file articles of impeachment against Cheatle before he resigned Tuesday.
“He must go” Barrasso, This was reported by NBC News reporter Hallie Jackson After a Senate briefing on the shooting last week.
in an interview with ABC News Last week, Cheatle said the “buck” stopped with him.
The agency said it was investigating the incident and did not have all the details of what happened. But Cheatle said there was a “very short” amount of time between when the shooter, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was reported as a potential suspect and when he opened fire from the roof at the July 13 rally.
There is a window of time, two sources familiar with the proceedings said after a Senate briefing on the assassination attempt on Wednesday. 62 minutes.
Secret Service agents spotted Crooks on the roof, sources also said It is 10 minutes before Trump takes the stageand 20 minutes had passed before firing.
Trump said he was shot above his right ear. Former Firefighter, Corey Comperatore, died in the shooting. Two more people were injured and hospitalized, their condition has improved.
This is an evolving story. Please check for updates.
Jonathan Dienst, Melissa Chan and Raquel Coronell Uribe contributed.