![Secret Service chief Kimberly Cheatle resigns over Trump shooting](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-07-22T150529Z_2125031704_RC2E09AJRGJ0_RTRMADP_3_USA-ELECTION-TRUMP-CONGRESS-1721745889.jpg?resize=1920%2C1440)
Secret Service chief Kimberly Cheatle resigns over Trump shooting
Al Jazeera
Kimberly Cheatle stepping down amid pressure after assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump.
The head of the United States Secret Service is stepping down over the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump, after days of mounting pressure and criticism for failing to prevent the shooting.
The Associated Press news agency said Kimberly Cheatle sent an email to staff on Tuesday announcing her plans to step down.
Cheatle has been under pressure from US lawmakers to resign as questions continue to swirl around security protocols at Trump’s July 13 rally in Pennsylvania, where the former president and Republican presidential nominee was shot in the ear.
“I take full responsibility for the security lapse,” Cheatle said in the email to staff. “In light of recent events, it is with a heavy heart that I have made the difficult decision to step down as your director.”
The Secret Service chief had faced angry questions during a US congressional committee hearing on Monday over the agency’s security plan at the Trump rally.