(RightWing.org) – Several top Republicans have called on United States Secret Service (USSS) Director Kimberly Cheatle to resign following the July 13 assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. They include Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Ted Cruz (R-TX), and Tom Cotton (R-AR). Likewise, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Representatives Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) have asked the director to leave her post. Nevertheless, Cheatle refuses to step down.
Cheatle sat down for her first interview since the attempted assassination of Trump on the July 15 broadcast of ABC’s “World News Tonight” program. Senior justice correspondent Pierre Thomas asked the USSS director about her first reaction to the incident.
“Shock. And concern […] for the former president,” Cheatle replied, adding her opinion that the incident “never should have happened.”
Thomas asked Cheatle who she thought was responsible for the assassination attempt. Cheatle readily conceded that the USSS “is responsible for the protection of the former president.”
JUST IN: Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, former security director for Pepsi, says Trump assassination attempt was ‘unacceptable’ — but refuses to resign pic.twitter.com/MsXwEEwDqj
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) July 15, 2024
“So, the buck stops with you?” Thomas asked. “The buck stops with me,” Cheatle responded, “I am the director of the Secret Service.” Continuing, she said the incident “was unacceptable […] something that shouldn’t happen again.”
Thomas followed up by asking Cheatle about the numerous calls for her to resign. She initially deflected by vowing to “continue to be transparent and communicate with people.”
“You plan to stay on?” Thomas pressed.
“I plan to stay on,” Cheatle replied.
There is a well-established precedence for USSS directors to step down following high-profile security breaches. For instance, H. Stuart Knight left office in 1981, a few months after an assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan.
Mark Sullivan resigned in 2013 after a scandal involving then-President Barack Obama’s security detail erupted. Eleven agents and military personnel allegedly engaged prostitutes while on assignment to protect the president during the Sixth Summit of the Americas in Cartagena, Columbia.
Most recently, Julia Pierson stepped down in 2014 after several security lapses, including an incident involving an intruder who gained access to the White House.
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