Americas

US Secret Service Director Resigns Over Trump Assassination Attempt

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has stepped down from her position following widespread calls for her resignation over the attempted assassination of Republican nominee Donald Trump, NBC News reported on Tuesday, citing three sources.
Sputnik
Cheatle is expected to issue an official statement about her resignation later this morning, the report said, citing two law enforcement sources.
Her resignation comes after she was grilled by US House lawmakers on Monday about the agency's failure to secure Trump's July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Commenting on the development, US House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said that Cheatle's resignation is seen as a "step toward accountability," but a thorough review of the USSS security lapses that led to an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump is crucial to avoid future incidents.
"While Director Cheatle’s resignation is a step toward accountability, we need a full review of how these security failures happened so that we can prevent them going forward," Comer said in a statement.
Americas
‘Finger Pointing’ Might Reveal Truths About Trump Assassination Attempt
Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson stated that the final report from the US House of Representatives’ special task force investigating the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump will be released by December 13.
"We are establishing a special task force in the House that’ll be bipartisan," Johnson said during a press briefing. "A final report will be due from the committee no later than December 13."
The panel will consist of seven Republicans and six Democrats, Johnson said. The composition of the task force will be released by the end of the week, Johnson said.
The panel will investigate the assassination attempt, assess accountability efforts and work to prevent similar incidents in the future, Johnson added.
World
Potential Ukrainian Trace in Trump's Attempted Murder – Ukrainian Opposition Politician
Earlier in the day, Johnson said that the US House of Representatives will initiate a task force to investigate the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
"The security failures that allowed an assassination attempt on Donald Trump’s life are shocking. In response, [House Minority Leader Hakeem] Jeffries and I are announcing a House task force made up of seven Republicans and six Democrats to thoroughly investigate the matter," Johnson said via X.
The task force will be empowered with subpoena authority and will move quickly to find the facts, Johnson added.
On July 13, a gunman attempted to assassinate Trump during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, but Trump evaded death by tilting his head at the last second and only sustained a wound to his right ear.
The US Secret Service, which eventually killed the gunman, has been severely criticized for its failure to act in time to prevent the incident.
Discuss