United States President Joe Biden will appoint a new head of the Secret Services, following the resignation of director, Kim Cheatle.
Cheatle’s resignation follows growing calls for her dismissal following an assassination attempt on Donald Trump at a rally on July 13.
The former US president and Republican presidential candidate was at a rally in Pennsylvania when he suffered a gunshot wound to the right ear. The suspected shooter and another person at the rally were killed.
In a letter to staff, Cheatle took full responsibility for the lapse in security at the rally.
According to BBC.com, Cheatle said the scrutiny has been immense and she did not want calls for her resignation to distract from the work the agency has done.
In an earlier statement to the Oversight Committee on the Attempted Assassination of Former President Trump, Cheatle described the incident as "the most significant operational failure at the Secret Service in decades.
"The Secret Service’s solemn mission is to protect our nation’s leaders. On July 13, we failed. As the Director of the United States Secret Service, I take full responsibility for any security lapse. As an agency, we are fully cooperating with the FBI’s investigation, the oversight you have initiated here, and conducting our own internal mission assurance review at my direction. Likewise, we will cooperate with the pending external review and the Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General," she said.
In a statement, Biden, who announced his withdrawal from the US election run, praised Cheatle who “selflessly dedicated and risked her life to protect the nation throughout her career in the United States Secret Service.
“We especially thank her for answering the call to lead the Secret Service during our Administration and we are grateful for her service to our family,” he said.
“As a leader, it takes honour, courage, and incredible integrity to take full responsibility for an organisation tasked with one of the most challenging jobs in public service,” Biden added.
According to reports, Ronald Rowe has been appointed in an acting position as the director of Security Services.
IOL News