Kimberly Cheatle, the director of the Secret Service, has been called to resign following an attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump during a rally held on Saturday.
According to the website of the U.S. Secret Service, Cheatle has been director since September 2022. He previously served as senior director for Global Security at PepsiCo. Cheatle was reportedly “responsible” for directing and implementing the security protocols at PepsiCo’s North American facilities while working there.
The website notes that Cheatle served in the U.S. Secret Service for 27 years before joining PepsiCo.
She served 27 years with distinction in the U.S. Secret Service. Her last position was Assistant Director of Protective Operations. In this role, Ms. Cheatle managed a budget of $133.5M and worked with ten operational departments and the Technical Security Division to research, develop, and deploy technologies to reduce risks for protectees as well as protected facilities and protected events.
BBC News reported that a witness saw a man “bear crawling” up the roof of an adjacent building in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The man said: “I was thinking, ‘Why are they still talking, why haven’t they pulled him off stage ‘…?’ and the next thing I knew, five shots were heard.”
After Trump took the stage, there were gunshots and Secret Service agents crowded around him. Trump was later photographed with blood on the side of his cheek and ear.
The former president revealed later that, after being taken away by Secret Service agents, he was “shot with an upper-part bullet” that had pierced his right ear.
Cheatle has been criticized by many people for the security failures that allowed a sniper so close to shooting Trump.
Elon Musk, Tesla CEO and owner of the X, wrote:
Director of Secret Service pic.twitter.com/N2GDHxujR3
— Cernovich (@Cernovich) July 14, 2024
Blake Hall, who was the Sniper Employment Officer for his battalion, wrote a blog post stating that he had led hundreds of combat operations. There were major security lapses that allowed a shooter from 130 meters to easily engage President Trump.
I was the Sniper Employment Officer for my battalion and led hundreds of combat missions. There were major security lapses in the security plan that allowed a shooter to engage President Trump from ~130 meters – an easy shot. A 🧵 pic.twitter.com/eim0DzMRw6
— Blake Hall (@Blake_Hall) July 14, 2024
“In a country with the best military, special forces, and security services in the world, Biden appointed a female DEI employee from PepsiCo to be the director of the Secret Service. Vickie Paladino, a New York City councilwoman (R), wrote in a blog post that Biden did not choose a veteran Army Ranger or Navy SEAL.
Paladino said, “Assassination attempts like today’s are proof that appointing wildly unqualified people has grave consequences for the nation.” “Get these people out of government!”
In a nation with the finest military, special forces, and security services the world has ever known, Biden appoints a female DEI hire from PepsiCo as the director of our Secret Service.
Not a former Army Ranger, not a Navy SEAL, not even a longtime SS agent with decades of… https://t.co/yrijSc7hTO
— Councilwoman Vickie Paladino (@VickieforNYC) July 14, 2024
Cheatle stated that she hoped to recruit 30% more women by 2030 in an interview with CBS News.
James Comer, the chair of the House Oversight Committee (R-KY), released a press release saying that he prayed “for President Trump and the victims of the attempted assassination” at the rally. He also said he “called on” Cheatle “to appear for a hearing.”