• Tuesday, November 26, 2024
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Kimberly Cheatle, US Secret Service chief resigns over Trump assassination attempt

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United States Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned after the agency came under harsh scrutiny for its failure to stop a would-be assassin from wounding former President Donald Trump during a campaign rally, the White House said on Tuesday.

The Secret Service, which is responsible for the protection of current and former U.S. presidents, is facing a crisis after a gunman was able to fire on Trump from a roof overlooking the outdoor rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13.

Read also: Thomas Crooks: The 20-year-old who shot Former President Donald Trump at Pennsylvania rally

“The independent review to get to the bottom of what happened on July 13 continues, and I look forward to assessing its conclusions,” Democratic President Joe Biden said in a statement. “We all know what happened that day can never happen again.”

Biden said he would appoint a successor soon.
Cheatle faced bipartisan condemnation when she appeared before the House of Representatives Oversight Committee on Monday, declining to answer questions from frustrated lawmakers about the security plan for the rally and how law enforcement responded to the suspicious behavior of the gunman.

Several Republican and Democratic lawmakers had called on her to resign.
Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, was grazed in the right ear and one rallygoer was killed in the gunfire. The gunman, identified as a 20-year-old Thomas Crooks, was shot and killed by s Secret Service sniper.
“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,” James Comer, the Republican chair of the House Oversight Committee, said in a statement. “We will continue our oversight of the Secret Service.”

Temi Bamgbose is a new-generation media professional who has an intimate understanding of new and emerging media communications elements. He possesses a degree in Agricultural Extension and Rural Development from the University of Ibadan. He holds a Diploma in Electrical Electronics Engineering from the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic and a Journalism Diploma from the London School of Journalism. His career as a multimedia journalist saw him working with several online news platforms including The Punch -- the most widely read Nigerian newspaper -- where he won, along with his team of two, the 2017 season of the Global Editors Network NAN Editors Lab innovation competition. Temi has also worked with a number of public relations agencies. He also worked extensively on communications accounts of multinational brands. He is a wildlife conservation enthusiast.

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