Ouagadougou: The director of the Secret Service, under fire from criticism since the assassination attempt against Donald Trump on July 13, resigned Tuesday the day after a tense parliamentary hearing during which she recognized a major failure. Kimberly Cheatle, the patron of this elite service responsible for the protection of high-ranking American personalities, has since the shots which slightly injured the right-wing candidate been the subject of numerous calls to resign, from elected Republicans and Democrats alike.

‘It is with a heavy heart that I have made the difficult decision to resign,’ she wrote in a letter sent to her staff, cited by the Washington Post.

The Republican leader of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, immediately welcomed it.

‘It’s long overdue, she should have done it at least a week ago,’ he told reporters.

‘We must now pick up the pieces, rebuild the American people’s trust in the Secret Service,’ he added.

In a statement, Democratic President Joe Biden expressed his
appreciation to Ms. Cheatle ‘for her decades of service.’

‘Throughout her career in the Secret Service, she devoted herself tirelessly and risked her life to protect our nation,’ he added.

The president, however, wanted to mention the ‘independent’ investigation which must review the events of July 13 and determine how a shooter could have found himself so close to Donald Trump.

‘I look forward to evaluating its findings,’ Mr. Biden said, adding that he planned to appoint a new director ‘soon.’ ‘We all know that what happened that day must never happen again.’

During a hearing before Congress on Monday, Kimberly Cheatle admitted failings.

‘The solemn mission of the Secret Service is to protect our nation’s leaders (…). On July 13, we failed,’ she said.

‘As director, I take full responsibility for any security breach,’ she added, calling the events of July 13 ‘the most significant operational failure of the Secret Service in decades.’

But she dismissed calls for her resignation: ‘I think I am the best p
erson to lead the Secret Service at this time,’ she said.

She also refused to answer numerous specific questions from parliamentarians about the attack, arguing that several investigations were underway.

Donald Trump, 78, was injured in the ear during the shooting. Photos of him with blood streaming down his face and his fist raised went around the world. One spectator was killed and two others seriously injured.

The shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, was shot and killed by the Secret Service.

The Biden administration ‘did not properly protect me, and I was forced to take a bullet in the name of democracy,’ Donald Trump reacted Tuesday on his Truth Social platform.

Source: Burkina Information Agency