The head of the US Secret Service, Kim Cheatle has stepped down after Donald Trump was shot at a rally earlier this month.
Cheatle had faced calls to step down since the shooting at a Trump rally on July 13, which left one attendee dead and two others critically injured.
She announced her resignation in an email to Secret Service employees Tuesday morning.
“The Secret Service’s solemn mission is to protect our nation’s leaders and financial infrastructure. On July 13th, we fell short on that mission,” she wrote. “The scrutiny over the last week has been intense and will continue to remain as our operational tempo increases. As your Director, I take full responsibility for the security lapse.”
Meanwhile, Joe Biden has praised Secret Service director Kim Cheatle for her “incredible integrity” in resigning her position.
Ms Cheatle announced she was stepping down moments ago over the agency’s failures surrounding the attempted assassination of Donald Trump.
The president said it takes honour and courage to “take full responsibility for an organisation tasked with one of the most challenging jobs in public service”.
“She has selflessly dedicated and risked her life to protect our nation throughout her career,” he said.
“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.”
Mr Biden added he would appoint a new director and he looked forward to the conclusions of the review into the shooting.
“We all know what happened that day can never happen again.”
Source: Sky News and ABC News
