U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle yielded Tuesday to the building bipartisan pressure in Washington for her to step down.
Her resignation came 10 days after a would-be assassin’s bullet pierced former President Donald Trump’s right ear and nearly claimed his life.
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle testifies during a House Oversight Committee hearing examining potential security failures surrounding the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump on Capitol Hill, on July 22, 2024. Chris Kleponis/AFP via Getty Images
“As your Director, I take full responsibility for the security lapse,” Cheatle wrote in a letter to Secret Service employees.
“In light of recent events, it is with a heavy heart that I have made the difficult decision to step down as your Director.”
The decision marked an about-face from her stance on Monday as bipartisan members of the House Oversight Committee demanded her resignation.
Rebuffing those calls at the hearing, she said: “I think I am the best person to lead the Secret Service at this time.”
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Secret Service Deputy Director Ronald Rowe will serve as acting director until a new director is appointed.
On Capitol Hill, House leadership announced the formation of a task force to investigate the July 13 shooting. Meanwhile, members of the Homeland Security Committee asked Col. Christopher Paris, commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police, about his officers’ actions on the day of the event.
Paris revealed that officers from the Butler Emergency Services Unit spotted the suspected shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, from inside the building he later climbed before shooting Trump. Those officers left their post to search for Crooks when he vanished from view.
Asked if the officers would have had a “clean shot” at Crooks if they’d stayed put, Paris said he could not confirm that. But he did confirm that when local law enforcement found Crooks on the roof, it was “a matter of seconds” before he opened fire.
Other key details the commissioner provided were that eight shell casings were found near Crooks’s body, and that he had a detonation device on him.
“We were aware of that very early on, and that was a serious tactical consideration in the immediate aftermath as we worked that crime scene,” he said.
State police are investigating the shooting in coordination with the FBI. More than 100 interviews have been conducted and 1,000 pieces of evidence collected to date.
—Samantha Flom, Chase Smith, and Zachary Stieber
A WEEK OF TRANSITION
In a whirlwind 24 hours since Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race, Kamala Harris has quickly ascended to the forefront as the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party.
The Vice President has secured key endorsements from party leaders, won over pledged delegates the president won during the state primaries and caucuses, and established a campaign team to take on the Trump-Vance ticket.
By Monday night, Harris had the support of at least 2,574 delegates, according to an Epoch Times tally of delegates—more than the 1,976 majority of delegates she’ll need to win on a first ballot.
Biden’s announcement to drop out of the 2024 presidential race ended more than three weeks of intense speculation regarding his candidacy.
Since he ended his campaign, Democrats have donated more than $100 million to the vice president’s campaign in less than 36 hours.
Approximately 1 million contributors were grassroots supporters, with 62 percent of them being first-time donors.
After Biden ended his re-election efforts, his $96 million war chest was transferred to the vice president’s campaign, based on FEC data.
The next crucial decision for Harris will be selecting a running mate to complete the ticket.
Her campaign is reportedly vetting several potential vice presidential candidates.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, 51, is viewed as a strong VP candidate due to his swing state influence. He is known for his moderate stance and support for Israel.
Many in the party also favor Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), 60, as the vice presidential candidate. He has national recognition for being a former NASA astronaut and Navy pilot. He’s married to former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), who survived an assassination attempt in 2011. He and his wife are known for their advocacy for gun control.
The fact that North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, 67, has been leading a vital battleground state since 2017 also makes him a strong contender.
Other mentioned names include Govs. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Wes Moore of Maryland, Gavin Newsom of California, J.B. Pritzker of Illinois, Andy Beshear of Kentucky, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Moore and Whitmer have already stated that they are not interested in joining the presumptive Harris ticket.
–Emel Akan
BOOKMARKS
China has negotiated an agreement between rival Palestinian groups, including Hamas and Fatah, in an effort to bring all parties together and form a cohesive government. The move was condemned by Israeli officials, who have insisted that Hamas will have no role in a post-war government.
Several NGOs in Texas have been accused of facilitating illegal immigration, prompting an investigation by attorney general Ken Paxton. One of the groups, Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, has turned over more than 100 pages of documentation, but the Texas A.G. is still seeking a formal deposition.
An Ohio federal judge has struck down an election rule that narrowed who was allowed to possess the absentee ballot of a disabled person. The judge said the rule violated a section of the Voting Rights Act that said “any voter who requires assistance to vote by reason of blindness, disability, or inability to read or write may be given assistance by a person of the voter’s choice.”
Minsu “Fernando” Fang, a Chinese national, has been indicted for importing over two tons of fentanyl precursor between August and October 2023. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement that amount was enough “to kill millions of Americans.”
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is facing international scrutiny over her iron-fisted approach to protestors which has resulted in at least 150 deaths. Locals are facing curfews, internet blackouts, and a constant paramilitary presence.
—Stacy Robinson
